ROCK HILL, S.C. — A former police officer who lost his job after the controversial arrest of two brothers went viral and led to protests in June is speaking out to Channel 9.
Jonathan Moreno was fired and now faces a criminal charge over his actions, which were captured on cellphone and body camera video during the arrests of Ricky and Travis Price.
In the bodycam video, Moreno can be heard yelling, “Fight, fight. It’s just me and you, baby” at Travis Price. He also shoves Travis Price to the ground.
Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts said Moreno violated the department’s policy by escalating the situation. He’s also being charged with third-degree assault and battery over his interactions with Travis Price during the arrest.
“Laying there in my cell, I was like, ‘Is this a dream? This has to be a nightmare,’” Moreno said.
After he was fired, Moreno appeared at a news conference during which he apologized to Travis Price and the community.
“I’m here to be held accountable for my actions,” Moreno said.
Now, he’s speaking out because he said that incident led people to draw very strong conclusions about him and he wanted the chance to talk about the 10 years he spent serving Rock Hill.
“The main reason I want to speak, I want to let people know I’m not hiding,” Moreno told Channel 9 anchor Allison Latos.
“I was a coach, a mentor, a school resource officer that transferred into a violent crimes unit. That’s unheard of. It’s very rare you’re going to find a guy that’s an instructor, SWAT member, former K-9 member and investigator,” Moreno said. “All my hard work throughout the years. I just don’t understand how we couldn’t resolve this a better way.”
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Dr. Norma Gray with the Rock Hill NAACP said she’s seen the language and aggression that was captured in the video too many times before.
“It’s the mentality, the culture of many police officers across the country that treat many African American men all the same: ‘You’re all criminals. You all deserve to be treated like animals,’” she said.
Gray said she was “tremendously disappointed” in Moreno’s actions in the video.
(WATCH BELOW: Attorneys: Video shows Rock Hill police should drop charges against brother in controversial arrest)
Moreno can’t talk in detail about what happened during the arrest because he’s still awaiting trial, but he told Channel 9 that “the way it’s perceived on camera, I would definitely change decisions I made.”
“I understand the police in general across the nation needs (to be) changed. I don’t disagree with that at all,” he said. “As a first-generation American Hispanic young male, I know what it is to be a Spanish kid on the block. What I’m trying to say at the same time is police officers need some kind of support. We don’t have anyone who stands up for us, so we are basically leaving our careers up to city hall.”
Moreno’s future and whether it will include a career in law enforcement again is uncertain. His trial is currently scheduled for 2022. He told Channel 9 that he isn’t sure whether he wants to be a police officer again, but he has considered running for public office. He said he’ll make his decision once his case is over.
The charges against Travis Price have been dropped.
(WATCH BELOW: Officer fired, charged after body cam video shows confrontation during brothers’ arrest)
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