SALT LAKE CITY — Newly released body camera video shows police officers interacting with singer-songwriter Todd Snider as he was placed under arrest outside Holy Cross Hospital for causing a disturbance.
During his arrest, Snider's speech appeared slow as he spoke with officers, often complaining about being in pain and needing medication. In a social media post over the weekend, Snider claimed to have been assaulted, although no evidence of an incident has been discovered.
The video starts just before 5 p.m. Sunday as Snider attempts to get inside a police vehicle before officers tell him to remain outside. As he is being handcuffed, Snider tells them they're being "really sweet," adding, "I can't wait to tell you my story."
Minutes after his arrest, Snider claimed he was "sick" and that he "needed a bed."
"I'm not homeless, I live in Nashville," Snider said. "I have a band. I'm famous."
Snider, who was set to play at The Commonwealth Room in South Salt Lake on his "High, Lonesome and Then Some" tour, went on to say that his band had "ditched" him and that he needed his lawyer.
Bodycam video below shows arrest of singer Todd Snider by Salt Lake City officers:
At one point, Snider tells the officers that he was mugged and had been turned away by the hospital, despite allegedly receiving staples to treat a wound on his head. When police questioned how he received care if he had been rejected by hospital staff, Snider replied, "OK, great, you guys. You win. Compassion is just stupid."
After Snider was placed inside the police car, an officer spoke to a member of the hospital staff, who said the singer had already been seen by two hospitals by the time he returned to Holy Cross, complaining that his whole body hurt and that he was looking for a place to sleep.
The hospital official said Snider stood in the hallway, "cussing and screaming" and was "loud and obnoxious" while calling people names. Another staff member is heard saying that Snider had threatened to "kick my ___."
A member of the hospital's security team said staff members chased down Snider once he was outside to return items he had left inside, and that he was knocking on neighborhood doors. According to the security team, he continued to call them names as they confronted him outside.
Todd Snider hospitalized after alleged assault outside hotel, then arrested:
During the incident, the security team said Snider bragged that he was "richer than them" and that they'd "never be anything."
When the police officer returned to speak with Snider, he told the singer that there was nothing the hospital could do for him. Snider replied, "I can't go to jail," and said that he was without his medication.
As the officers prepared to transport Snider to jail, he pleaded with police to let him return to the hospital.
"I am sick!" he yelled. "Please, let me go to the hospital."
