ROCK HILL, S.C. — Nearly a month after the arrests of two brothers in Rock Hill sparked protests across the city and led to a police officer’s termination, one of the men has filed a lawsuit.
Justin Bamberg, the attorney for Travis Price, filed the 63-page lawsuit against the city of Rock Hill and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.
At a news conference two weeks ago, the solicitor’s office released two body camera videos of the arrests of Ricky and Travis Price.
City officials previously said police conducting a drug investigation on June 23 had pulled over one of the men after he made an illegal turn, and the man called his brother to say he was stopped at a gas station. Police said the driver tried to run when officers removed his handcuffs so he could take off some jewelry, and his brother bumped officers and refused to move back when ordered.
However, Solicitor Kevin Brackett later said that an investigation and review of the body camera footage show Officer Jonathan Moreno confronted Travis Price, who was standing near officers to receive the jewelry, and proceeded to push and eventually force him to the ground while other officers tried to get Moreno’s attention.
Past coverage:
- Officer fired, charged after body cam video shows confrontation during brothers’ arrest
- Rock Hill police officer testifies about controversial arrest of 2 brothers
- SLED to investigate after arrest of 2 brothers in Rock Hill sparks protests
- Attorneys: Video contradicts Rock Hill police’s account of brothers’ arrest
Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts said Moreno violated the department’s policy by escalating the situation and was fired. Moreno is also being charged with third-degree assault and battery over his interactions with Travis Price during the arrest.
Travis Price’s charge of hindering police has since been dropped. He told reporters the incident robbed him of his dignity.
“I accept the apology (from Officer Moreno) as a man, because everybody makes mistakes, but I’ll never be the same again,” Travis Price said.
The arrests and viral video led to protests outside the Rock Hill Police Department and more than a dozen arrests in the days that followed.
Channel 9 reached out to the city of Rock Hill and Norman’s office for a comment regarding lawsuit and both declined because of the pending litigation.
The attorney for Travis Price released the following statement regarding the lawsuit filed Monday:
“Today we filed a lawsuit against the city of Rock Hill for their role in the horrific events that transpired June 23 against an innocent man, Travis Price.
“Aside from false arrest and malicious prosecution, the city of Rock Hill, through the actions of its police department, did everything in their power to ruin the reputation of a hard-working father of two with no criminal record simply to protect their own interests in the wake of citywide protests.
“By issuing a press release to the media that was riddled with lies and mistruths about what occurred with Mr. Price on June 23, the Rock Hill Police Department changed his life in a devastating way. Those false statements were reiterated in a press conference on June 24. Even though there were several officers on scene who knew exactly what happened before disgraced former officer Jonathan Moreno attacked Mr. Price, and despite the Chief of Police and Mayor of Rock Hill having watched the police body camera videos, they didn’t speak up or do anything to remedy the situation. These government actors are complicit in an innocent man enduring public humiliation and spending 36 hours in jail.
“When Rock Hill Police Chief Watts was given the opportunity to take responsibility for the lies that were issued by his department during a press conference, he refused to even acknowledge the press release that the City purposefully sent to the media for public dissemination.
“This is a textbook case of defamation. Travis Price is filing this action today in an effort to ensure that no other innocent person has their reputation smeared by a police department so it can protect the illegal actions of their officers.
“We will dig deep in discovery and determine who wrote this press release, where the author got the information that served as the basis for the press release and who ultimately approved it.
“As law enforcement agencies around the country work to rebuild trust with those they have sworn to protect and serve, the Rock Hill Police Department has set those efforts back many years with this ill-conceived scheme to destroy a law-abiding citizen’s good name to protect an officer who broke the law.
We must do better.”
(WATCH BELOW: Leaders call for unity in Rock Hill after week of protests)
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