Country music star Chris Young was arrested Monday night on charges including assault of an officer in a run-in with law enforcement at a bar in Nashville, Tennessee, according to court documents and jail information.
Young was also charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to Nashville police and Davidson County sheriff’s records and affidavits obtained by NBC News.
Young allegedly assaulted Joseph T Phillips, an agent with Tennessee’s Alcohol Beverage Commission, at a bar a few blocks from the Country Music Hall of Fame and just off the city’s famed Broadway nightlife district, according to arrest affidavits.
Phillips alleged Young began following agents as they conducted routine compliance checks at a pair of Nashville bars. It started around 8:30 p.m. at the venue Tin Roof, where Young had his ID checked, then conversed with the agents and began recording the law enforcement officers on video, the agent said in the affidavits.
The agents proceeded to the bar next door, DawgHouse, and Young and "multiple friends" followed, Phillips said in the affidavits.
Young tried to prevent Phillips from leaving by putting his hands out and then allegedly struck the agent on the shoulder, according to the affidavits, in which Phillips said he pushed Young to create some distance.
"Once that happened most of the patrons of the bar got up and got between TABC Agents and Mr. Young and began yelling and screaming," Phillips wrote in the affidavits. "While all agents were trying to leave the bar multiple people that were with Mr. Young started following agents and making the incident hostile."
Two agents put Young, who had bloodshot eyes and spoke with slurred speech, in handcuffs, the affidavits said. He was arrested and booked into jail just after 10 p.m., according to jail records.
Young was released at 1:09 a.m. Tuesday. Bond had been set at $2,500, according to court records. He was due in court Feb. 16.
Bill Ramsey, an attorney for Young, said his client should never have been arrested or charged.
"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," Ramsey said in a statement.
A representative for Young declined immediate comment. A spokesperson for the Tennessee Alcohol and Beverage Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Young won the fourth edition of the television talent-search series "Nashville Star" at age 20 in 2006. He went on to win popular support and critical acclaim. His song "Think of You" was nominated for best country duo/group performance at the Grammy Awards in February 2017.
On his Facebook page Monday, Young touted the March 22 release of his next album, "Young Love & Saturday Nights."
CORRECTION (Jan. 23, 2024, 11:22 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article had the wrong photo. It should have been of country singer Chris Young, not Chris Lane.
