opinion
County music star Chris Young was arrested Monday night and charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. However, CCTV footage of the incident has now been released which “could undermine” the police's version of events, according to a legal expert.
A young man was arrested
Young, 38, was arrested Monday night after an altercation with Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents who were completing a compliance inspection around 8:30 p.m. at the Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street, where Young was sitting at the bar, WSMV reported. After the agents verified his identity, Young followed them and began asking questions while she was recording.
Young eventually reached out to stop them from leaving and “hit” one of them in the shoulder, the agents alleged. This caused the agents to push Young harder, causing him to fall into the chair and onto the floor. It took two agents to physically detain Young and bring him into custody.
But surveillance footage casts doubt on this account.
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Legal experts speak out
“The fact that the officer apparently said…in his affidavit that he was beaten…that's not what appears to have happened,” Devin McRae, a partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told Fox News. “So, that could undermine the entirety of his affidavit, not just with respect to those details, but everything else around it.”
“He's basically the best evidence of what happened, not someone trying to testify to what happened based on what he remembers,” he added. “So the jury can see what really happened.
Brian M. Sullivan, a partner in the same firm, agreed with McRae.
“Videos, if authenticated and accepted into evidence, can be very powerful for a jury because they give the jury a basis for making their own decision about the reliability of what witnesses and participants remember,” he explained. “In general, it is human nature, people tell their version of events that makes them appear in the best possible light.”
McRae came back to admit that the surveillance footage was still causing some “problems.”
“There may be some problems with completion because we don't know what happened before or after,” he warned. “Monitoring only shows that part of him.”
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Young's attorney's voice is down
Bill Ramsey, the attorney representing Young, still feels the footage will exonerate his client.
“What happened to my client Chris Young at a bar in Nashville on Monday night was wrong and he should not have been arrested and charged in the first place,” Ramsey said. “In light of the video evidence, Tennessee ABC must drop the charges and apologize for the physical, emotional and professional harm caused to my client.”
When asked to comment on the situation, a TABC spokesperson said: “This matter is pending in Davidson County General Sessions Court, and we are unable to comment further at this time.”
Learn more about this in the video below.
Young became a household name after winning the “Nashville Star” singing competition in 2006, and his debut single “Drinkin' Me Lonely” became a hit. He has released eight studio albums, and his next album, “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” is scheduled to be released on March 22.
What do you think of Young's arrest? Let us know in the comments section.
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