Video Footage Appears to Contradict Officer’s Claim Country Singer Chris Young Allegedly Assaulted Him

New surveillance videos have surfaced appearing to contradict a Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent’s claim that country singer Chris Young assaulted him before the musician was arrested in Nashville Monday night (Jan. 22).

New security video footage from the alleged incident, obtained by Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 and shared on reporter Nick Beres’ verified Facebook account, seems to show a different story than the arrest affidavit obtained by The Tennessean and local NBC affiliate WSMV.

The first video shows Young — wearing a leather jacket, jeans and a black hat — waiting in line with others as the agents walk past them to exit the Dawg House bar. Though the affidavit states that Young “struck” one of the officers on the shoulder, the video appears to show him reaching out to one of the agents, who then appears to shove Young, knocking him to the floor. The musician gets up, puts his hands in the air and backs away from the agents, while other patrons in the bar come between him and the agents. One of the agents then moves in to speak with Young. A second video shows the same, but from a different angle.

Young was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. He has since been released from custody.

“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,” Bill Ramsey, the musician’s attorney, tells Billboard in a statement. “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.”

Billboard has reached out to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission for comment.

Beres wrote in the video’s caption on Facebook that Young’s lawyer noted that “all his client wanted to do was to confirm the identity of the men — who were not in obvious uniforms … and ask about the photo of his ID.”

According to The Tennessean and WSMV, the arrest affidavit claims that around 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening, ABC agents entered the Tin Roof bar in Nashville to conduct a compliance check, which included checking the musician’s ID. The affidavit claims that Young also approached the men and began asking them questions (which they answered), and he later began videotaping them. The affidavit goes on to say that Young and his friends then followed the agents to the Dawg House.

After the agents checked IDs and began to leave the second bar, Young allegedly put his hands out to stop them from leaving the bar, and “struck” an agent on the shoulder, according to local news reports, citing the arrest affidavit that also states the agent pushed Young to create distance between them. The affidavit, according to reports, also notes that patrons of the bar got between the agents and Young, and the musician “began walking backwards and not complying with” the agents’ orders, and they eventually detained and put him in handcuffs.

Young was charged with resisting arrest, assaulting an officer and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.