Zach Bran got himself into some trouble with the law.
On Thursday, the 27-year-old country star was arrested in his home state of Oklahoma on a misdemeanour complaint of obstruction of an investigation, News on 6 reported.
READ MORE: Zach Bryan And Kacey Musgraves Both Top The Hot 100 For The First Time With ‘I Remember Everything’
The artist was booked into the Craig County Sheriff’s Office, and was later released on bond, authorities confirmed.
As reports of the arrest emerged, Bryan took to social media to issue a statement and an apology.
“Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said,” the singer wrote.
“I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around,” he continued.
Finally, Bryan added, “Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know I’m just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.”
On Friday, Bryan elaborated further on his arrest in a video posted to Twitter, filmed in his car while driving to New York.
“I want to start by saying — I have to deal with the legalities of it. I did go to jail. They didn’t play favourites, and I was an idiot today. My decisions did not reflect who I was as a person, and I just want to make that clear. I should have been smarter about it,” said Bryan, 27, at the start of the clip, filmed in his car during a drive to New York with his dog, Jack.
for the sake of transparency on yesterday pic.twitter.com/IJRjEDOrCH
— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) September 8, 2023
The singer explained that it all started three days earlier, when he was driving “four or five” miles per hour over the speed limit and got pulled over.
“First thing he asks for is license registration and my address, and I told him, I said, ‘Hey man, I don’t really feel comfortable giving you my address. I’m a musician, and I’m not comfortable with it.’ So he says, ‘If you don’t give me your address, I’m gonna have to take you to jail,'” Bryan said.
At first, Bryan refused to give up his address, which led the officer to ask him to step out of the car and put him in handcuffs. After some conversation, the artist finally gave his address and was let go.
“He gave me a warning because, I mean, I wasn’t going too fast or anything, and then he let me go because I just started respecting him and being cordial,” he recalled. “But I think it just frustrated me a lot because I didn’t know if I had a right to refuse giving him my address or not, but I did.”
On Thursday, Bryan was driving to Boston with a security guard accompanying him in a separate vehicle. About an hour into the drive, the guard was pulled over by police. Bryan pulled over next to them, and after waiting “10 or 15 minutes,” he got out of his car to see what was “taking so long” and “smoke a cigarette.”
Bryan recalled, “The cop comes up to me, and he’s like, ‘Sir, get back in your vehicle,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not the one getting pulled over.’ He’s like, ‘Get back in your vehicle or I’m gonna have to take you to jail,’ and like a dumbass, I said, ‘Take me to f—ing jail? What do you mean?’ And he was like, ‘Take you to jail,’ and I was like, ‘Damn.’”
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Admitting he got a bit too “lippy,” the singer was once again put in handcuffs.
“It was immature, and I just pray everyone knows that I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful, and I shouldn’t have been, and it was my mistake,” Bryan said.
After “mouthing off like an idiot,” questioning the officer’s authority and interrupting him, Bryan was arrested and put in jail “for a few hours.”
He said that eventually he “cooled off” and later even “shook hands” with the officer before his release.
“I was just an idiot, and I’ll take the fall for it. I’m a grown man, and I shouldn’t have behaved like that, and it won’t happen again,” Bryan said. “I love you guys. Thanks for defending me online and stuff. I don’t really need it. I just shouldn’t have did what I did.”
The arrest came just days after Bryan scored his first ever no. 1 single on the Hot 100, with “I Remember Everything”, featuring Kacey Musgraves. His self-titled album also debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart
Earlier this year, Bryan won New Male Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards, and this week was nominated for New Artist of the Year at the CMAs.
