KING 810 Members Due In Court On Monday
June 19, 2014Two members of the Flint, Michigan metal band KING 810 are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, June 23 in connection with the 2013 critical beating of a man outside of a bar in their hometown. The group's vocalist David Gunn (formerly known as David Swan) and bassist Eugene Gill, both of whom are 28 years old, were picked up at the Detroit Metro Airport last Thursday (June 12) as they were making their way to the United Kingdom to perform at this year's Download festival. They were charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
Gunn later tweeted a picture of court paperwork which appeared to show he had been released on $10,000 bail and that he was facing a more serious charge of assault with intent to murder. However, a spokesman for the band told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine that this was a "clerical error" on the part of the court and added: "David Gunn and Gene Gill are charged with simple assault stemming from a bar fight incident last October.
"The band are scheduled for pre-trial this Monday in Flint. Other than that, we are not allowed to talk about the facts of the case."
As part of his bail conditions, Gunn is not allowed to leave the state of Michigan. He and Gill will appear for preliminary investigations at Flint's 68th District Court at 2 p.m. Monday, a spokeswoman for the court system confirmed to Metal Hammer.
Gunn and Gill are suspected of attacking a man last October and leaving him in critical condition outside The Loft in downtown Flint. A police investigation led to warrants being issued for the two musicians.
Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder (also known as "assault GBH") is a felony criminal offense in Michigan, according to Michigan Compiled Law 750.84. Assault GBH carries a potential punishment of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of not more than $5,000.
KING 810, which recently signed with Roadrunner Records, stirred up controversy at last month's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio by bringing a number of masked men carrying (fake) assault rifles on stage (see video below).
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, David stated about his hometown: "You will never understand where we're coming from unless you've been here.
"Flint is not one of a kind — there are slums all over the world — but this kind of thing rarely gets expressed by a band that's so involved in a place like this. A lot of people just lie about it, but we're actually here.
"I've seen two people killed this week. I've seen two bodies this week and I'm not the only one.
"We're holding up a mirror. Your environment affects you, whether it's negative or positive.
"This city is wild. There are no police here. It's poverty-stricken, there's unemployment, we have serial killers you won't hear about on TV.
"I can't make anyone understand what I'm getting at. When I sing, 'While you were playing with friends, we were burying men…' do you get it?"
KING 810 was scheduled to traverse the U.S. this summer on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and was expected to release its Roadrunner debut album this August.
KING 810's "Proem" EP was made available on iTunes on May 13.
Police booking photos:
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