Lil Nas X pleads not guilty after being charged with assaulting police
Popular musician Lil Nas X has pleaded not guilty after he allegedly attacked police officers on the streets of Los Angeles.
The 'Old Town Road' singer was hospitalised and subsequently arrested on Thursday 21 August after he was found wandering the streets of LA nearly naked, before an incident with police occurred as he reportedly resisted arrest.
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was first seen in the early hours of Thursday morning walking around the Californian city wearing nothing but white underwear and cowboy boots.
Unverified videos from TMZ appear to capture him completely nude, and police were quickly alerted to the problem but things seemingly got out of hand when the Grammy-winning artist allegedly charged at officers who were trying to arrest him.
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He was later charged with three felony counts of battery with injury to a police officer and one felony count of resisting arrest. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
It is believed he was first hospitalised due to fears of a potential overdose, although his father has since spoken out to suggest that his son wasn't on drugs and was 'remorseful' for his behaviour, which also included him walking around with a traffic cone on his head and rapping Kanye West hit 'Monster'.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said three officers were injured during the incident while trying to take the rapper into custody.
He said: "Attacking police officers is more than just a crime against those individuals but a direct threat to public safety. Anyone who assaults law enforcement will face serious consequences, no matter who they are or how famous they may be."
Lil Nas X spent the weekend in jail before appearing in a courthouse on Monday 25 August, where he pleaded not guilty to all four charges.
During the hearing on Monday, the musician's lawyer Christy O'Connor told the judge he had led a 'remarkable' life, adding: "Assuming the allegations here are true, this is an absolute aberration in this person's life.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to him."
Following the arraignment, Hill was released from jail and is due to appear in court again on 15 September for his next pre-trial hearing.
The news comes several months after Hill revealed that he'd been hospitalised after losing control of one side of his face.
The rapper was reportedly scheduled to release his second album Dreamboy at some point later this year, with the young celebrity amassing a huge following ever since the incredible success of 'Old Town Road', which broke the record for the longest-running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100
LADbible Group has approached a representative for Lil Nas X and the Los Angeles Police Department for further comment.
Topics: Lil Nas X, Celebrity News, Crime, Music
James Moorhouse