Audio from 911 calls pertaining to Sam Hunt's drunk driving arrest on Thursday morning (November 21) have been released. Several people called 911 to report that a black SUV was driving the wrong way on Ellington Parkway in East Nashville and speeding.
Calls started coming in just before 4 a.m. local time. One caller described an SUV driving south in the northbound lane, appearing to be casually cruising. "It was driving like there was nothing wrong, and it almost hit me head on," one caller is heard saying in audio obtained by the Tennessean.
Another caller expressed concern with the speed Hunt might've been traveling, saying that the car was "hauling some a** 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. According to police reports, the singer had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol and had two empty beers in the car next to him.
Additionally, when asked for his drivers license, he instead handed over his credit card and his passport to the police. The arrest warrant indicates that Hunt's blood alcohol level .173. The legal limit in Tennessee is .08. He was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and possessing an open container.
On Friday (November 22), the 34-year-old issued an apology. It read, "Wednesday night I decided to drive myself home after drinking at a friend's show in downtown Nashville. 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."
Less than three hours after being booked into Metro Jail, Hunt was released on a $2,500 bond. He'll appear in court on January 17, 2020.
Hunt's arrest just after making his return to music with the release of his new single, "Kinfolks." This is the singer's first song shared since 2018's "Downtown's Dead," which followed his 2017 hit, "Body Like A Back Road."
Photo: Getty Images