Chris Young’s attorney issued a statement following the country star’s arrest at a Nashville bar on Monday night (January 22). Young, 38, was accused of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault on an officer following an incident with Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents.
Young’s attorney, Bill Ramsey, said in his statement that the arrest was “wrong” and urged the Alcoholic Beverage Commission to drop the charges and apologize. Information and videos provided along with Ramsey’s statement notes that Young, who is 6’4’’, was “forcefully shoved to the ground,” during the run-in with state agents. Young is unable to directly comment at this time. Ramsey said in his statement:
“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.”
Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents first encountered Young at Tin Roof, located in Nashville’s Midtown area, around 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening. They reportedly checked Young’s ID, which he held above his head, returned it and began to walk away. Young apparently began asking questions and recording videos of the agents, who moved next door to Dawg House Saloon. Young and others reportedly followed agents to the next bar, and an arrest affidavit stated that Young “struck (an agent) on the shoulder.” The agent then pushed Young “to create distance,” according to the file, and there was “yelling and screaming” when multiple others got between them: “While all agents were trying to leave the bar, multiple people who were with Mr. Young started following agents and making the incident hostile.”
Brief clips that appear to show surveillance from Dawg House, however, have since raised questions. One video appears to show Young at Dawg House, stretching out his arm as the agents walk toward the exit. It’s unclear whether Young makes contact with the agent’s shoulder from the angle of the video. The agent then pushes Young backward, and multiple people approach them. Another angle appears to show the agent push Young, who falls into the bar and over a bar stool.
Young, who is releasing his 18-track studio album in March, was placed in handcuffs and released from custody. He’s reportedly set to appear in court on February 16.