Sam Hunt DUI Arrest: 911 Calls Released
The 911 calls pertaining to Sam Hunt's drunk driving arrest on Thursday morning (Nov. 21) have been released. Concerned callers reported a black SUV driving the wrong way down Ellington Parkway in East Nashville and speeding.
In dispatcher audio obtained by the Tennessean, numerous callers reported Hunt's vehicle around 4AM local time. "It was driving like there was nothing wrong, and it almost hit me head on," one caller explains. Another notes that the car was "hauling some ass in the fast lane."
Metro Nashville police pulled Hunt over shortly after the calls came in; when they found him, the singer was swerving in and out of his lane. When police pulled Hunt over, they report, he had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. Two empty beers were also next to him in the car.
Police report that Hunt, who was the only person in the car, admitted that he had been drinking "recently," and had trouble locating his driver's license, at first handing over his credit card and passport to the responding officer, even though his license was sitting in plain sight. Police administered a field sobriety test, recorded via a dash cam, and discovered that Hunt had a blood alcohol level of .173 (the legal limit is .08).
Hunt was charged with driving under the influence and possessing an open container. He was booked into Metro Nashville jail around 6:30AM local time on Thursday, and released on $2,500 bond around 9AM that same morning. His court date has been set for Jan. 17.
"I decided to drive myself home after drinking at a friend’s show in downtown Nashville," Hunt explained in a tweet on Friday (Nov. 22). "It was a poor and selfish decision and I apologize to everyone who was unknowingly put at risk and let down by it. It won’t happen again."
According to reports, Hunt was at the Ainsworth, a bar on 21st Avenue South, near Music Row, earlier in evening, with about two dozen people. According to the venue's website, they are open until 2AM on Thursday mornings. A social media post advertises a Wednesday night (Nov. 20) show, dubbed Affinity at Ainsworth, featuring four artists and drink specials.
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