Cigar-smoking St. Louis cop under investigation after he was seen lighting up while arresting suspect outside bar

An officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is the subject of an investigation after footage showed him lighting a cigar while making an arrest.

The video, recorded last weekend, shows an officer pinning a man to the ground with his knee as he leans toward the flame of the lighter with the cigar in his mouth.

The officer can be seen with one hand on the man’s chest, while his other hand is on the cigar.

Other members of law enforcement present at the arrest serve only to assist the officer, with one offering the lighter.

The officer is seen pinning a man to the ground as he casually stands up

The suspect, still pinned to the ground, makes little effort to free himself, while the office enjoys a few puffs of his cigar.

A friend of the suspect can be heard shouting some words of advice.

“Pull out your lighter, buddy!” the man shouts, laughing, before quickly reconsidering his strategy.

“No, don’t pull it out. They might think you have a gun,” he shouts.

The SLMPD Public Affairs and Information Division is aware of the video and of an internal investigation launched to determine “what led to the video and the events that occurred afterward.”

The officer involved had a second job at Marquee Lounge on Locust Street, pictured above, at the time of the incident.

The officer involved had a second job at Marquee Lounge on Locust Street at the time of the incident.

Shortly before the video started running, lounge staff requested that the suspect be removed from the room.

The man was eventually arrested for trespassing on private property and resisting arrest, although charges are still pending in the case.