FYI, I live IN DALLAS and am VERY familiar with where this incident took place. Please watch the tape again folks and I'll explain exactly what you are seeing:
Video | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/video/index.html?nvid=345818 - broken link)
You can also use google maps and pull up Preston Rd & Hwy 190 or Baylor Plano and you will see the street layout of that area.
The officer first starts videotaping as the officer is crossing over 190 on Preston. The officer RUNS A RED LIGHT and came pretty close to hitting another car. The officer did NOT make sure the intersection was "clear" before HE went thru it. If you look in the distance you see the flashing lights of the Moats vehicle and it turns right onto Alliance. The ONLY thing on that street is the hospital. Well, a doctors office building and Baylors Heart center.
As the police officer turns onto Alliance the Moats vehicle is well down the road and probably unaware the police car behind them is actually pursuing them. This is ON THE WAY TO A HOSPITAL which ambulances and other emergency vehicles come into w/ their emergency lights on. The police officer was NOT that close to them at all. Then the Moats turn right onto a private drive that goes between the hospital building and a parking garage. The ONLY stop sign Moats "went thru" were the two on hospital property. Remember, this is close to 2 in the morning and Moats does not appear to be speeding excessively and would have seen another vehicle coming towards the stop signs in another direction. The last stop sign is at the end of the drive where you either turn right into the parking structure or left into the ER parking lot. It was ONLY once Moats was close to this stop sign that the officer was close behind them. Moats turned left into the ER parking lot (which is the ONLY thing on that side of the "drive").
If this officer had been using ANY lick of common sense he would have known as soon as the vehicle turned right onto Alliance w/ the emergency flashers on they were headed to the hospital. Once they were turning into the ER parking lot he REALLY should have known. The officer exited his vehicle with his GUN DRAWN and pointed at the family. There have been witnesses to this account and one is an officer with the city the hospital is in, Plano. That officer is the one that reported the entire incident to his authorities. Moats did not report it nor did anyone in his family but another OFFICER DID!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bostonian123
You guys have no idea how many people use the "i'm rushing to the hospital to visit a dying friend/relative" excuse to try to avoid a ticket. I'm not surprised the cop didn't believe him. They have heard every excuse in the book.
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Hm, being that the officer was not right behind the vehicle in question until they were in the hospital ER parking lot.............. I'd say it is a safe bet that it was a legit emergency.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmking
The story was they were very close to the hospital. The cop could have escorted them to the hospital if they were that close and if they were lying then blast them with tickets. But, to pull a gun out over a red light runner is ridiculous. If the cop can't handle that then he should be checking cars in at the lot or make golf balls for a living but not pulling people over for sure.
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They were less than 1 mile from the hospital when the "red light" in question occured. The officer was not directly behind their vehicle until it was ON hospital property.
I'd be willing to bet that no one in the Moats vehicle even saw the flashing lights of the officer until they were IN the parking lot of the ER. Watch the video, he is not near them till then. Keep in mind that the only thing on the street is the hospital and emergency vehicles will commonly come onto hospital property w/ the emergency lights on.
For them to "pull over" and ask for an escort at that point would have been moot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanrene
Thanks for the vid.
Excuse me - Moats and wife totally ignored the cop/lights/stop sign(s).
His attitude/behavior was poor. He was argumentative, combative and aggressive.
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Watch the video AGAIN and read the description of the area in question. The officer was NEVER right behind the Moats vehicle UNTIL it was
IN the drive leading to the ER parking lot of the hospital.
I don't see where Moats and his family were the least bit argumentative, combative or aggressive.
Let's call and wake you up in the middle of the night and tell you a loved one is dying and see how "warm and fuzzy" you are when you step out of your car at the hosptial and see an officer pointing a gun at you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmking
After watching the video the cop needs to be fired. The cop knew where the hospital is and was chasing a car with flashing lights heading straight for the hospital. He also knew that it was an emergency he was following because of the car's flashing lights. What he didn't like was the vehicle did not pull over right away and instead headed straight to the emergency entrance to the hospital. With this police officer it's all about power over people. Dump the punk, this type has given cops a bad name for years and thank god for dash cameras.
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Agree. The cop should have used common sense to KNOW that the street that Moats turned on heads straight to a hospital.
