A video from Plano, Texas shows a shocking scene as Ryan Moats – a running back for the Houston Texans — arrives with his wife to see his dying mother-in-law. While the mother-in-law is believed to be seconds from death, Officer Robert Powell stops him in the ER parking lot and demands proof of insurance. The video shows a heartbreaking scene as Moats desperately tries to say goodbye to his mother-in-law and Powell toys with him and threatens him with arrest. At one point, Powell, 25, says “I can screw you over. I’d rather not do that. She died before he was allowed inside. The video is below.
What is amazing is that the hospital nurses came out twice to beg Powell to let Moats say goodbye and to tell him that the woman had only seconds or minutes to live. Even a Plano police officer intervened to try to get Powell to show some sense and a modicum of mercy.
Powell is shown yelling a Ryan Moats’ wife, Tamishia, as she ran from the car to say goodbye to her mother: “Get in there. Let me see your hands. Get in there. Put your hands on the car.”
She says “Excuse me, my mom is dying” and ignored Powell’s commands to rush to her mother’s side.
Moats tells Powell, “I’ve got seconds before she’s gone, man.” But Powell appears to care less. He responds “Listen, if I can’t verify you have insurance…”
“My mother-in-law is dying,” Moats interrupted.
“Listen to me,” Officer Powell said.
“Right now,” Moats said. “You’re wasting my time.”
“If you can’t verify you have insurance, I’m going to tow your car,” the officer said. “So, you either find it or I am going to tow the car.”
As Moats objects, Powell escalates the threats.
“Shut your mouth. Shut your mouth. You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.”
Powell does not care even with nurse tell him, “We’re blue coding her for the third time.”
The Plano officer tries to convince Powell to act like a human: “Hey, that’s the nurse. She says the mom is dying right now and she wants to know if I can get him up there.”
Powell waits 20 minutes and then tickets Moats for running a red light.
By that time, his mother-in-law was dead.
Obviously, Powell should not be a police officer or a member of any profession requiring a modicum of judgment or humanity. Unfortunately, we have seen other officers with the same lack of humanity in stopping women in labor or ticketing desperate parents.
The problem is that such incidents are rarely given any attention by departments in the absence of an embarrassing videotape — a problem that has recently snared a number of police officers in New York.
Fortunately, this video shows one officer who shows the compassion and sense lacking in Officer Powell.
For the video, click here.
For the story, click here.
That’s the Plano PD for you. 1) What business of it of the “officer” who has insurance? He doesn’t work for the hospital in accounts receivable. 2) What’s he doing stopping anyone coming into the ER absent a hospital request to remove someone or a manifestation of a clear and present danger? He’ll be doing triage next, hmm? 3) I’ve had dealings with Plano PD and to a one they have been swaggering jackbooted thugs more interested in badge polishing than doing their job. This just further proves it.
Texas may suck, but Plano is THE reason I left Texas for good. I hope he sues you pinheads into the stone age. Although from what I can tell the only difference between Neanderthals and Plano-ites is there are nice malls in Plano, so it should be a short walk.
Tragic.
Glenn Greenwald states the following in his column of today. He also quotes extensively from JT’s interview with Rachael Maddow. I think Glenn has nailed it, just as JT did in his statements:
“…the primary hallmark of a deeply broken nation — is the total elimination of the rule of law for the ruling class, with a simultaneous intensification of the law as a weapon against the citizenry.”
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/
I would’ve told him to tow the car, and follow the wife inside. He doesn’t need the driver to be present while writing a ticket, red light cameras sure as hell don’t.
The fact that this guy was moved to desk duty instead of given a pink slip is the worst part. With local governments starving for cash, I’m fairly certain there are a few recruits waiting to get hired that would do a much better job than this fool.
>What business of it of the “officer” who has insurance? He doesn’t work for the hospital in accounts receivable.
He wanted proof of auto insurance, which many states require one to carry in the vehicle, especially if it’s a state law that one must carry auto insurance as a prerequisite to driving.
That said, the officer is/was an asshat who needs some remedial training in being a peace officer (vice a law enforcement officer).
Hey I view this as progress; nobody used a taser.
No matter what insurance he was checking, it’s still not his job at the ER. His job is to stay the hell out of the way.
This is police brutality? Hell no. That woman jumped out of a truck and started to run from the officer, and she is surprised when he pulls a gun?
Typical black whining. Police treat everybody like this. Our colored sports heroes get away with too much as it is. That cop wasn’t racist he was just trying to do his job and stay safe.
That’s it people. So in your paranoia you can rant about police brutality and the Man, etc. But it ain’t the cop’s fault that somebody’s mammy was in the hospital dyin.
Lyn,
“That cop wasn’t racist,” maybe but you and the link you provide are!
http://fromwembleypark.com/Home.html
“He was just trying to do his job and stay safe.” Right, now he keeps us safe by being off the streets and reassigned to a desk.
“So in your paranoia you can rant about police brutality and the Man.”
Your the only one ranting here Lyn, in your clearly racist way.
