Newly released bodycam footage shows country music megastar Morgan Wallen denying to police that he threw a chair off a rooftop bar, despite later pleading guilty to charges connected to the incident. The footage, released Wednesday by the Metro Nashville Police Department, shows Wallen attempting to leave the scene with his bodyguard as police are investigating.

Wallen is stopped by officers and told he is not allowed to leave the scene as the investigation continues. The footage shows Wallen denying any wrongdoing on multiple occasions, but also stating he didn’t mean to cause any harm.

“He didn’t admit to it, but we got him on camera doing it,” a sergeant says at one point in the video, the Associated Press reports.

Witnesses reported seeing Wallen throw the chair off the rooftop while laughing, according to police. A sergeant later informs Wallen that he saw footage showing Wallen throwing the chair off the roof and that the star was being placed under arrest.

The incident took place on April 7, 2024, at Chief’s, a downtown Nashville bar co-owned by another country music star, Eric Church. The bodycam footage shows Wallen calling Church asking for help, but it was to no avail.

The video also shows Wallen sitting in the back of a police cruiser, talking to an officer about country music. The officer admits Wallen is one of his favorite artists, the AP reports. A song of Wallen’s that features country star Thomas Rhett later plays from the officer’s playlist, which Wallen comments on.

“This is me and Thomas Rhett! Turn it up. That’s me and TR! That’s me right there,” Wallen says before later adding, “TR is one of the best dudes in the world. He would definitely not be getting arrested.”

Two weeks after his arrest, Wallen posted a statement on social media.

“I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility,” Wallen wrote.

In December, Wallen pleaded “conditionally guilty” to two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to seven days in a DUI education center and was placed under supervised probation for two years. The charges will be eligible for dismissal and expungement if Wallen successfully completes his probation.

I started with The Ann Arbor News as a part-time sports reporter in 2011 before leaving to take a job with the Hillsdale Daily News in December 2012. I returned to The Ann Arbor News in 2014 where I have…