---
title: "Lil Nas X pleads not guilty to felony charges of assaulting police"
description: "LOS ANGELES, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Grammy-winning musician Lil Nas X pleaded not guilty on Monday to four felony charges after police say he assaulted officers who approached the singer while he was found wandering the streets of Los Angeles in his underwear."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-08-25-lil-nas-x-pleads-not-guilty-to-felony-charges-of-assaulting-police/"
published: "2025-08-25T21:21:46"
updated: "2025-08-25T21:21:47"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 131
---

# Lil Nas X pleads not guilty to felony charges of assaulting police

> LOS ANGELES, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Grammy-winning musician Lil Nas X pleaded not guilty on Monday to four felony charges after police say he assaulted officers who approached the singer while he was found wandering the streets of Los Angeles in his underwear.

By Reuters · Published 25 August 2025, 23:21 SAST · Updated 25 August 2025, 23:21 SAST

## Key points
- In a plot twist that even a country song couldn't predict, Lil Nas X finds himself trading the spotlight for a courtroom, facing battery charges and a $75,000 bail while his lawyer insists that his recent antics were just a brief detour off the "Old Town Road."
- Lil Nas X has been granted bail of $75,000 following a recent incident involving police.
- The judge mandated attendance at Narcotics Anonymous meetings amid drug use allegations.
- The singer's attorney insists he was not on illegal drugs, describing the incident as an isolated event.
- Known for breaking barriers in country music, Lil Nas X is a Grammy-winning artist and advocate for LGBTQ+ representation.

## Content

By Rollo Ross

A Los Angeles judge set bail at $75,000 and said the "Old Town Road" singer must attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Police said they believed Lil Nas X was using drugs at the time of the incident.

His attorney, Christy O'Connor, however, said the singer was not taking illegal drugs and that the episode was an aberration in his life.

The musician was charged with three counts of battery of a police officer and one count of resisting an officer.

Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was the first openly gay man to receive a Country Music Association Award for "Old Town Road." He also earned two Grammys for the song.

(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)