Lil Nas X charged with battery on officers after LA arrest

Lil Nas X was arrested in Los Angeles in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 21 after bystanders reported seeing the 26-year-old rapper wandering Studio City in underwear and cowboy boots, and police say he charged at officers as they tried to detain him. He was taken to a hospital for treatment that authorities said was for a possible overdose, then booked and held in jail before posting 75,000 bail and being released under the condition that he attend outpatient drug treatment.

Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged the artist, born Montero Lamar Hill, with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer. Hill pleaded not guilty at a court appearance and faces a preliminary hearing on Sept. 15. If convicted, he could face several years behind bars, according to court filings and prosecutor statements. Initial police reports described the booking as on suspicion of misdemeanor obstructing an officer, while later filings upgraded the allegations to felony counts.

Accounts of the arrest differ in some details. Some reports say he punched an officer during the encounter; prosecutors allege battery with injury on officers, and Los...