Today : Oct 13, 2025
U.S. News
26 August 2025

Lil Nas X Pleads Not Guilty After Los Angeles Arrest

The Grammy-winning rapper faces four felony charges and up to five years in prison after a nude confrontation with police in Studio City, Los Angeles.

Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X, known for his chart-topping hit "Old Town Road," is at the center of a legal storm after a bizarre and highly publicized incident in Los Angeles last week. The 26-year-old artist, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was arrested in the early hours of August 21, 2025, following reports of a nude man behaving erratically on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to multiple calls just before 6 a.m., and what followed quickly became headline news across the country.

According to reports from People Magazine and Variety, officers arrived to find Lil Nas X walking naked—at times wearing only underwear and cowboy boots, as shown in footage released by TMZ—on the busy Los Angeles street. When police confronted him, officials allege that Hill charged at them, leading to a physical altercation. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office later confirmed that at least three officers sustained injuries during the incident. Police suspected that Lil Nas X might have been under the influence of drugs and transported him to a hospital for evaluation before booking him at the Valley Jail in Van Nuys.

After spending three days in jail, the rapper appeared before a judge on Monday, August 25, 2025, where he faced four felony charges: three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer. Each of these charges carries the possibility of up to three years in jail and a $10,000 fine, with the total maximum sentence reaching five years if convicted on all counts, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and Fox Los Angeles.

At his arraignment, Lil Nas X pleaded not guilty to all charges. The judge set his bail at $75,000 and imposed strict conditions for his release, including mandatory attendance at four Narcotics Anonymous meetings per week. The case is scheduled to move to a pretrial hearing on September 15, 2025. The rapper's legal team, led by attorney Christy O’Connor, emphasized that it was too early to determine whether drugs were involved, as test results remain pending. O’Connor described the episode as "an absolute aberration in his life. Nothing like this has ever happened to him," as reported by Reuters and Newsweek.

In the days following his release, Lil Nas X broke his silence with a candid message to fans on his Instagram Stories. Dressed in a bright yellow sweater and appearing visibly shaken but composed, he reassured his followers: "Your girl is going to be OK, y’all. OK? She’s going to be alright, she’s going to be alright," he said. He didn’t shy away from describing the ordeal, admitting, "That was fucking terrifying. That was terrifying! That was a terrifying last four days, but your girl is going to be alright." The message, posted on August 26, 2025, was widely shared and quoted by outlets including The Los Angeles Times and Variety.

The public reaction has been swift and divided. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman issued a stern statement emphasizing the seriousness of the charges: "Attacking police officers is more than just a crime against those individuals but a direct threat to public safety. Anyone who assaults law enforcement will face serious consequences, no matter who they are or how famous they may be." This sentiment was echoed by law enforcement officials, who have stressed that celebrity status will not influence the pursuit of justice in this case.

Support for Lil Nas X has poured in from fans and family alike. His father, Robert Stafford, spoke to reporters on August 26, 2025, expressing confidence in his son's resilience: "We shed tears, we shed laughter, but he's in great spirits. He's gonna be great. God is good. All the time, God is good. Just keep him in your prayers." The rapper’s attorney, O’Connor, reiterated that the incident was "just an aberrant episode in an otherwise productive life," referencing his achievements and generally positive public persona.

The incident has also reignited conversation about Lil Nas X’s tumultuous rise to fame and the pressures of celebrity. The Atlanta native burst onto the music scene in 2018 with "Old Town Road," a genre-blending country and hip-hop track that dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for a record 19 weeks and earned him two Grammy Awards in 2020. His debut studio album, "Montero," continued his streak of success, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts and earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Yet, Lil Nas X has never been far from controversy, facing criticism from some conservative and religious groups for the provocative imagery in his "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" music video and his unapologetically bold persona.

Media outlets have noted the contrast between Lil Nas X’s public image and the events leading to his arrest. Newsweek highlighted the artist’s history of pushing boundaries in music and fashion, while his attorney insisted that the current legal troubles are out of character. TMZ’s video footage, which circulated widely on social media, showed the rapper rapping Nicki Minaj’s verse from "Monster" while naked in the street, adding a surreal twist to an already sensational story.

As the legal process unfolds, questions remain about the circumstances of the incident, including whether substance use played a role and what led to Lil Nas X’s behavior that morning. The police have stated their suspicion of a possible overdose, but no official toxicology results have been released. Meanwhile, the judge’s decision to require attendance at Narcotics Anonymous meetings suggests that the court is taking potential substance abuse seriously, even as the facts continue to emerge.

Lil Nas X’s next court appearance is scheduled for September 15, 2025, when a pretrial hearing will determine the next steps in the case. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to five years in state prison—a sobering prospect for one of pop music’s most innovative and influential young stars.

For now, the world waits to see how Lil Nas X’s legal battle will play out, with the artist himself assuring fans that he’s determined to move forward. As he put it simply, "Your girl is going to be alright."