Country singer Morgan Wallen was released by Nashville authorities after his arrest for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct.
The Context
The star's lawyer confirmed he had been taken into custody on Sunday evening and footage posted to social media confirmed his release just hours later.
Wallen is not only a big name in country music, but one of the most popular singers, with his song "Last Night" topping the Billboard singles chart for 2023.
What We Know
Police alleged the singer was throwing items, including a chair, from the balcony of fellow country artist Eric Church's new establishment, Chief's Bar, on Broadway in Nashville.
Two Metro Nashville police officers were just a few feet away from the spot where the chair landed from the balcony which was six storys above them, according to News Channel 5.
His arrest report said Wallen was allegedly "lunging and throwing an object over the roof," and some witnesses told the local news channel that he was seen laughing after throwing it.
Country artist Morgan Wallen, 30, was booked early today on 3 cts of felony reckless endangerment and 1 ct of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for throwing a chair from the rooftop of Chief's Bar Sun night. The chair landed on Broadway, close to 2 MNPD officers. His bond: $15,250. pic.twitter.com/6gRZKI3pWl
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) April 8, 2024
Wallen was taken into custody and charged with three counts of reckless endangerment for the two officers who were near the chair's impact spot, danger to the public and disorderly conduct. His bond was set to $15,250, per Metro Nashville police.
Country star Morgan Wallen has just been released from a Nashville jail — charged w/ 3 counts of felony reckless endangerment w/ a deadly weapon.
— Peyton Kennedy (@peytonTVkennedy) April 8, 2024
According to the affidavit, Wallen threw a chair off the 6-story rooftop of ‘Chief’s’ on Broadway Sunday night, laughing afterward. pic.twitter.com/ib6jatHrYL
Views
According to local reporter Peyton Kennedy, Wallen was released from the Downtown Detention center shortly before 4 a.m., just hours after his initial arrest.
She shared an image of Wallen getting into a SUV to her X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram accounts.
Wallen's lawyer, Worrick Robinson, confirmed his client's arrest in a statement to media.
"At 10:53 p.m. Sunday evening Morgan Wallen was arrested in downtown Nashville for reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. He is cooperating fully with authorities," he said.
Newsweek contacted Robinson by email for comment.
What's Next
Wallen is set to face court in Nashville over the charges on May 3, per the Davidson County Criminal Court. He will already be in the city at that time for his tour, with concert dates on May 2 and 3.
The country music star is no stranger to controversy and was involved in a racism scandal when a video of him using a racial slur was given to media. That lead to him being temporarily removed from radio, fired by his booking agency, disqualified from award events, and even suspended from his own label.
Wallen apologized for the incident and met with Black leaders "to learn and try to be better."
In May 2020, Wallen was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly behavior at Kid Rock's bar and five months later, he was removed as a performer on Saturday Night Live after producers learned he had broken the show's COVID-19 safety regulations. But he returned to perform two months after that scandal.
Update 04/08/24, 9:21 a.m. ET. This article was updated to include additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
