That didn’t take long…and honestly, after seeing the video, I didn’t figure it would.
Earlier this week, Chris Young was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest after an incident with Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents at a Nashville bar.
According to the arrest affidavit, Young was at Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street in midtown on Monday 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 now, the charges have indeed been dropped.
In a statement, Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk announced that all of the charges against Young would be dismissed:
“After a review of all the evidence in this case, the Office of the District Attorney has determined that these charges will be dismissed.”
After seeing the video, it seemed like only a matter of time.
Young was originally scheduled to appear in court on the charges on February 16, but looks like that won’t be necessary now.
But I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether he gets that apology from the ABC agents…
