Justin Bieber Surrenders to Toronto Police on Assault Charge
The charge stems from a December altercation after a hockey game.
Jan. 29, 2014 — -- Justin Bieber is in trouble yet again - this time in his native Canada. The pop star, who was arrested last week for alleged DUI in Miami, surrendered to police in Toronto Wednesday evening in connection with an alleged assault on a limo driver back in December.
Bieber arrived at the station amid a throng of fans, photographers and reporters, pushing his way past as fans screamed their admiration for the 19-year-old Canadian. He stayed for more than 90 minutes, then exited out a back entrance, skipping the crowd that had gathered.
According to Toronto police, Bieber went to a hockey game on Dec. 29 at the Air Canada Centre, then later that night police were called to the area and began investigating whether it was the singer or a member of his entourage who was involved in the assault.
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The Toronto police said in a statement that "on Monday, December 30, 2013 at approximately 2:50 a.m., a limousine picked up a group of six people outside a nightclub in the Peter Street and Adelaide Street West area. While driving the group to a hotel, an altercation occurred between one of the passengers and the driver of the limousine. In the course of the altercation, a man struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times."
Police said the driver stopped the limousine, exited the vehicle and called police.
"The man who struck him left the scene before police arrived. On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, Justin Bieber, 19, of Calabasas, California, surrendered to police at 52 Division. He is facing the following charge: assault."
The singer is set to appear in court at Old City Hall on Monday, March 10, 2014, 11 a.m.
This was posted on Bieber's Instagram account minutes before he arrived at the Toronto police station:
Bieber's attorney says he expects the singer's Canadian assault case to be treated as a low-level offense and says his client is innocent, the Associated Press reported. Bieber's California-based attorney Howard Weitzman released the statement Wednesday after the pop singer turned himself in to Toronto police.
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Weitzman declined to comment on the allegations his client faces or any potential defense, saying it was now a matter for the court to handle. The attorney says in a statement that Bieber's legal team expects the case to be treated as a summary offense, which is the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United States, the AP reported.
Bieber's record label, Def Jam, also released a similar statement.
Following his meeting with police, Bieber again took to Instagram, posting a close-up shot. The photo shots Bieber clad in a black jacket and backwards cap, looking into the camera. The post is tagged with one word: "confident," coinciding with the name of his latest music video.
Bieber was arrested Jan. 23 after leaving a Miami Beach club, accused of drag racing and DUI. Earlier Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.
The singer spent the night in jail then appeared in a Miami courtroom, where the judge set bail at $2,500 and Bieber was later released.
He exited the courthouse a short time later, jumped up on a car and waved to a throng of fans as he left.
Bieber's troubles with police don't end there.
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On Jan. 14, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department executed a search warrant at Bieber's home for an investigation into alleged felony vandalism at his neighbor's house, involving an egging incident.
One of Bieber's entourage, Lil Za, was arrested for drugs during the search, but Bieber was not charged with any crime. The investigation is ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.