COP STOPS NFL'S RYAN MOAT'S FAMILY FROM SEEING DYING MOM: Dallas police chief apologizes for officer's behavior; family believes race was a factor.

Watch this CNN report with actual footage of the incident:


*Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized Wednesday for the behavior of an officer who stopped a family outside a hospital emergency room, reports WFAA-TV.

Officer Robert Powell has been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with an incident last week in which he stopped the family rushing to visit a dying mother, detaining them for 13 minutes to write a traffic ticket.

“His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit,” the chief said during a press conference.

During the traffic stop, caught on the officer’s in-car camera, Powell berated the driver, ex-Philadelphia Eagles and now Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats, 26, and threatened him with arrest for running a traffic light.

“I can screw you over,” said Powell, 25. “I’d rather not do that.”

Kunkle appeared to bite his tongue a bit when expressing regret over the officer's actions.

“When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes,” he said, “we were embarrassed, disappointed — it’s hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief.”

Moats rolled through a red light as he and his wife were en route to Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. A Dallas police squad car pulled their SUV over near the hospital's emergency entrance and drew his gun. Moats and his wife begged the officer to let them hurry on to her mother's bedside.

“You really want to go through this right now?” Moats pleaded. “My mother-in-law is dying. Right now!”

His wife, Tamishia Moats, ignored the cop and ran into the hospital with her great-aunt. Tamishia's mother, Jonetta Collinsworth, was struggling at 45 with breast cancer that had spread throughout her body. Family members rushed to her bedside from as far away as California.

Ryan Moats, who stayed behind with the father of the dying woman, said Powell also pointed his gun at him. He said he put his hands on the car because he was afraid that he might get shot. He tried to explain the situation to the officer.

“I waited until no traffic was coming,” Moats told Powell, explaining his passage through the red light. “I got seconds before she’s gone, man.”

Powell demanded his license and proof of insurance. Moats produced his license but said he didn’t know where the insurance paperwork was.

“Just give me a ticket or whatever,” he said, beginning to sound exasperated and a little argumentative.

“Shut your mouth,” Powell told him. “You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.”

There was more back and forth. “If you’re going to give me a ticket, give me a ticket,” said Moats.

“Your attitude says that you need one.”

“All I’m asking you is just to hurry up.”

Powell began a lecture. “If you want to keep this going, I’ll just put you in handcuffs,” he said, “and I’ll take you to jail for running a red light.” Powell made several more points, including that the SUV was illegally parked. Moats replied “Yes sir” to each.

“Understand what I can do,” Powell concluded. “I can tow your truck. I can charge you with fleeing. I can make your night very difficult.”

“I understand,” Moats responded. “I hope you’ll be a great person and not do that.”

Hospital security guards arrived and told Powell that the Moatses’ relative really was upstairs dying. Powell spent several minutes inside his squad car, in part to check Moats for outstanding warrants. He found none. Another hospital staffer came out and spoke with a Plano police officer who had arrived.

“Hey, that’s the nurse,” the Plano officer told Powell. “She said that the mom’s dying right now, and she’s wanting to know if they can get him up there before she dies.”

“All right,” Powell replied. “I’m almost done.” (For the complete dialogue between the two, click here.)

As Moats signed the ticket, Powell continued his lecture. “Attitude’s everything,” he said. “All you had to do is stop, tell me what was going on. More than likely, I would have let you go.”

It had been about 13 minutes. Moats and Collinsworth’s father went into the hospital, where they found Collinsworth had died, with her daughter at her side.

The Moatses, who are black, said Wednesday that they can’t help but think that race might have played a part in how Powell, who is white, treated them.

“I think he should lose his job,” said Ryan Moats, a Dallas native who attended Bishop Lynch High School and now plays for the Houston Texans.