Zach Bryan Arrested After Interfering With Traffic Stop in Oklahoma

The singer-songwriter Zach Bryan was arrested and briefly jailed in rural Oklahoma on Thursday, a few days after he reached a career milestone by landing both the No. 1 album and single for the first time.

Mr. Bryan, 27, was arrested in Vinita, Okla., and charged with “obstruction of investigation,” according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol, which made the arrest. On social media, Mr. Bryan said he was released later the same day. A mug shot of the singer, apparently taken at the Craig County Sheriff’s Office, where he was jailed, began circulating on social media shortly thereafter, though as of Friday morning it is not available on the sheriff’s website.

In a post late Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Bryan apologized and said: “Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment.”

Later, in a series of videos posted on Instagram Stories, Mr. Bryan — who grew up in nearby Oologah, Okla. — gave an account of the incident. He said that while on a journey to Boston to see a football game, he saw his security guard pulled over in another vehicle. Mr. Bryan said he parked nearby, stepped out of his car and was warned by the police officer to return to his vehicle or risk being jailed, but refused. Mr. Bryan described being further disrespectful to the officer, including interrupting him while he spoke.

“It was ridiculous, it was immature, and I just pray everyone knows that I don’t think I’m above the law,” he said on Instagram. “I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been, and it was my mistake.”

A spokesman for Mr. Bryan did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Mr. Bryan, whose work is variously classified as country, rock or Americana folk, drew acclaim for a series of self-released albums before putting out “American Heartbreak” last year on Warner Records, a major label. Last month he released his latest LP, “Zach Bryan,” which contains a hit duet with Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything.”