Bieber accused of attack
Latest incident follows a string of odd antics by the Canadian pop star
Pop sensation Justin Bieber flew from Europe back to his Los Angeles area home on Tuesday and into an argument with one of his neighbours – the latest in a series of odd incidents involving the teen singer.
No charges have been filed against the singer
Deputies were called to the 19-year-old’s house in Calabasas, California, after a neighbour claimed that he had been threatened and struck by Bieber, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.
A police report alleging battery and threats by Bieber had been filed and was being investigated, Whitmore said.
No charges have been filed against the singer and Whitmore declined to give details, citing an ongoing investigation.
Under California law, a misdemeanour battery charge can include unwanted touching or spitting.
The alleged altercation took place after the Boyfriend singer flew overnight from Poland, startling photographers and Lodz airport officials by stripping off his shirt on a freezing evening as he walked through security and to his private jet.
Bieber’s publicist did not return calls for comment on Tuesday’s incident, which follows odd behaviour by the singer during his European tour, including turning up late for a London concert and wearing a gas mask on a night out.
A source close to the star said the Calabasas dispute stemmed from a neighbour who came by to complain about parties at the house while Bieber was away. Words were exchanged but no physical altercation took place, the source said, citing the singer’s security detail.
Celebrity website TMZ.com said the dispute was provoked by Bieber driving a newly delivered Ferrari up and down the street at high speed early on Tuesday morning. The Bieber source disagreed with that claim.
In recent years the singer has been constantly chased by paparazzi while publicly morphing from an almost angelic mop-topped teen to an adult battling a bad boy image.
Recently, Bieber lashed out at paparazzi and lunged at one photographer as members of the singer’s entourage held him back.
Last summer he got a speeding ticket while trying to avoid a bevy of photographers on a Los Angeles freeway in his distinctive chrome Fisker Karma.
He collapsed backstage during a recent London concert and cancelled a performance in Portugal.
Prosecutors decided against filing charges after the pop star was accused of kicking and punching a photographer outside a Calabasas cinema last May.
Earlier this year, Moshe Benabou, an ex-bodyguard, sued Bieber for alleged assault and more than €328,516 in unpaid wages, claiming Bieber repeatedly punched him in the chest after an argument over the singer’s entourage.
Bieber has been playing concerts around Europe for his Believe tour for several weeks, and his next concert is scheduled for Munich, Germany, today.