Video shows St. Louis officer lighting cigar during arrest; police launch internal investigation
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department says it has launched an internal investigation after an officer was caught on video lighting a cigar during an arrest.
The video, initially shared by the Voice Of The People STL organization, shows an officer lighting a cigarette while a suspect is kept down on the ground.
No injuries were reported from the situation. SLMPD says the internal investigation will help police “better understand the circumstances of the situation, what led up to the video and the events that transpired after.”
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The suspect in the video was taken into custody for trespassing on private property and resisting arrest, according to SLMPD. It’s unclear whether charges have been filed.
The department says that the officer in the video was working secondary employment for Marquee Lounge when the establishment asked him to remove one man from the premises.
SLMPD adds that some officers on scene were equipped with body-worn cameras.
The date and time of the encounter on caught on camera isn’t quite clear.
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