A St. Louis bar owner was arrested after a police SUV crashed into his business.
The Riverfront Times reports that the incident happened early Tuesday at around 12:30 a.m. The police vehicle was driving when it veered across multiple traffic lanes and collided with the front wall of the LGBTQ bar, Bar:PM.
In a probable cause statement from police, the officer alleges that one of the bar’s owners, Chad Morris, started to “scream obscenities” after the crash. The cop then writes that Morris, "struck me hard in the chest with an open hand, causing me to temporarily lose my balance."
Morris purportedly attempted to escape via a gangway, which was between his bar and the next building and shut the gate on the officer. The bar owner was subsequently hit with a charge of felony assault on an officer and a misdemeanor resisting arrest.
The other bar owner, James Pence, told the RFT that the police approached bar employees in a contentious manner. He was upstairs when the collision took place, and when he came downstairs, an officer ordered him to show his ID. When Pence declined, he was handcuffed.
Pence filmed Morris’ interaction with the police, saying the three officers “went for him.” He continued, "He raised his arm and they said he hit them.”
Morris was arrested and a judge later ruled that he be held without bond.
