Inside Edition - Football Player Pulled Over as Mother-in-Law Takes Final Breaths

Football Player Pulled Over as Mother-in-Law Takes Final Breaths

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 3/27/2009

NFL running back Ryan Moats was pulled over after running a red light en route to a Dallas hospital where his mother-in-law was dying.

Moats, who was detained so long he wasn’t able to see his mother-in-law before she passed, talked with a local radio station about the incident.

Officer Robert Powell held Moats for 13 minutes in the parking lot of the hospital before finally letting him go.

Dashcam video from the scene shows a hospital nurse (L) and second officer attempting to convince the resistant officer of the dire circumstances.

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized for his officer’s actions during a press conference following the incident.

Player: "My mother-in-law is dying!"
Officer: "Listen to me."
Player: "Right now!"
Officer: "Listen to me."
Player: "You're wasting my time!"

INSIDE EDITION has the dashcam video that’s sparking national outrage as a NFL player is pulled over for running a red light on his way to a Dallas hospital. The officer ignores his frantic pleas to let him hurry to the bedside of his dying mother-in-law.

Officer: "I can screw you over. I'd rather not do that. You obviously will dictate everything that happens, and right now, your attitude sucks."

Now, for the first time, running back Ryan Moats is speaking out about the incident and the police officer. His mother-in-law would die just moments before he could see her. He talked with Dallas radio station KRLD.

"What he did was wrong, you know. I mean, he stole a moment away from me that I can never get back," Moats said.

Officer Robert Powell has now been placed on paid administrative leave, and his police chief is apologizing for what happened.

In a press conference following the incident, Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized. “I do want to issue my own personal apology. I’m embarrassed by the behavior of our officers.”

INSIDE EDITION has also learned that the officer actually drew his gun after he pulled over the car containing Moats, his wife and several family members. He then held Moats for 13 minutes in the hospital parking lot while his mother-in-law was taking her final breaths.

Moats: "My mother is dying! Right now! We're wasting time! Right now!"
Officer: "That doesn't constitute running a red light."
Moats: "So your mother's dying...I waited until no traffic was coming. I got seconds before she's gone, man!"

On the dashcam video, a hospital nurse is seen trying to get the officer to let Moats go. Another officer who arrived on the scene also joins in.

Second Officer: "Hey, that's the nurse. He says the mom is dying right now and she wants to know if I can get him up there for her."
Officer: "Alright, I'm almost done."

Of the red light pullover, Lt. Andy Harvey says, “Bottom line, judgment is the issue here and we believe this officer could have used much, much better judgment.”