A St. Louis police officer rammed his patrol car into a popular gay bar Monday morning, leading to the arrest of one of the establishment's owners after a standoff with police.
Chad Morris, 37, was arrested and charged with assault after an altercation outside Bar:PM, which he runs with his husband James Pence.
The couple's lawyer, Javad Khazaeli, posted surveillance video of the crash on social media on Tuesday.
“You all heard about the patrol car that crashed into the PM bar on Sunday night. And they arrested the owner for having the audacity to question him. “Here is the video,” Khazaeli wrote in a tweet.
In an accompanying clip, a patrol car was seen speeding down a dimly lit street, nearly hitting a parked vehicle before making a sharp left turn and crashing into the bar.
A St. Louis police officer rammed his patrol car into a popular gay bar Monday morning before one of the bar's owners was arrested following an alleged altercation
Surveillance video shows the car speeding down the street, nearly hitting a parked vehicle, before turning left and crashing into the bar
The bar's co-owners, Chad Morris (left) and James Pence (right), walked outside after the accident. Morris was arrested and charged with assault after allegedly pushing an officer
Morris and Pence live in an apartment above Bar:PM. Pence told KSDK-TV he was in bed when he heard “a loud bang” around 12:30 p.m.
“I jumped up and thought it was a one-vehicle accident and then I saw it and it was a St. Louis Metropolitan Police vehicle parked in front of our building,” he said.
According to an incident report from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, an officer drove too close to a parked car and overcorrected before losing control of the vehicle.
Then a “perpetrator” came outside and “began yelling obscenities,” the report said. As officers who arrived after the accident “attempted to calm the situation,” the unnamed perpetrator pushed a police officer before being arrested.
Officer John Pierce wrote that Morris “striked me hard in the chest with his open hand, causing me to momentarily lose my balance.”
He added that Morris tried to escape after being told he was under arrest by “going through a gate and then trying to hit me with the gate.”
However, the couple and their lawyer dispute the authority's retelling of the events.
Pence said he was handcuffed because he refused to show his identification, saying, “I was told to identify myself or shut up.”
He admitted that Morris had put his hands on an officer, but claimed it was “in defense because they had already handcuffed me.”
According to an incident report, an officer drove too close to a parked car and overcorrected before losing control of the vehicle
Officer John Pierce claims Morris hit him in the chest with an open hand before his arrest
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones released a statement confirming that the incident is currently under investigation
Khazaeli shared parts of another video with reporters outside the city prison on Tuesday.
In this footage, taken by a bystander, Pence can be seen confronting officers about the accident. The officers eventually handcuff him when he asks why they need to see his ID.
Morris arrives and asks why his man is handcuffed. He uses profanity and officers can be heard calling the bystanders and Morris “clowns.”
Morris attempts to walk down a nearby alley, but several officers follow him. Morris then asks if they have a warrant. Finally he is led out again in handcuffs and resists the officers' attempts to force him into the back of a police car.
Khazaeli claims his client was beaten in the alley and off camera.
Morris was released from custody Tuesday morning. Prosecutors reduced the felony count of third-degree assault on a special victim to fourth-degree assault and resisting arrest, two misdemeanors.
Before his release, Khazaeli answered questions from reporters outside the Justice Center while Pence stood behind him.
Pence said he was handcuffed because he refused to show his identification. He admitted his husband had attacked an officer but claimed it was “in defense”.
Morris was originally charged with a felony, but the charge was changed to two misdemeanors
The couple's lawyer, Javad Khazaeli, accuses police of “trying to cover up what happened that day”
“We have seen the probable cause statement written by police alleging our client assaulted an officer. “We have also seen videos from people showing what happened at the scene, but that did not happen. “The police were clearly the aggressor here,” said the lawyer.
Khazaeli pointed at Pence and said the officers handcuffed him “because he had the audacity to ask why they crashed into his building.”
He claimed one of the officers said, “You're under arrest for yelling at me,” and described the acts as a “public disturbance.”
The lawyer also accused police of “trying to cover up what happened that day.”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones released a statement confirming the incident was being investigated.
“Bar:PM has provided members of the LGBTQIA+ community with a meeting place and refuge from a society that continues to marginalize their existence, and incidents like this can destroy an already fragile trust in law enforcement,” she said.
“This incident is currently under investigation and officers will be held accountable for any misconduct in the line of duty.”
It is unclear whether the officers involved in the crash or altercation have been suspended. has reached out to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department for comment.