A St. Louis cop made headlines last weekend after lighting up a cigar while detaining a suspect—an incident caught on video.
The unidentified officer borrowed a lighter from a nearby colleague to ignite his cigar while straddling a man he was arresting outside Marquee Restaurant & Lounge.
Bystanders and the suspect attempted to lighten the mood by jokingly offering their own lighters to the cigar-smoking officer.
The man recording the event humorously quipped, “No, don’t pull it out. They might think you got a gun!”
The St. Louis Police Department told TMZ that the officer was working secondary employment for Marquee Lounge, which had requested the removal of the man for trespassing and resisting arrest.
The department has since launched an internal investigation to understand the circumstances leading up to and following the video.
Close, but no cigar.
