Hero MP Stops Speeding Car Going 8 Mph, Saves Countless Lives
STUTTGART, GERMANY – Local military police officer William Moya is being called “an all-American hero” by his command today after his actions were credited with saving countless lives on the base.
During a recent speed-enforcement activity, Moya, a 28-year old Staff Sergeant, pulled over a motorist who was blazing through the Patch Barracks Shoppette parking lot with a “callous disregard for the safety of other personnel.”
Since Patch Barracks is in Europe, it uses the metric system. The speed limit in front of the Shoppette is 10 km/h, approximately 6 mph.
“When we saw that car careening through the Shoppette parking lot, we couldn’t believe it at first,” said SFC Tommy Trejo, a veteran MP and Moya’s supervisor. “I said to myself, ‘This guy is gonna get someone killed.’”
Moya spotted the car hurtling toward him and sprang into action. He took a sip of his coffee, set it on the ground, picked up his radar gun, turned it on, and pointed it straight at the furiously accelerating death machine.
The gun’s verdict? Guilty.
“I was just really surprised to tell you the truth,” said Moya. “We’re not playing Need for Speed here.”
The fearless Moya then surprised everyone by stepping in front of the driver and signaling him to stop.
“It was like a scene out of a movie,” Trejo said. “With no regard for his own safety, Moya walked straight in front of that crazy asshole. If that guy wouldn’t have stopped, [Moya] would have only had 10 seconds to jump back onto the sidewalk, 15 seconds tops.”
Luckily, the driver, whose name MPs are not releasing out of fear of public reprisal, did stop. Moya initially cited him for speeding and reckless endangerment.
During the traffic stop, Moya noticed the driver was wearing his Improved Physical Fitness Uniform (IPFU) without a reflective belt. The lack of reflective belt was not a violation since the driver was inside his vehicle, so the quick-thinking Moya asked him to step outside. When the driver obeyed, Moya was then able to cite him for the uniform violation.
“SSG Moya is a credit to the force,” said CPT James Burr, Moya’s company commander. “We believe that the more violations we catch, the safer our community is. Moya’s ability to turn one violation into two or sometimes three is a testament to how safe he is keeping everyone.”
Despite the praise of his supervisors, Moya remains humble.
“I was just doing my job,” Moya said. “The real heroes here are the people who decided that the speed limit should be 6 miles an hour. They’re the ones we should all be thanking.”
