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Morgan Wallen: Country singer arrested for tossing chair off Nashville bar roof

Getty Images File image of Morgan Wallen singing at the Billboard Music Awards in 2023Getty Images
Morgan Wallen sings at the Billboard Music Awards in 2023

Country star Morgan Wallen was arrested on Sunday after allegedly throwing a chair off a Nashville bar's roof.

Authorities said the chair landed close to two police officers on the street.

The singer has been charged with three counts of felony reckless endangerment and a count of misdemeanour disorderly conduct, Nashville police said.

Mr Wallen, an award-winning country star, is best known for his early success on the NBC show The Voice and his recent album One Thing at a Time.

The 30-year-old's bond was set at $15,250 (£12,050), police said. Records show that he was arrested at 00:30 local time (06:30 BST) and released three hours later.

The singer's lawyer Worrick Robinson did not respond to a request for comment, but told other US media outlets that Mr Wallen was "co-operating fully with authorities".

Mr Wallen is expected in court on 3 May.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department Morgan Wallen arrest photoMetropolitan Nashville Police Department
Police released this photo of Morgan Wallen on Monday after he was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct

The chair was thrown from fellow country singer Eric Church's bar, Chief's, which was celebrating its opening weekend in Nashville's popular Broadway district. The six-storey bar is set to host a regular rotation of country stars.

But on Sunday night, Mr Wallen allegedly sent a chair plummeting to the crowded streets of Broadway - a major thoroughfare renowned for its honky tonks, bars and music venues.

The BBC has requested the Nashville Police Department's report of Mr Wallen's arrest.

This is not the star's first legal run-in on the streets of Broadway.

The Tennessean reports that Mr Wallen was previously arrested in May 2020 for public intoxication and disorderly conduct outside Kid Rock's honky-tonk in the entertainment district.

He is also no stranger to controversy.

The singer was deeply criticised for his use of a racial slur outside his Nashville home in 2021. Mr Wallen lost his recording contract, was dropped from country radio and suspended from the Country Music Awards for three years because of the offensive statement.

The musician said he was "embarrassed and sorry" over the 2021 incident.