Controversy erupted in Nashville, Tennessee this week when a top country music star allegedly tangled with state agents in a bar and was subsequently arrested by local police.
Country singer Chris Young, 38, has been charged with assaulting an officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest following an alleged physical altercation Monday night with agents from the state's Alcoholic Beverage Commission, according to The Tennessean.
However, subsequent reporting and released surveillance camera footage have seemingly cast doubt on the agents' account of what transpired and whether the criminal charges were justified or necessary.
The Tennessean reported that court documents filed Tuesday purport to detail what went down when TABC agents conducting compliance checks entered the Tin Roof bar around 8:30 pm Monday and encountered Young hanging out and having drinks with friends.
Per the affidavit, Young initially complied with an ID check but then began filming the agents with his phone and asking questions while he and his friends followed the agents as they went to the neighboring bar, the Dawg House, to continue with their unannounced checks of the establishments' compliance with the state's alcohol regulations.
It was as the agents were leaving the second bar that one alleged in the court document, "While walking out the door Mr. Young put his hands out to stop me from leaving the bar and struck me on the shoulder," after which, "I then pushed Mr. Young to create distance since I had no idea of who Mr. Young was or what he had."
The affidavit then asserted that other patrons, including Young's friends, "began yelling and screaming" and "making the incident hostile" while the agents attempted to place Young under arrest and exit the bar. The document further portrayed Young as being drunk by asserting that he had "bloodshot and watery eyes" as well as "slurred speech" during the confrontation.
However, according to an exclusive report from People magazine, surveillance camera footage from the Dawg House seems to tell a different story than what the TABC agents alleged in the court filing.
The video did show Young reaching out to try to stop the agent but also revealed that the agent dodged that attempt and shoved the singer in return with enough force to send him tumbling backward over a table and chairs, after which he stood up from the floor with his hands raised as he backed away from the agents.
Despite that display of non-aggression after being shoved, Young was shortly thereafter arrested and charged following the altercation.
After being taken into custody and booked, the country singer was released on multiple bonds, one for each charge, including $1,250 for the alleged assault on an officer, $1,000 for allegedly resisting arrest, and $250 for his alleged disorderly conduct. He is scheduled to appear for a court hearing on February 16.
That court hearing could be quite interesting -- if it even occurs -- as Fox News reported that Young's attorney, Bill Ramsey, is now calling for the criminal charges to be dropped in the wake of the release of the surveillance camera footage that contradicts the account of the TABC agents.
"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," Ramsey said in a statement.
The attorney added, "In light of the video evidence, Tennessee ABC needs to drop the charges and apologize for the physical, emotional, and professional harm done toward my client."
