All Lane Pittman wanted for Fourth of July was to let down his hair and shred guitar to a giddy crowd. He got exactly what he wanted—and then he got arrested.
The Jacksonville, Florida, man set up his guitar rig outdoors this past Independence Day, relocating his amp from the street to the sidewalk at a police officer’s request. His playing reportedly “drew a crowd of nearly 200 people.” Crowd behavior became hostile at a certain point, so officers waited until the song was complete, out of respect for the National Anthem, and then moved in to put a stop to Pittman’s musical expedition.
There’s some contention as to what happened next. Pittman firmly maintains his arrest was wrongful, and he’s even retained an attorney to fight the misdemeanor charge. He alleges that the officers were rude and didn’t read him his rights. Ultimately, Pittman is in legal trouble for disturbing the peace—not for being a completely patriotic rock and roll badass, which is not a crime.
He’d like you to know that he’s not some anarchistic bad egg, but a fun-loving guy who just loves to cut loose. He uploaded the video himself, and wrote the following in the video’s description:
I have youth that I teach small groups at in church. I have youth that I coach. I would never, for a second, want them to think that intentionally rebelling against authority is something that I am for. Nor do I want the parents of those youth to think that. I am very thankful for the support of THE greatest family, friends, and fans in the entire world. I love all of ya’ll more than you can ever know. Please feel free to share this video to anyone out there. AMERICA!!
AMERICA, indeed.
H/T Death and Taxes | Screengrab via Lane Pittman/YouTube