ST. LOUIS — The city of St. Louis may condemn a building, weeks after a police car crashed into it.
Bar:PM located at 7109 S. Broadway Street is still boarded up from the damage but remains open for customers.
On December 18, 2023, Police said the officer driving was heading too close to a parked car and was distracted by the police radio. He tried to correct himself but lost control of the vehicle.
Now the city is giving the bar until February 19 to fix the damage to the bar.
The owner, Kevin Benear, said he received a letter in the mail. , it was dated the 19th of December, the very next day, basically indicating that St. Louis is trying to beautify the neighborhood and make it a safe place, etcetera etcetera. And oh, by the way, you've got 60 days to get this repaired or you could face fines or condemnation."
The St. Louis Building Commissioner, Frank Oswald, said in a statement Saturday:
The owners of BAR: PM received our very general letter with the broken window and shifted wall violations and both were cited. In the letter, it explains the citizen's right to appeal, etc. The letter also states if it is a required occupancy violation the City COULD condemn the property. No one threatened them and we have no reason to condemn this property.
Mark Moore, a friend of the owners, was at Bar:PM five minutes before the police cruiser crashed through and helped with boarding up the storefront after it happened.
"I do believe that it was an accident and accidents happen. Take accountability for the accident you caused," Moore said.
In terms of legal next steps, Morris's original charge of a felony assault has been dropped. He is now only facing a charge for resisting arrest which is a misdemeanor.
Morris has a hearing in court scheduled for Friday, February 2 at 9:00 a.m. in St. Louis city.
Bar:PM will remain open but will keep their patrons posted about any potential closures for repairs via their Facebook page.