Billy Hill was arrested after the incident, charged with two felonies for allegedly resisting arrest and attempting to take an officer's weapon. But both charges have since been dropped.
"It's affected my life a lot," Hill said in an interview with Eyewitness News. "It's more mental than anything. The physical part I hope I get over it. But the cops are there to protect you right?"
The incident occurred the night of June 6, 2024, when police were investigating a motorcycle crash in which someone allegedly fled the scene and attempted to hide the motorcycle.
Responding officers confronted Hill, saying he matched the description of the suspect.
"Apparently I matched the description, but I'm on my motorcycle, registered to me," said Hill.
In a video the police department posted on YouTube shortly after the incident, Sgt. Chris Hill said that as officers attempted to arrest Hill, he resisted and refused to follow their commands.
"The officers first tried to simply place his hands behind his back in order to complete a basic handcuffing procedure," said Gray in the video. "But as you can see, he resisted, by tensing up his arms, which prevented officers from being successful."
An officer then attempted unsuccessfully to subdue hill by firing his Taser at him. Afterward, police said the video showed Hill attempted to grab the weapon from the officer.
That's when the officer pulled out his baton and struck Hill multiple times in his legs.
"The injuries were pretty bad," Hill said. "There were four fractures to my right tibia and two fractures to my left tibia, bruises, stitching."
In a statement to Eyewitness News, San Bernardino's police chief said an internal investigation of the incident determined the use-of-force to be out of policy.
"The involved officers received discipline," said Chief Darren Goodman. "The striking officer received discipline and did not return to field duty until he received corrective training and measures were established to monitor performance and ensure the corrective steps were successful."
San Bernardino police Capt. Nelson Carrington also confirmed that the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training completed its own investigation, informing the department that the officer's actions did not rise to the level of decertification.
Hill has filed a civil lawsuit against the city of San Bernardino, claiming unreasonable search and seizure, negligence, false arrest and battery.
"The fact that all charges against me have been dropped is a massive relief, but it is not a surprise," said Hill in a statement released by his attorney. "I knew I did nothing wrong.
"Furthermore, the Chief of Police admitting that the officers' actions were 'out of policy' is a crucial step toward the truth. It confirms that the force used against me was unjustified and violated the department's own standards.
"While I am grateful the criminal charges are behind me, the physical and emotional impact of that night remains. My focus now is on ensuring full accountability so that no one else in our community has to endure what I went through."