Brady Ebert, a cofounding Turnstile member who split from the hardcore group in 2022, is facing charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault, both felonies, in Maryland’s Montgomery District Court. In a statement, the band tells Rolling Stone Ebert had allegedly “used his vehicle to run over Brendan’s father [William Yates], causing severe physical trauma.” The band, which asked for privacy during this time, says Yates survived and “has successfully undergone surgery, and we’re hoping for the best possible outcome in his recovery.”
Police responded to reports that a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle on Sunday, according to Fox5 in Washington, D.C. William Yates reportedly heard Ebert honking his horn and cursing and came out of his house to warn his daughter, her husband, and their toddler to watch out for him. When Ebert allegedly swerved toward Yates, Yates reportedly threw a rock, and Ebert drove his car towards both Yates’ daughter’s family and Yates himself, injuring his legs.
Officers of the Montgomery County Department of Police arrested the guitarist, 33, on Tuesday after a judge issued a warrant. He is currently being held without bond, though a bail and bond review will take place on Thursday afternoon. A preliminary hearing is set for May 1.
The guitarist made his first appearance in court on Wednesday and initially waived his right to an attorney. Later that day, he retained representation from Alpert Schreyer Trial Attorneys, who requested a speedy trial on Thursday. Rolling Stone’s request for comment from the lawyer was not immediately returned.
The public information office of the Montgomery County Police Department said it was looking into Rolling Stone’s request for information about the arrest.
“Turnstile cut ties with Brady Ebert in 2022 in response to a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band, and the community,” the band says. “After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence.
“In the years since, his baseless tirades have continued in public,” they continue. “We never addressed it. We chose to protect his privacy and the circumstances around his departure, even when he did nothing to be deserving of that protection. Over the past few months, his threats only escalated further. … We have no language left for Brady.”
Ebert cofounded Turnstile in the Baltimore area in 2010, and their debut EP, Pressure to Succeed, followed a year later. After a succession of EPs and an independently released LP, Nonstop Feeling (2015), the band signed to Roadrunner Records, which helped them find mainstream footing for the albums Time & Space (2018) and Glow On (2021). Two tracks from the latter album, “Blackout” and “Holiday,” were nominated for Grammys. The band won two Grammys for their first album since Ebert’s departure, Never Enough, earlier this year.
On Aug. 12, 2022, Turnstile announced that Ebert, who had been absent from touring lineups of the band, had officially left the group. “We are deeply grateful for our time together,” the band said in a statement at the time, according to Kerrang! “Our love for him continues and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
A Maryland Judiciary Case Search shows that four people sought “peace orders” (restraining orders) against Ebert earlier in the month and that the court denied each on the grounds of “no statutory basis for relief” at a hearing the day before the news broke of Ebert’s departure from the band. Guitar World reported at the time that Turnstile drummer Daniel Fang was among those who applied for a peace order.
“My friends filed a restraining order,” Ebert wrote on social media at the time, according to Guitar World. “The judge denied the restraining order because they were not able to meet the requirements. … It was all over text messages, which they showed the judge, and the judge agreed with me without me even having to testify.”
After Turnstile, Ebert joined a new group, the S.E.T., which released a debut album, Self Evident Truth, in March. In February, though, Lambgoat reported that the band had fired Ebert for making disparaging remarks against Turnstile. Reps for the S.E.T., did not immediately reply to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Ebert announced on social media in March that he’d formed a new band called Experience, according to ThePRP.
Read Turnstile’s full statement:
Turnstile cut ties with Brady Ebert in 2022 in response to a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band, and the community. After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence.
In the years since, his baseless tirades have continued in public. We never addressed it. We chose to protect his privacy and the circumstances around his departure, even when he did nothing to be deserving of that protection. Over the past few months, his threats only escalated further.
This past week, that violence led to a physical attack when Brady went to the house of Brendan’s parents and used his vehicle to run over Brendan’s father, causing severe physical trauma. We are grateful that Mr. Yates survived, has successfully undergone surgery, and we’re hoping for the best possible outcome in his recovery.
We have no language left for Brady.
Please respect our privacy in this time.
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