ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) -Supporters of Bar: PM, as well as the attorney for the bar’s owners, are continuing to call for more information from police about a police cruiser crashing into the business early Monday morning.
Wednesday night, Javad Khazaeli, the lawyer for Chad Morris and James Pence, tweeted out a new video that appears to show the SLMPD cruiser involved in the crash running a red light seconds before the crash, a detail that had not been previously mentioned by police.
Khazaeli told FirstAlert4 he is searching for other videos that may show the police car traveling along S. Broadway before the crash.
He said he has also filed a discovery request asking for body camera video of the arrest of Chad Morris following the crash. Morris and Pence, who are married, had confronted officers after the cruiser collided with their building. Police reports accused Morris of shoving an officer.
Khazaeli has questioned details of both the arrest and the crash.
“We’re looking for more video because we don’t know what these officers were doing,” he said.
LGBTQ organizations have been coordinating efforts to rally around Bar: PM. A spokesperson for the Gatekeepers roller derby, which is sponsored by the bar, told FirstAlert4 that the team was working with other groups to organize support for the owners.
Bill Stephens, a former alderman and current chair of the MO Democratic LGBTQ caucus, described the bar as a safe space for many in the community.
He, too, hoped that police would provide more information about the crash, as well as the arrest.
“I hope and the bar owners hope that this can serve as a pivot point for better communication, better understanding and better mutual respect,” Stephens said.
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