LGBTQ+ bar owner charged with felony after cops crash SUV into his business

The owner of a St. Louis LGBTQ+ bar has been charged with a felony after cops crashed an SUV into his business.

The Riverfront Times reports that Bar:PM owner Chad Morris was being held without bond in the City Justice Center on Monday on charges of felony assault on an officer and misdemeanor resisting arrest after confronting St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers who crashed their vehicle into the bar in the wee hours of Monday morning.

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In charging documents, police claim that Morris “scream[ed] obscenities,” struck one officer “hard in the chest with an open hand” causing him to lose his balance, and fled.

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But Morris’s lawyer, Javad Khazaeli, says bystander video tells a different story.

“They unlawfully handcuffed [Morris’s husband] Mr. Pence,” Khazaeli says. “They falsely claim that speaking loudly is against the law. And they use that as a predicate to arrest Mr. Morris.”

According to Riverfront Times, video shows the police SUV speeding up South Broadway before swerving to avoid a parked car. The SUV veers across two traffic lanes, onto the opposite sidewalk, and into the front of Bar:PM.

Morris’s husband and Bar:PM co-owner James Pence told the outlet that he was upstairs when the SUV crashed into the building. When he came down, an officer demanded to see his identification. He refused and the officer spun him around and cuffed him. He said the officers behaved aggressively toward the bar’s staff. Pence added that Morris was filming the damage when three officers “went for him.”

“He raised his arm and they said he hit them,” Pence said of Morris.

Another video reportedly shows the aftermath of the crash before Morris’s arrest. According to Riverfront Times, the person filming the video asks the cops what crime was committed.

“A disturbance,” an officer responds. “He’s not going to yell at me, that’s causing a disturbance.”

Khazaeli said that bystander video does not show Morris striking an officer at any point.

“They lost control of the vehicle. And immediately the video shows the police officers being aggressive with everybody in the area to cover up what they did,” Khazaeli said.

“This is embarrassing for the police department,” Khazaeli said. “I’m hopeful that the prosecuting attorney’s office, when they see the evidence that we have, dismisses these charges and holds the police accountable.”

Police eventually reduced Morris’ charges to fourth-degree assault and resisting arrest, two misdemeanors, KTVI reported. Morris had “an apparent black eye” when speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning.