Newly available video of Chris Young‘s Monday night (Jan. 22) arrest shows the singer being shoved backward over the corner of a bar by a Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) agent. Then, he puts his hands in the air and slowly backs away. In another clip, Young appears deferential and shocked as the officers place him in handcuffs and arrest him.
- News broke on Tuesday (Jan. 23) that Young was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest.
- Young was arrested at the Dawg House on Demonbreun Street in downtown Nashville at about 8:30PM on Monday night.
- TABC agents were conducting compliance checks in the area at the time.
Initially, the police report stated that the altercation began at the nearby Tin Roof bar. Agents say they entered the establishment and Young held his ID above his head. They scanned the ID to check validity and walked away, but Young began asking questions and videoing them. They then moved to the Dawg House to continue checks.
According to local station WKRN-TV, an agent said that as he tried to leave the Dawg House, Young “put his hands out to stop me from leaving the bar and struck me on the shoulder.” He then pushed Young to “create distance,” and customers rushed between them. He also said that Young started to walk backward, began “yelling and screaming” and would not comply with orders.
But the video, published by People, tells a somewhat different story. Security camera footage shows Young waiting for the officers near the door of the Dawg House, and as the agents walk past, he reaches out and touches one on the shoulder to get his attention. The agent reacts by shoving Young with significant force: The singer stumbles backward and into the corner of the bar, where he appears to tumble to the ground before catching himself.
That clip was also posted by News Channel 5. It’s available to watch below:
A second clip, filmed by someone at the Dawg House and presumably after the initial altercation, shows Young standing with a group of officers nearby some tables in the bar. Young appears stunned and near tears, and occasionally offers what sounds like protest about the situation, but he is compliant with the officers throughout the incident — including following directions when they turn him around and handcuff him.
People reports that following his arrest, Young was released on bond for $250 for the disorderly conduct charge, $1000 for the resisting arrest charge and $1250 for the charge of assaulting an officer. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 16.
Young has not offered any official comment on the incident as of Wednesday morning (Jan. 24.) A representative for the singer replied to Taste of Country’s request for comment by directing fans and readers to watch the video clips from the altercation in order to gain perspective on what happened.
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