Chris Young is speaking out (through his attorney) for the first time since his arrest on Monday.
The singer was arrested this week in Nashville after an altercation with agents from the Alcoholic Beverage Commission who were conducting compliance checks on the bars in midtown.
According to the arrest affidavit, Young was at Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street in midtown when agents were completing a compliance check.
“When we walked into the bar, a man sitting at the bar, later found to be Mr. Young, had his ID in his hand above his head.”
After finishing up, officers say Young began following the agents around and asking questions while recording them.
They then moved to the nearby Dawg House, where Young and his group followed them and the situation reportedly turned hostile.
The affidavit says that Young began talking to patrons and the bartender at the Dawg House before stopping officers from leaving once they had finished up.
Young reportedly “struck” one of the officers on the shoulder, and it took two officers to physically detain the country singer.
“While walking out the door Mr. Young put his hands out to stop me from leaving the bar and struck me on the shoulder. I then pushed Mr. Young to create distance since I had no idea of who Mr. Young was or what he had.”
The report indicates that his eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred during the incident.
Young was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. He has since been released from custody.
You can read the entire police report here:
But video that’s since been released of the incident seems to tell a different story than the agent’s version of events.
Video originally posted by Nick Beres of Newschannel 5 in Nashville shows Young in a leather jacket and black hat, reportedly waiting to ask officers why they took a picture of his ID. As he reaches out to the agent walking past him, the officer then pushes Young, knocking him into the bar and onto the ground.
Young then gets up and backs away with his hands up as a crowd gathers in the middle of the altercation.
The video doesn’t show Young “stuck” the officer in the shoulder as the report alleges, but he does stick his arm out as the agent walks by in an attempt to get their attention.
A separate video posted by People shows the arrest, and also seems to contradict the statements from agents that Young was resisting arrest or not complying, as he puts his hands behind his back when officers requested and insisted that he was “not resisting.”
In light of the footage, a statement was released by Young’s attorney Bill Ramsey, calling on the ABC to drop the charges and apologize for arresting Young in the first place:
“What happened to my client Chris Young at a bar in Nashville on Monday night was wrong and he never should have been arrested and charged in the first place.
In light of the video evidence, Tennessee ABC needs to drop the charges and apologize for the physical, emotional and professional harm done towards my client.”
And honestly, after seeing the video, it’s hard not to agree with him…