Lyn,
No one here claimed the officer was racist, only that he wasn’t properly doing his job. You, on the other hand, obviously filter everything through the prism of skin color. That’d make you the racist, dearie. The only paranoia I see here is your own race paranoia and reflexive knee-jerk defense of cops – who by the way are not special and deserve to be held to higher standard of behavior than citizens of any color, not a lesser standard. Color has nothing to do with this issue presented in this thread. Cops abusing their power is the issue. If some overreaching douche bag cop gets in your way when you are trying to see a dying relative? You’d be singing a different song then. No question about it. That karma can be a bitch. You might have been able to understand that from reading before speaking, but you could be visually impaired. I understand it’s hard to see through a sheet when you don’t cut out eye holes. While I can forgive the stupidity, I won’t forgive the ignorance and racism of your comment. If any of this upsets you, I suggest slamming a case of beer, scratching your crotch and staring into the sun until you feel better.
Worst person in the world!
And Lyn, worst person in the thread, congrats.
“Our colored sports heroes get away with too much as it is.”
If that’s not racist you can spank me silly and call me Willy.
Lyn,
By your words you are definitely a racist but of the gutless kind, who has some very small sense of decency within you that knows its wrong, so tries to thinly disguise your hate with lying words. You fully show it off by linking to an obviously racist website, but that was your purpose all along wasn’t it.
To get the link out there. The problem is that in your frightened stupidity and lack of self awareness you are not even any good at propaganda. As to what’s so wrong with racism for one it is anti-Christian and Anti-American. Secondly, it shows a fear coming from your own insecurity and self doubt.
Thirdly, it is the sign of truly ignorant thugs.
Lyn congrats you just took over as “Dumb ass of year” award from that cop. people should think before they speak or in this case “type”
Since the subject came up inadvertently from an idiot let’s address the race issue here. Mr. Moats, a black man and a football player was probably driving a fairly expensive car. He was guilty in the officer’s eyes no doubt of driving while black and so was hassled in a very inappropriate use of police power.He deserves to be fired. however, if Plano is as primitive as Buddha describes and he usually is quite accurate, then I hope Mr. Moats sues the hell out of them for inflicting unusual pain and suffering.
Lyn missed the entire point of the story. The personality of the officer in question is a disaster waiting to happen. People who receive a visceral thrill through the exercise of power and authority over others ought not be placed in positions where the abuse of power is so readily accomplished and has potentially deadly results. If you recall, Barney Fife was only allowed to carry one bullet.
What an incredible asshole. And I think Lyn is married to him.
The officer was a Dallas Police Officer – in fact it was a Plano officer who tried to intercede. It is also the Plano officer who reported it to his supervisers who in turn contacted Dallas PD.
I have a tendency to agree that some Plano officers are “jackboots” but not in this case.
Is it any surprise that this case happened in good ol’ Texas? Gyges you may be right that we should be happy that noone was hit with a taser! However, this police officer should be looking for a new job in a hurry. Desk Duty is not a severe enough punishment for this punk.
Pam From Plano:
You make a good point that this would have received no play but for that officer from Plano. Not all cops are jackasses like Powell here, but they are increasingly becoming more alienated from the citizenry by virtue of the para-military culture they work under. Lyn is almost as ridiculous as the situation here. Does anyone think Tony Romo, outfitted with similar vehicle and family in tow, would have met this same fate. Make it a black second team RB and you see what happens. Someone mentioned more training as the answer to this tragedy. Tell me where does one train to get a compassionate heart?
Well said Mespo,
Officer Powell must be fired!
That would be the required first step for him to have any chance to begin his training for a compassionate heart.
We are all mere mortals and the moments surrounding death are emotionally precious, spiritual and to most sacred.
It is tragic how unaware or deliberately obtuse Officer Powell behaves; even when advised by the nurse and the Plano PO that this was a “life or death moment” for that family.
He doesn’t understand that our fragile mortality is a much higher priority than mere law and order.
My heart goes out to the Moats family.
Lyn,
How are you going to begin to fix your racist head/heart?
Lyn:
You represent what the President said the other night in responding to a question from the press.
“I like to know what I am talking about, before I say anything”.
Shouldn’t feed the trolls, that’s what keeps ‘em coming back.
Doesn’t Moats have a decent case of intentional infliction of emotional distress? I hope he’s suing.
Thanks Pam,
It’s always good to get these things straight and to remember that there are many police out there who do take their job seriously and don’t use to gratify weak egos.
The other officer should have allowed Moats and Co. to get through by arresting Powell. For impersonating a police officer. He could argue afterwards that it was more than reasonable to believe no actual cop would hold up someone seeing his mother-in-law in his last moments.
Pam from Plano,
Your website is informative. Having other lawyers’ perspectives to the topics within this blawg are always welcomed and guaranteed to lengthen the debate and comprehension.
“The other officer should have …arresting Powell.” “For impersonating a police officer.” Lol that’s reasonable. Then the Thin Blue Line behavior kicks into gear, but maybe I’m wrong. The Plano P O reported this up the chain of command to get Powell investigated. ShireNomad it’s progress!
ShireNomad,
There are legal jurisdictional constraints that most likely prevented the Plano LEO for ‘directing’ the resolution of this incident. However, he certainly deserves recognition for what he tried to accomplish and for following up with a report to his superiors. The “impersonating a police officer” comment was good.