ST. LOUIS — A pair of lawsuits filed Friday in St. Louis Circuit Court allege a St. Louis police officer abused citizens, including the owner of Bar:PM in December 2023.
Officer Ramelle Wallace is named as a defendant in both lawsuits, which detail incidents that occurred months apart. Wallace, who has been with the department since 2008, has not been charged with a crime.
The most recent incident happened on Dec. 18 at Bar:PM, a well-known gay bar on South Broadway, after a police SUV crashed into the building's facade.
After conflicting reports, police said another officer was driving was distracted while using his police radio. Surveillance video shows a police SUV driving at high speed and running stop lights before losing control and crashing into the building.
Now, five months later, the legal matters are coming to light.
At a news conference, attorney Javad Khazaeli spoke about the two latest lawsuits. He said in total, there are four incidents against Wallace and suspects there could be more attacks.
Bar:PM lawsuit
Bar:PM co-owner James Pence is suing Wallace, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the city of St. Louis and a rookie St. Louis officer who was a passenger in the police SUV.
At around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 18, 2023, another rookie officer, who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, crashed their SUV into the bar.
Pence and his spouse, Chad Morris, were in their apartment directly above the bar.
Wallace arrived at the scene of the crash a short time later. The lawsuit claimed that rather than performing a field sobriety test on the officer who crashed, Wallace decided to confront the victim.
The lawsuit said Wallace falsely claimed Pence was causing a disturbance, and that he and the rookie officer arrested Pence without cause.
Wallace was the instigator in the altercation with Morris, the lawsuit said. It also accused Wallace of beating and falsely arresting Morris.
Officers also escalated the situation, the lawsuit said, and compounded a cover-up by charging Morris with multiple crimes, including felony assault against a police officer. That charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor.
Morris' next court date is set for June 6.
The lawsuit said Wallace used his official position to inflict terror on the citizens of St. Louis with impunity. Pence accused Wallace of assault and claims negligence by the city of St. Louis.
The lawsuit said the city is liable for the officer who crashed into the building, under the doctrine of respondeat superior, a legal term that says an employer is responsible for actions performed on its behalf by employees.
The lawsuit also said negligence caused the plaintiff to suffer "pecuniary losses related to the loss of his property." Pence said the city still hasn't paid to fix any repairs.
The lawsuit also references another case in 2019 on South Broadway, which accused Wallace of arresting another man out of retaliation and shattering his clavicle, left proximal tibia and fibula after an arrest.
Hopkins lawsuit
The second lawsuit involves a victim named Richard Hopkins III.
Six months prior to the Bar:PM incident, Hopkins said Wallace assaulted him while he was detained at the St. Louis City Justice Center awaiting booking. It said Wallace initiated the assault.
Wallace is accused of verbally intimidating, provoking, swinging on, body slamming and punching Hopkins.
Hopkins was charged with assaulting Wallace, but that case was eventually dismissed.
Hopkins' lawsuit claims assault and battery.
"With the defendant's history of allegations of misconduct, it is incomprehensible that he is still allowed to be an officer," the lawsuit said.
The plaintiffs are asking for damages for physical injuries and other compensatory damages.
Both lawsuits are asking for a jury trial.
The city of St. Louis, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Circuit Attorney's Office all said they do not comment on pending litigation.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association, the union that represents the majority of commissioned officers, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.