Justin Bieber has turned himself in to Toronto police for an expected assault charge.
The baby-faced 19-year-old arrived Wednesday evening (local time) at a police station to a crush of media and screaming fans.
A police official said the charge has to do with an alleged assault on a limo driver in December. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
Toronto police said in late December they were looking into allegations that a member of Bieber’s entourage assaulted a limo driver who was ferrying the Canadian pop star and several others. Police said at the time it was unclear whether Bieber was involved.
A spokesman for Bieber had no comment Wednesday.
Bieber emerged from a black SUV wearing a winter coat and a backwards ball cap before being led through a throng of police and reporters.
Earlier, he pleaded not guilty in Florida to charges of driving under the influence after driving nearly twice the speed limit on a Miami Beach street. He also pleaded not guilty to resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.
Also On Wednesday, a online petition asking the Obama administration to deport Bieber after his Miami arrest from the United States, passed the 100,000 signature threshold required for a White House response.
Bieber was unlikely to be deported because federal law dictates that a visa can only be revoked or denied for a conviction of a violent crime with a minimum one year prison sentence.
The pop star lately has drawn more attention for his brushes with the law than for his music. His arrival at the Toronto police station was no different – the singer debuted a music video for his song Confident on Wednesday afternoon, just as news of his expected arrest was breaking.
Bieber remains under investigation for felony vandalism in Los Angeles County over an egg-tossing episode that damaged his neighbour’s home. Detectives searched his home on January 14, and prosecutors have sought additional information before determining whether to pursue charges.
The cases have overshadowed the recent release of his latest album. Its reception has been far from the chart-topping success Bieber had after he debuted in 2009, with multiple platinum albums.
Last year, Bieber made headlines for everything from clashing with a paparazzo to fainting at a show to being photographed smoking marijuana. The paparazzo is suing Bieber for assault and battery.
German authorities charged him thousands of dollars after he abandoned a pet monkey that they seized from him for failing to have proper vaccination papers.
The singer also had to apologise to Bill Clinton after cursing the former president and spraying his photo with cleaning fluid in a New York City restaurant kitchen.
-AP, Reuters
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