ROCK HILL, S.C. — Testimony concluded in court Tuesday in the case of a former Rock Hill police officer accused of physically assaulting a man he was trying to arrest in June 2021. The jury is set to deliberate and make a decision on Wednesday.
Jonathan Moreno, who was fired from his job at the Rock Hill Police Department and issued a public apology to Travis Price in July 2021, began testimony Monday in his own trial. Price also testified Monday in the York County courtroom.
Jurors will begin deliberating Wednesday on whether the former officer committed his own crimes against Price. The original criminal charge against Price, which stemmed from his arrest by Moreno, was dismissed in July despite a later October statement from the City of Rock Hill calling Price "negligent."
“I de-escalated with my words and obviously with my empty hands," Moreno said in the courtroom on Tuesday, "That was just a choice I had. I didn’t decide to grab a weapon or anything like that.”
During Tuesday's proceedings, Moreno and Brackett argued over what happened when he was fired, with Moreno claiming that Brackett forced him to publicly apologize over concerns of protests and the safety of his fellow officers.
"You didn't give me a choice, Mr. Brackett," Moreno said. "What you said to me in front of my wife was, 'I don't want you to apologize to Travis Price in this room. I want you to apologize to him at 3 p.m. Think about your brothers and sisters. Think about the riots. Think about what people are gonna say when they see this video, Officer Moreno. Think about them. When you come, be sincere. Look at Travis. Tell Travis how sorry you are.' Mr. Brackett, you said that in front of my wife."
Brackett said he gave Moreno a chance to give his side of the story before he was arrested and said Moreno should have known Price wasn't a threat and that he wasn't armed.
"I'm looking at a pair of sunglasses and a bunch of jewelry in a semi-open hand," Brackett said. "And over in the other hand is a cellphone where he's talking to his mama. So how is it that you saw a clenched fist and you couldn't see what's in there yet everyone in the courtroom can see exactly what's in there?"
In an interview with WCNC Charlotte Tuesday, Justin Bamberg, the attorney for Price, called into question the credibility of the Rock Hill Police Department's documentation on this case.
"The Use of Force report, the chronically was off. It was filled with, 'Travis Price did this, this, [and] this.' None of which was true," Bamberg said. "The explanation was that was rushed paperwork."
Bamberg is not participating in the trial since his client, Travis Price, is the victim in this case. Moreno is being presented by the defense team of Paul Reeves and Creighton Coleman. Brackett, the solicitor for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit representing York and Union counties in South Carolina, is acting as the prosecution.
"This should not have happened," Brackett said Monday in court. "This was not good police work. Police have the power to use force when it's necessary. But what happened to Travis Price was wrong."
"Once you see everything and hear everything, you'll say that Jonathan Moreno is a scapegoat," Moreno's own attorney argued in court Monday.
"This is not an Officer Moreno thing," Bamberg continued Tuesday. "My issue at this point is with the city. This isn't the first time I've seen personally problems with their paperwork for documenting things."
In his testimony Monday, Moreno explained he was unaware Travis Price had been given permission by other officers to collect jewelry from his brother, Ricky, who was being arrested by officers on suspected possession of a handgun and illegal drugs.
Both brothers were originally charged. In their original statements released to the public after the incident, the Rock Hill Police Department accused Travis Price of interfering with the investigation. They also accused him of physically shoving officers and refusing commons.
In a lengthy July news conference, officials tried to change their tune on that narrative: Moreno issued a public apology to Price, and Rock Hill Police Department Chief Chriss Watts said Moreno's actions violated the department policy. In video footage played during that news conference, including police body camera video, Travis Price is never seen shoving or interfering with officers.
As a result of the city's initial statements, Bamberg and Price filed a lawsuit against the city accusing them of defamation.
WCNC Charlotte's Richard DeVayne and Indira Eskieve were again in court Tuesday. While the judge is no longer permitting reporters to post updates to social media from inside the courtroom, WCNC Charlotte is reporting the latest information online and on-air.
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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