Store video shows Rock Hill man complied with police during arrest, lawyers say
Lawyers for one of two men arrested June 23 by Rock Hill police have demanded charges against him be dropped now, saying new video shows the man complied with police orders.
Late Monday, the Rock Hill Police Department issued a statement that said the charges will remain against Travis Price as the investigation continues.
The lawyers said the Rock Hill Police Department issued an untrue statement after the arrest of Travis Price, claiming he pushed officers. The lawyers said the statement against Price was slanderous.
Justin Bamberg and Montrio Belton, lawyers for Travis Price, said the Rock Hill Police Department statement is not supported by surveillance video the lawyers obtained from the store where the June 23 incident happened.
“Travis Price was complying with everything that was asked of him,” Bamberg said Monday afternoon at a news conference at Belton’s Rock Hill law office. “The (officer) comes out of nowhere and treats (Travis) like a piece of street thug trash.”
Bamberg and Belton played the video Monday with Travis Price present.
The video is different from one taken by an onlooker that was released on Facebook June 23 and later shared more than 100,000 times. The Facebook video prompted protests Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights in Rock Hill.
Bamberg and Belton said the officer choked Price, then officers forced him to the ground, after Price had followed all police orders.
“And then, an officer grabs him by the throat,” Bamberg said.
Store video obtained by defense lawyers
Bamberg and Belton said the new video from outside the Willowbrook Avenue store shows the officers initiated contact after Price had retrieved jewelry and other personal items from his brother, Ricky Price.
Ricky Price was already in police custody. By accounts, including the police, Ricky Price had handcuffs removed so he could give his personal items to Travis before going to jail.
Bamberg said the new store video shows Travis Price peacefully get the items from one police officer before being attacked and choked by a second officer.
The police statement issued June 23 states:
“Officers began searching Price when his brother, Travis Price, arrived on scene and approached Officers. Travis Price attempted to gather the belongings Officers were removing from Ricky’s person and was told to move back. Travis then used his body to bump the Officers backward as he continued trying to get near his brother to reach for the belongings while yelling belligerently. Travis was forced back and told he was under arrest for interfering, and physically contacting officers. Travis shoved Officers, refusing to comply with orders to place his hands behind his back. Officers pushed Travis against a large tank located behind him, telling him to put his hands behind his back. Travis continued his non-compliance and Officers began struggling with Travis. While attempting to gain control of Travis, Officers and Travis went to the ground.”
Bamberg said Monday that is not what happened.
“What the police department said in this statement is not true,” Bamberg said. “This is wrong. This is slanderous....This officer chokes a defenseless innocent person.”
Travis Price was charged with misdemeanor hindering police. He was released on $1,087 bond Thursday after spending a night in jail, according to court records.
Demand the charge be dropped
Belton and Bamberg said around 1 p.m. Monday they demand the police department and City of Rock Hill Solicitor’s Office drop the charges by 5 p.m.
“If anything, he (Travis) is a victim of an officer who had a big attitude problem,” Bamberg said. “This young man was attacked by law enforcement on the scene.”
Belton said the demand to drop the charges is not an attack on all law enforcement officers, but a demand that the police and city do the right thing. Travis Price is a man with a good job and no criminal record who did what police asked him to do, Belton said.
“We need accountability,” Belton said. “This is a travesty. He (Travis Price) is a victim.”
Police department does not drop charges
At 5:30 p.m. Monday, the Rock Hill Police Department issued a statement saying the investigation into the incident remains ongoing by SLED and the charges have not been dropped, altered or modified.
The police department statement Monday said:
“The investigation into the arrests of Travis Price and Ricky Price is still ongoing. Both the Rock Hill Police Department and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are working to review the use of force, along with the criminal cases against both Ricky and Travis Price. At this time charges against both defendants will remain in place during the investigation.”
Travis Price makes public statement
Travis Price said Monday at the news conference that he is physically hurt and upset because the police statement released to the media and the public is not what he believes happened.
“Im hurt that this happened. I just really want my dignity back, I don’t like my name being scandalized, and people putting out this and that on me,” he said. “I’m 33 with no record. I’m not a trouble person. I am a humble guy. And that’s that.
“I am still in some pain,” he added.
The lawyers said Price has given the South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division a statement concerning what happened June 23.
SLED probe, other police video
SLED is conducting an independent investigation of the arrest after Rock Hill police chief Chris Watts requested an outside probe on June 24.
Watts has declined to allow public access of body camera and dash camera videos of the arrest to the public. Bamberg and Belton said police can release the videos any time they want.
The Monday statement from the Rock Hill Police Department said SLED has requested that no police videos be released.
“SLED has requested no videos be released for viewing until their agents have completed interviewing witnesses which the police department will honor to make sure the investigation is comprehensive as possible,” the statement said.
Court records obtained by The Herald late Monday afternoon show Belton has demanded all police videos from the police department, city and city prosecutors as required by South Carolina law.
Charges against Ricky Price remain pending
The lawyers did not address the charges against Ricky Price. He remains in the York County jail on drug, weapons, driving, and resisting arrest charges, court and York County jail records show.
Police said in the same statement June 23 that officers pulled Ricky Price over after they observed an illegal lane change. Inside Rocky Price’s car, police said they found a gun, marijuana and crack cocaine.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 4:53 PM.
