Charges dropped against Alpharetta man bitten by police K-9 during arrest, attorney says
Travis Moya (FOX 5)
ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Travis Moya, who was charged with "willful obstruction of law enforcement officers by use of threats or violence," after his arrest last summer has had his charges drop, his attorney said on Thursday.
Moya was bitten by a police K-9 during that arrest outside his Alpharetta home on July 25, 2021. Attorney Gerald Griggs said his felony charges were dismissed. Videos of his arrest were captured by a cell phone and police-worn cameras.
Griggs said Moya was in the middle of a mental health crisis and someone called 911 to ask for an ambulance to pick him up. Instead, it was police officers who responded.
The videos can be hard for some people to watch.
An image from body camera video released by Alpharetta police showing the arrest of Travis Moya on July 25, 2021. (Alpharetta Department of Public Safety)
Moya’s wife, Kami, shot video of the incident on her cell phone. In it, Travis Moya can be seen speaking to officers as his hands were being cuffed behind his back. Officers take the 36-year-old to the ground and then a K-9 handler can be heard ordering the dog to "Get him."
Police later released body camera video from the officers.
"I don't know if he took anything or something, but he's not his normal self," Moya's wife can be heard explaining to an officer just before the arrest. "He's like breathing hard." She went on to say her husband was having a mental breakdown.
The officer can also be heard on the body camera video warning Travis Moya that his police K-9 will bite him if he doesn't keep his distance.
Moya can also be heard in the background, aggravated, yelling "Who called you?" to police.
Travis Moya stands next to attorney Gerald Griggs during a press conference on July 29, 2021. (FOX 5)
In the police report, officers said Moya's fists were balled up and he began breathing heavily, although that is not fully visible from the video's vantage point.
Moya was left with bloody bite wounds on his left arm when he was bitten by the police K-9 after the arrest.
Alpharetta police said Moya "disregarded warnings, balled up his fist and swung around toward the officers actively offering violence."
The Alpharetta Department of Public Safety investigation found "no violation of departmental policy, or Federal or state law regarding necessary use of force standards by peace officers" after their internal investigation.
A lawsuit against the department remains pending.