ST. LOUIS — A bar owner who was handcuffed last year after a ºüÀêÊÓƵ police SUV crashed into his business filed suit Friday against the city and two police officers alleging assault, battery and negligence.
James Pence, who co-owns local gay bar Bar:PM with his husband, Chad Morris, says an officer with a history of lawsuits and complaints from residents about beatings and threats is partially to blame.
“If any one of these allegations is true, he should’ve been fired years ago,†said Pence’s lawyer, Javad Khazaeli.
The officer, Ramelle L. Wallace, was also named in a 2021 lawsuit in which an onlooker at the scene of an assault accused Wallace of handcuffing him for “disturbing the peace†and then throwing him to the ground, breaking his clavicle, tibia and fibula. That lawsuit is still pending.
Wallace’s neighbor also filed a misconduct report with the city police department accusing him of grabbing her neck, pushing her against the trunk of a car and pushing a gun against her stomach in 2010.
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And on Friday, Khazaeli filed another, separate lawsuit against Wallace accusing him of body-slamming, choking and punching a man in the booking area of the city jail.
Police declined comment Friday about the lawsuit or Wallace’s status at the department.
The Bar:PM crash happened around 12:30 a.m. Dec. 18, 2023, when a rookie officer slammed into a popular gay bar at 7109 S. Broadway.
Pence was in bed in the apartment he and Morris own above the bar and came downstairs to see what was happening. Wallace then arrived, and within 22 seconds, he accused Pence of causing a disturbance and handcuffed him, the lawsuit says.
Morris then arrived on scene and asked why his husband was in handcuffs. An officer took Pence down the gangway at the side of the bar. Morris followed, and the lawsuit says that officers beat him.
Morris was taken to jail and charged with multiple crimes, including felony assault against a police officer.
He was released the following day, and he showed up at a news conference with a bruised face. His arrest stirred public outrage, as did surveillance video clips shared by Khazaeli of the police SUV driving down South Broadway, running a red light and swerving unexpectedly before slamming into the building.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ police Chief Robert Tracy said after the incident that he was sorry the crash happened and the rookie officer is, too.
But even now, months after the crash, the bar’s windows are still boarded up. Pence said he was still haggling with the city and insurance company about repairs.
“We’re reminded of it every day when we get home because the building is still not fixed,†Pence said. “We cannot move forward until everything is fixed.â€
Khazaeli argued said he plans to continue to fight Morris’ criminal charges.
“If this is what the circuit attorney’s office thinks is the best way to use their resources and prosecute victims while protecting bad cops, then we’ve got to look at what’s going on there,†he said.
A spokeswoman for Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s office declined to comment on a pending case.