Assault

A former South Carolina police officer who apologized after attacking a Black man without provocation at a traffic stop last year is seeking for a jury to acquit him of a misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident. A jury heard opening statements Monday on whether former Rock Hill police investigator Jonathan Moreno committed assault and battery against Travis Price at a June 2021 traffic stop. Bystander video on Facebook showing officers wrestling with Price and his brother and forcing them to the ground. The incident prompted several days of protests last summer.

A South Carolina city is paying $650,000 to a Black man who was stomped in the head by a police officer upset that the man couldn't quickly lie flat on his stomach because of rods and pins in his leg. Orangeburg officials also have apologized to 58-year-old Clarence Gailyard and are reviewing police policies. Gailyard was walking with a stick wrapped in shiny tape in July when someone mistook the reflective object for a gun and called 911. Investigators say officer David Lance Dukes ordered Gailyard to the ground and stomped on his head and neck when he didn't immediately drop. Dukes was fired and charged with first-degree assault and battery.