As for pulling over, the officer was not right behind them until they were ON hospital property. Which again should have been another dead giveaway that it was an emergency situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rita Mordio
Flashing lights does not give somebody (famous or not) the permission to run red lights, run stop signs, evade police (since he did not stop), AND disobey the officer.
No matter what a cop does, that cop is in the wrong. It shouldn't matter that this guy plowed right through a red light and a few stop signs. It shouldn't matter that his driving pattern matched that of a criminal attempting to evade police. What matters is that Powell is a cop, and therefore should be fired.
/sarcasm
Both Moats and the officer did things that were "in the wrong". End of story.
Here's a brilliant idea! If you see flashing lights following you... try pulling over.
(and no, I don't like most cops.)
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Again, Moats did not "plow thru a red light". The officer DID "plow thru a red light". Watch the video. The officer went thru the intersection BEFORE making sure all cross traffic and stopped. He almost hit another car.
The ONLY stop signs Moats "ran" were the two in the drive of the hospital.
I do not consider that Moats was "evading" the officer at all. The officer was not behind them until they were IN the hospital parking lot. When was he supposed to pull over, did he have esp or something
. It was only when Moats was IN the ER parking lot that the officer was behind them. Before that time he was a good distance behind them. Watching the video it does not appear that Moats was driving like a criminal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmking
Get off your high horse! This police officer is a public servant not the local tyrant. He should be trained properly and use his common sense for crying out loud in dealing with the public. Situations like this can escalate way beyond the running of lights. You can best believe if it was his mother who was dying in that hospital his ass would be doing the exact same thing in his family car and so would you.
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Something completely lacking in todays soceity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rita Mordio
Moats' actions *running a red light, running stop signs, possibly speeding* made him a danger to himself and everyone around him. The officer went after him. He refused to stop. Moats escalated the situation by not stopping. Standard protocol. Refusing to stop is actually a crime known as evasion.
Perhaps none of this would have happened if a police escort was requested while en route to the hospital? I've done that once and it worked quite nicely. Officer met up with us and passed us. Then he got ahead of us and hit the lights. We followed him through several red lights to the hospital, where dispatch had informed the hospital, so they were completely ready. ((One of the scariest nights of my entire life!))
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Again, watch the video. And Moats did NOT "plow thru red lights". According to the other drivers that witnessed the incident he STOPPED FIRST! That driver saw the emergency flashers on and waved him thru the intersection. The officer DID run a red light and almost hit another vehicle.
Maybe Moats did not stop because the officer was not behind him UNTIL he was IN the parking lot of the ER.
FYI, the police will NOT give an escort. They will tell you to drive safely and/or to call for an ambulance. You also know that it is AGAINST THE LAW to follow BEHIND an emergency vehicle with their emergency lights on don't you. Maybe it is different where you live but around here that would not have happened, an escort that is. The Moats would have needed to call 4 police agencies to get an escort (Frisco PD, Plano PD, Dallas PD and the Texas State Highwy Patrol) as those were the jurisdictions they were traveling thru to reach the hospital.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesLang
wow! just saw the video on the news. the cop could've just gone inside the hospital with the guy if he was afraid that ryan was lying and trying to run away. apparently, the officer still felt that he did nothing wrong even after the video. he was assigned to a desk job now after this incident, but they should've canned his ass!
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Well, you would think the officer would have realized that a car with their emergency flashers on going down a street that the only thing on it is a hospital there was some kind of an emergency. Especially after they pulled into the ER.
Quote:
Originally Posted by raymondm
Woow!!! I'm not suprised this happened, most of the police are all like this in north texas, its not about protet and serve with.
This a reason why I could careless if a cop get killed or not, I hope I dpnt sound like a savage, because I'm not. In my opinion cops get what they deserve!!
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Your a real piece of work.
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Originally Posted by Sunil's Dad
judging from the history of the state of Texas and of America.
.....
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And that history would be??????? I actually find this comment insulting. Do you have any firsthand experience w/ this kind of problem in Texas? America? Do you really know the history of Texas?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesLang
Whether it is racial or not, it shows that this guy doesn't have enough common sense to be a police officer. I have a feeling that this officer will eventually get canned! He needs to change his career!
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Common sense is what is missing in this incident. The officer should have had enough sense to know that a car seen with their flashers on going in the direction of a hospital and the ER just might have an emergency.
This person should not be allowed in a career where he is allowed to carry a gun at all.