A Los Angeles judge allowed rapper and singer Lil Nas X to enter a specialized mental health program that could lead to the charges of attacking police officers being fully dismissed. Judge Alan Schneider ruled that if the artist follows prescribed treatment and stays out of legal trouble for two years, the four criminal counts against him will be dropped. The court found that the incident that sparked the case was a result of Lil Nas X’s diagnosed bipolar disorder and does not reflect his usual behavior. Conditions of the program also include a ban on possessing firearms and making threats of violence.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred in August when the 26-year-old musician was walking naked on a street in the San Fernando Valley and attacked responding officers, three of whom were injured. Lil Nas X previously pleaded not guilty to all counts. After the judge’s decision, the artist told reporters he was “grateful” and that things “could have been much worse.”
Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, rose to global fame in 2018 with the record-breaking hit “Old Town Road,” which spent 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him two Grammy Awards. His debut studio album Montero (2021) also received critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
Based on: Lil Nas X enters a mental health program intended to lead to dropped charges of attacking police