Lil Nas X charged with four felonies after ‘running at police’ during 5am nude arrest in LA
The rapper was hit with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer
By Callum Wells
Lil Nas X has been charged with four felonies after police say he ran at officers while walking naked down a Los Angeles street last week.
The rapper, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was hit with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer, the district attorney’s office confirmed. He was originally booked on suspicion of misdemeanour obstruction on Friday.
Hill pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Monday.
Held on $75,000 bail
Police say the 26-year-old was spotted walking naked on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City shortly before 6am on Friday. Officers claim he charged at them when confronted, resulting in his arrest. Concerned about a possible overdose, police took him to a hospital for several hours before transferring him to jail, where he has remained.
He was being held on $75,000 bail, conditional on attending drug treatment. It’s not clear whether he has posted bail. Requests for comment from his representatives were not immediately answered.
In court, Hill’s lawyer Christy O’Connor highlighted his achievements, pointing to his two Grammy wins.
“Nothing like this has ever happened to him” – Hill’s lawyer Christy O’Connor
“Assuming the allegations here are true, this is an absolute aberration in this person’s life,” O’Connor said, according to NBC News. “Nothing like this has ever happened to him.”
The charges were first reported by TMZ.
Atlanta-born Lil Nas X shot to fame with 2018’s ‘Old Town Road’, which fused country and hip-hop to spend a record 19 weeks at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
His debut studio album, Montero (2021), reached number two on the Billboard album chart and earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year.
He came out as gay in 2019.