A St. Louis police officer was caught on camera lighting a cigar while straddling a suspect he had detained on the ground outside Marquee Restaurant & Lounge. The officer, who was not identified, borrowed a lighter from another officer and was seen with his right arm on the suspect’s chest while lighting the cigar with his free hand. Bystanders and the suspect joked with the officer about having lighters to offer, with one witness even joking about not pulling out a lighter in case others thought he had a gun.
The suspect, lying on his back, attempted to free his hands at one point, but the officer used his free hand to grab the suspect’s arms and restrict his movement. A witness pleaded with the officer to at least put a hat on the suspect. The video of the incident was uploaded to Instagram by votp_news and has been viewed more than 262,000 times. The officer was working his second job at the popular nightspot in downtown St. Louis when lounge employees requested he remove the trespassing suspect.
The suspect was taken into custody for trespassing on private property and resisting arrest. Some of the responding officers at the scene were wearing body cameras, but the footage has not been released publicly yet. After the video of the incident went viral, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department opened an internal investigation to better understand the circumstances of the situation and what led up to the video. No injuries were reported, and it was not clear when the incident took place.
The video of the St. Louis police officer lighting a cigar while detaining a suspect sparked controversy and led to an internal investigation by the SLMPD. The officer was seen using his body weight to restrain the suspect while casually lighting a cigar, creating a scene that was captured on camera and circulated online. The incident occurred outside a popular nightspot in downtown St. Louis, where the officer was working a second job and was asked to remove the suspect from the venue by lounge employees.
The suspect was ultimately taken into custody for trespassing and resisting arrest. Witnesses joked with the officer about having lighters to offer, and the suspect attempted to free his hands at one point. The officer’s actions were questioned, leading to an internal investigation by the department to understand the circumstances that led to the viral video. Despite the controversy, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident, and the exact date and time of the detainment were not clear.
The incident involving the St. Louis police officer lighting a cigar while detaining a suspect raised questions about the officer’s conduct and the use of force in the situation. The officer was seen straddling the suspect and using his body weight to restrict the suspect’s movement while casually lighting a cigar with a lighter borrowed from another officer. The video of the incident went viral, prompting an internal investigation by the SLMPD to determine the events leading up to the detainment and the actions that transpired after.
Despite the incident occurring in a public setting outside a popular establishment, no injuries were reported as a result of the detainment. The suspect was taken into custody for trespassing and resisting arrest, with the officers at the scene wearing body cameras that captured the events. The investigation launched by the department aimed to gain a better understanding of the situation and address any concerns regarding the officer’s behavior during the detainment. The viral video generated significant attention online and sparked discussions about police conduct and accountability in law enforcement.
