ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Cheers erupted inside Bar: PM in Carondelet as Chad Morris took to the stage in front of a wall to wall weeknight crowd.
"It's been an emotional roller coaster both mentally and physically," said Morris to the crowd Tuesday night. "It was a rather humbling experience."
For Morris, the party ended a traumatizing 36 hours for him after he was arrested after a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department SUV crashed into the front of Morris' bar, Bar: PM, located at 7109 S. Broadway.
The officer driving the SUV, a St. Louis City Probation Officer, allegedly was travelling too close to a parked car and attempted to correct himself. The officer originally claimed to bystanders he'd swerved to avoid a dog, but there was no dog present in surveillance video released by Morris' lawyer Javad Khazaeli Tuesday morning.
Morris, who was visibly frustrated, was originally arrested for third-degree assault on a special victim, which is a felony. However, prosecutors amended it to fourth-degree assault and resisting arrest, two misdemeanors.
Khazaeli tells KMOX that the Circuit Attorney's office was first to reach out regarding the reduction of Morris' charges, but tells KMOX he will eventually seek a motion to dismiss the charges.
"We don't think there's any basis for this," said Khazaeli.
Khazaeli tells KMOX he has multiple videos taken at the scene which dispute the police account of Morris's arrest.
"Everything is going home until one of the officers demands (Morris's husband James Pence) to show his ID on his own property," said Khazaeli. "Mr. Pence questions him, then the officer immediately places him in handcuffs and announces publicly anyone who yells at (the officer) will be arrested for public disturbance."
Khazaeli claims Morris suffered a "pretty severe beating" when he tried to ask officers why his husband was being arrested.
"You can hear him yelling when they are beating him," said Khazaeli. "You can't see the beatdown, but when they bring him back up the alleyway, you can see his shirt ripped off him, bloodied."
Khazaeli also claims Morris also got a black eye from the incident, and was surprised to see the extent of it.
KMOX reached out the day of the crash to request an interview with St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy or another high-level member of his command staff regarding the incident. But that has not happened yet and there's been no news conference to answer questions.
Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer, who was at the bar re-opening Tuesday, says the department needs to answer reporters' inquiries.
"Transparency is key and they need to answer your questions," Schweitzer told KMOX.
Schweitzer says she has spoken to Tracy multiple times already regarding the incident and he has been forthcoming with her.
"I think (Tracy) has been very responsive to me, I know they are investigating what happened and I hope it comes to a speedy resolution," said Schweitzer.