San Diego Criminal Attorneys Blog
Celebrity music artist Justin Bieber has been arrested for DUI, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license in Miami Beach, Florida. Police officers witnessed the young starlet racing a yellow Lamborghini against a red Ferrari at 4 a.m. on residential streets and proceeded to pull him over. Both cars were driving at a speed of 60 mph in a designated 30 mph speed limit zone. According to reports, Bieber made inappropriate remarks to the police officer including, “What the f*** did I do? Why did you stop me?” and ignored the officer’s request to keep his hands on the vehicle during a routine pat down for weapons. He was also described in reports as having a “flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and the odor of alcohol on his breath.” Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told the press that 19-year-old Bieber was booked into a Miami Jail for failing a sobriety test and stated Bieber had “made some statements that he had consumed some alcohol, and that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication.” Martinez also stated that Bieber “was not cooperating with the officer’s instructions. At first, he was a little belligerent, using some choice words questioning why he was being stopped and why the officer was even questioning him.” The arresting officer quoted Bieber revealing the words that were used as, “I ain’t got no f***ing weapons. Why do you have to search me? What the f*** is this about?” Also arrested on suspicion of drunk driving was the driver of the red Ferrari racing Bieber, who has yet to be publicly identified. This is not the first time Bieber has been accused of street racing expensive sports cars either, as previous investigations have been made on reports that Bieber would race in the prestigious Oaks neighborhood where he lives in Calabasas, California. However, those reports never resulted in legal charges.
Although Bieber is currently under investigation for accusations that he egged his neighbor’s house and caused an estimated $20,000 worth of damages, this is the first time he has been arrested. Using a felony search warrant, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department raided Bieber’s Calabasas home for the vandalism investigation and seized both Bieber’s iPhone and his home security cameras as evidence. Sheriff’s Lt. David Thompson spoke on behalf of the raid stating, “We didn’t do this search warrant to send a message. That’s not what we do, but we hope maybe understanding the gravity of this will change some of the behavior.” In March of 2013, another neighbor of the child star came out with accusations against Bieber stating that he spat on his face during a heated confrontation between the two. Local authorities have also responded to handfuls of loud noise complaints coming from Bieber’s residence in the recent past. Other Miami police departments are on Bieber’s tail as well. One department is currently investigating a report that some of its own officers proceeded to escort Bieber and his crew to and from popular Miami strip clubs without authorization to do so. “At some point, the escort took them at least to two locations that we know of. The police administration had no knowledge of this escort, and it is not the norm for those things to occur without the chief and his administration authorizing such escorts” Opa-Locka Assistant City Manager David Chiverton told reporters. It is obvious the young entertainer has demonstrated questionable behavior and seems to be heading in a downward spiral of legal trouble. Not only does Bieber need an aggressive and experienced attorney to handle his case, it seems the child star turned teenage delinquent needs some emotional and behavioral guidance as well if he wants to save his career.
Sources:
“Justin Bieber Charged with DUI”– FOX 5 News, January 23, 2014