Country Star Zach Bryan Arrested in Oklahoma

Rising country music star Zach Bryan was arrested in Oklahoma on Thursday. Bryan, whose major label debut album, American Heartbreak, was released last year, was arrested in Vinita, northeast of Tulsa, and booked into the Craig County Jail on a charge of obstruction of an investigation, according to CNN affiliate KJRH.

Shortly after he bonded out of jail “nearly an hour and a half after being booked,” Bryan addressed the incident in a statement shared to X (formerly Twitter), with the musician telling his fans, “Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize.” He confirmed that police “brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around. Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know I’m just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.”

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Although details of his arrest were initially unclear, Bryan returned to social media early Friday morning to explain the situation, which he said began three days ago when he was “driving through a small town in Oklahoma” and was pulled over by a police officer who spotted him driving over the speed limit. When the officer asked the country music star for his license and registration, Bryan said he told the officer he was “not comfortable” with giving his address due to him being a musician. The officer then informed him that if Bryan did not provide his address, he would have to take him to jail. When Bryan again refused, he said the officer asked him to step out of the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs. 

According to Bryan, after further conversation with the officer, he eventually provided his address and “ended up abiding by what he was saying” and the officer ended up removing the handcuffs and giving the singer “a warning” before letting him go. Bryan admitted that the incident “frustrated” him, as he was unsure if he had a right to refuse giving his address.

Several days later, as he was driving to Boston to see the Philadelphia Eagles play, Bryan said his security guard was pulled over. When the musician got out of his own vehicle after several minutes passed, the officer came up to him and requested he get back in his vehicle and told him he would have to take him to jail if he continued to refuse. The singer admitted he was a “dumb a-” when he replied, “Take me to jail? What do you mean?” He added that he got “too lippy” with the officer and was “ridiculous” and “immature.” Byran told his fans that he “prays everyone knows I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful, and I shouldn’t have been, and it was my mistake.”

Bryan was ultimately handcuffed and placed in the front seat of the officer’s vehicle, where he grew “more angry.” When he was let out of the vehicle, he said he was “mouthing off like an idiot, like an actual child,” and was taken to jail. Bryan said he was in jail “for a few hours,” where he “cooled off” and where “everyone was super kind.” He said that he and the officer who arrested him “eventually shook hands” and he “ended up apologizing online” after he realized his “actions didn’t reflect who I was as a person.”

Bryan said he will have to “deal with the legalities of it when I go back home.” He added that the “people of Vinita were super kind” and concluded the video by admitting, “I was just an idiot, and I’ll take the fall for it. I’m a grown man, and I shouldn’t behave like that.” He promised that it “won’t happen again.”