Opinion
The county music star Chris Young was arrested on Monday night and charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Now, however, surveillance footage of the incident has been released that “could undermine” the police version of events, according to a legal expert.
Young Arrested
WSMV reported that Young, 38, was arrested on Monday night after an altercation with Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents who were completing a compliance check at about 8:30 p.m. at Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street, where Young was sitting at the bar. After the agents checked his identification, Young followed them and started asking questions as he recorded them.
The agents claimed that Young eventually put his hand out to stop them from leaving and “struck” one of them in the shoulder. This led to the agents pushing Young even harder, causing him to fall into a chair and onto the ground. It took two agents to physically detain Young and bring him into custody.
The surveillance footage, however, calls this narrative into question.
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Legal Experts Speak Out
“The fact that the officer seemingly said … in his affidavit that he was struck like … that’s not what appears to have happened,” Devin McRae, partner at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, told Fox News. “So, that could undermine the entirety of his affidavit, not just about that detail, but everything else around it.”
“It’s essentially your best evidence of what occurred, rather than somebody trying to testify to what occurred based on their recollection,” he added. “So, the jury gets to see what actually occurred.
Bryan M. Sullivan, a partner at the same firm, agreed with McRae.
“The videos, if authenticated and admitted into evidence, can be very powerful to a jury as it gives the jury a basis to make their own determination of the credibility of the recollection of the witnesses and participants,” he explained. “Generally, and it’s human nature, people tell their version of events that make them appear in the best possible light.”
McRae chimed back in to admit that the surveillance footage could still cause some “problems,” however.
“There could be some problems with completeness because we don’t know what happened before or after,” he warned. “The surveillance only just shows that part of it.”
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Young’s Attorney Sounds Off
Bill Ramsey, the attorney representing Young, still feels that 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 never should have been arrested and charged in the first place,” Ramsey said. “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.”
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.”
Find out more about this in the video below.
Young became a household name after winning the singing competition “Nashville Star” in 2006, and his first single, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely,” became a number 1 hit. He has released eight studio albums, and his next one entitled “Young Love & Saturday Nights” is set to drop on March 22.
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