Singer Chris Brown was arrested Thursday night in Palm Beach County, Florida on a felony battery charge stemming from a 2017 incident.
Brown was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at 11 p.m. ET Thursday on a warrant for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office told TheWrap. He paid a $2,000 bond and was released 53 minutes after being booked.
The arrest stems from an April 17, 2017 incident at Tampa night club Club Aja, where Brown allegedly punched photographer Bennie Louis Vines at about 1 a.m., per the Tampa PD.
Vines told Tampa Police that he had been hired to take photographs at the event at Club Aja. Vines said Brown was sitting near him and that Brown motioned to Vines to move away. Vines told police he moved away and attempted to tell Brown that he was hired to take pictures of the crowd. Vines and witnesses said Brown then approached Vines, assumed a fighting stance, and punched Vines’ upper lip. Brown and his entourage then left the nightclub.
The warrant for Brown’s arrest was issued on August 11, 2017.
Brown is scheduled to perform Friday night at 7 p.m. at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fair in Tampa. It is currently unclear if that performance will still happen.
The R&B singer has a long history of trouble with the law. In 2009, a 19-year-old brown punched, choked and bit then-girlfriend Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to one count of felony assault. Four years later, he was charged with felony assault after punching a man in Washington, D.C.
In 2016, Brown was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after a woman called 9-1-1 earlier in the day claiming the singer pulled a gun on her. There have been more accusations of violence and misbehavior along the way.
Chris Brown Arrest: 7 Stars Who Support the Embattled Singer (Photos)
Chris Brown experienced his latest run-in with the law on Tuesday, when he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon following an hours-long standoff with the police, after allegedly pulling a gun on a woman at his Tarzana, California, home. But the "I Can Transform Ya" singer has plenty of supporters as he weathers his latest legal plight -- and some of them are famous. Read on for a list of celebrities who've offered their support for Chris Brown.
Rapper 50 Cent took to his Instagram account to speak up for Brown. Pointing out that Btown's accuser, Baylee Curran, had reportedly been accused of theft for allegedly stealing a purse in 2013, the rapper wrote, "This Bitch was trying to steal something got kicked out then called the cops see. Smh you can't make this shit up. Lol."
Ray J, who was reportedly at Brown's home at the time of the alleged incident, also hit up Instragram, posting a video in which he declared, "I'm real upset about today. I'm not happy with how things are being handled and about how people can take a false story and blow it up into something way more than it should be."
Singer/actress Keke Palmeralso posted a video, saying, "I really wish that people would stop messing with Chris Brown ... I ain't saying he's perfect, I don't know him like that. But, I mean, I wish we would pray for motherf--kers instead of hating them."
Hulk Hogan took to Twitter and offered, "Praying for Chris Brown only love" -- though he also later tweeted, "Chris needs to start loving God and get correct," so it seems like he might still be wrestling with the issue.
Rapper Lil Mama likewise put her support behind Brown, writing, "I love @chrisbrownofficial and I AM TIRED OF SEEING HIM HURT. But for right now I'm just praying for his safety."
Singer Bruno Mars tweeted his support on Tuesday night, writing, "Prayin for ya @chrisbrown we need ya."
"Love L.A." Rapper Young Scrap blasted Brown's haters while defending the singer, writing, "Prayers are up for Chris Brown...it's crazy how some of you can't wait for him to fall."
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From 50 Cent to Hulk Hogan, the musician/assault suspect has plenty of people rooting for him
Chris Brown experienced his latest run-in with the law on Tuesday, when he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon following an hours-long standoff with the police, after allegedly pulling a gun on a woman at his Tarzana, California, home. But the "I Can Transform Ya" singer has plenty of supporters as he weathers his latest legal plight -- and some of them are famous. Read on for a list of celebrities who've offered their support for Chris Brown.
