Lil Nas X was arrested Thursday morning after bizarre behavior that began the day before at a Los Angeles hotel. Surveillance footage obtained by TMZ showed the 26-year-old arriving at the Short Stories Hotel around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, even though he was not a guest.
At first, the “Old Town Road” singer appeared fully dressed in jeans, a button-up shirt, boots, and a cowboy hat. He wandered through the courtyard, fanned himself, grabbed water from the lobby, and later removed his shirt while sitting outside.
By Thursday at dawn, Lil Nas X had stripped down to only shoes and underwear while walking on Ventura Boulevard. Witnesses claimed he mumbled something about going to a party before placing an orange traffic cone on his head.
Police confronted the rapper around 5:50 a.m. According to reports, he charged at them and allegedly punched one officer twice in the face. Authorities “took him into custody” and transported him to a hospital for a possible overdose.
Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was booked at Van Nuys Jail later that morning on a misdemeanor charge of battery on a police officer. He has spoken openly about using mushrooms and weed in the past.
Hours before his arrest, the performer posted a series of odd Instagram photos. The uploads included art, furniture scattered across his home, and himself modeling various outfits. One image was captioned, “OH NO sHES GONE MAD! CRAZY I TELL U!”
As of now, the American Music Award winner has not released a public statement, and his representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
