‘I was robbed of my dignity.’ Travis Price and attorney react to charges being dropped, Rock Hill officer’s firing

ROCK HILL, S.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – Charges against a Rock Hill man have been dropped and an officer has been terminated from his position following the high-profile arrests of two brothers that sparked several nights of protests last month.

“I was robbed from my dignity something that I’ll never get back,” Travis Price said during a new conference held by his attorney and other community leaders on Thursday.

Rock Hill Police released body cam footage of the double arrests of Travis and Ricky Price on June 23.

Authorities merged four different camera views together to depict a full story of the incident.

“The two that people have been wanting to see are the body cam angles that show what took place. The two that do have value are from the body cam from Officers Palmer and [Jonathan] Moreno,” Kevin Brackett, the 16th Circuit Solicitor said before he showed the videos. 

Authorities focused on the audio from both body cameras to paint a bigger picture of how the incident escalated.

“It has been found that investigator Moreno’s interaction with Travis Price violated the standards set forth in our policies by not attempting to deescalate the situation. In fact, he escalated the situation. Based on the totality of investigators Moreno’s actions, his employment has been terminated,” Rock Hill Police Chief Chris Watts said. 

Chief Watts said the former police officer has been charged with third-degree assault and battery. He also stated that Officer Moreno didn’t know that Travis was given permission to stand there and wait for his brother’s belongings. 

Former officer Moreno said what happened is out of his character.

“Mr. Price I wish we met on better terms and under different circumstances. And after reviewing every camera angle I know now that you were allowed to be in the area. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Travis Price, I hope you accept my apology. I’m sorry. I am here not only to apologize but understand that I did make a mistake. I am here to own it and I’m here to make it right,” said former officer Jonathan Moreno. 

Shortly after, he was taken and booked into jail. 

“We go back and learn that we always have to deescalate, and we always have to manage our emotions no matter what the situation is and that’s expected by all officers. We have encounters all the time with citizens and criminals. This is a lesson learned for all of the other officers, “Hey this is not expected, you can’t get emotional and make back decisions because they have consequences,” said Chief Watts. 

Travis Price said this is a tough situation for him because people look at him differently now and his kids are afraid of the police now that they’ve seen their father’s interaction with law enforcement.

“But I accept the apology as a man, cause everybody makes mistakes but I’ll never be the same again,” said Travis. 

Travis Price’s charges of interfering with police were dismissed after Rock Hill Police reviewed the footage. The City of Rock Hill also apologized for the improper arrest. 

According to Justin Bamberg, the family’s attorney, some charges against Ricky have been reduced and some have been dismissed. The only remaining charges is felony resisting arrest.