New video from St. Louis police crash into gay bar shows aggressive officer, raises questions

A new cellphone video out of Missouri has emerged, providing fresh insights into the controversial incident in December where a St. Louis police SUV crashed into Bar:PM, an LGBTQ+ bar. The video captures the interaction between the bar’s co-owner, James Pence, and police officers, highlighting the officers’ conduct in the aftermath of the crash.

The video, taken just moments after the crash, shows officers asking one of the Bar: PM’s owners for his ID before handcuffing him. The unprovoked action has raised concerns about the police’s adherence to protocol and response to the situation

Attorney Javad Khazaeli, representing the bar owner, commented on the events. He released the new video on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

“My client was in bed, in his home, above his business, when a car smashed into his house,” Khazaeli said to St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK. “He immediately comes outside, and instead of being treated like a victim – an officer starts threatening him.”

Khazaeli emphasized the rights of individuals in such situations.

“Everybody has the right to ask an officer what they’re doing,” he said. “An officer only has the right to demand an ID if a person is driving a car or if the person has probable cause to think that the person committed a crime.”

The footage also captured an officer explaining that the bar owner was being arrested for yelling, to which Khazaeli responded, “Officers don’t get to arrest you for yelling at them. In fact, there are Supreme Court cases that say you can curse at an officer.”

The person recording the video asks the officer for his badge number, only to be threatened with arrest.

“Keep interfering, and you’ll be in handcuffs too, clown,” the officer says.

Khazaeli continues to argue for dismissing charges against the arrested bar owner.

However, the St. Louis City Prosecutor’s Office is reportedly still pursuing misdemeanor charges against the Bar:PM owner, with a hearing scheduled for January 26.

Several issues beyond the immediate incident have come to light, raising broader concerns about police conduct and transparency. One significant issue is the apparent inconsistency in the police officers’ explanations for the crash. Initially, the officers claimed they swerved to avoid a dog but later changed their statement to avoid a parked car. A third explanation was that the officer was adjusting a radio in the vehicle. However, a previously released video shows that the car not only ran a red light but also traveled at a high rate of speed before seemingly losing control and crashing into the building.

The shift in narrative has led to public skepticism about the credibility of the police account and raised questions about the officers’ judgment and truthfulness in reporting the incident.

The St. Louis Police Department has faced scrutiny not just for the officers’ actions immediately following the crash but also for their subsequent handling of the situation. Questions have been raised about whether standard procedures were followed, including whether the officers involved in the collision were tested for drugs or alcohol, a standard protocol in many vehicle incidents involving law enforcement—they were not.

The lack of clarity and information provided by the police department in the aftermath has only intensified calls for greater transparency and accountability.

Furthermore, the police response to those questioning the incident, as seen in the video, has been a point of contention. How the officers interacted with the bar owner and the bystanders, including the threat of arrest for simply asking for an officer’s badge number, has been criticized as overly aggressive and unprofessional. These actions have contributed to a strained relationship between the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the community, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, which had already been fragile, Khazaeli previously toldThe Advocate.