Lil Nas X assault case to be dismissed if he completes mental health programme

A judge in California has granted rapper Lil Nas X entry into a mental health diversion programme after he was arrested for attacking police officers while wandering nearly naked through the streets of Los Angeles last August.

The judge told the Grammy-winning artist (real name Montero Lamar Hill) at a hearing on Monday that the charges may be quashed if he completes the programme and obeys all laws for the next two years.

"I'm thankful. Just very thankful," Hill told Rolling Stone magazine after the hearing. "It could have been much worse."

Hill was arrested late at night on Ventura Boulevard wearing only underpants and cowboy boots. He was charged with attacking a police officer and resisting arrest.

He was also taken to hospital due to concerns about a possible overdose.

His felony charges mean that he is facing up to five years in prison if found guilty and if he fails to complete the judge-ordered treatment.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges last year.

The Old Town Road rapper was diagnosed with bipolar disorder following the incident.

Judge Alan Schneider said during Monday's hearing that his behaviour when he was arrested was "aberrant from his normal conduct", his lawyer Christy O'Connor told BBC News after the hearing.

The judge added that he "appears to be doing very well" and that "when treated, he is much better off and society is much better off".

He then granted Hill's request to enter into a treatment programme, his lawyer added.

Diversion programmes are initiatives that allow alternatives like treatment for people with mental illness who are caught up in the criminal justice system.

His defence lawyer told the court that after his arrest, Hill spent two months in a treatment facility in Arizona.

After the hearing, Hill smiled to journalists and gave thumbs up.

Following his arrest, his father told the Times that Hill's mother's battle with addiction, and his inability to help her, had been taking a toll on his mental health.

"For a 26-year-old to have to deal with what he's dealing with - to be a breadwinner for a lot of people, the inability to change his mother's situation and the pressure he puts on himself," said father Robert Stafford. "That can weigh heavily on your heart."