D.A. seeks to revoke Chris Brown’s probation in Rihanna beating
L.A. County prosecutors are seeking to revoke the probation of singer Chris Brown in the 2009 beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna and possibly send him to jail.
Brown is facing new charges of driving without a driver’s license and a hit-and-run involving a collision on Barham Boulevard in May.
Brown was ordered in August 2009 to serve 1,400 hours of community service, attend domestic violence classes and serve five years probation.
DOCUMENT: Chris Brown accident report
He was convicted of felony domestic violence for striking Rihanna as they drove in a rented Lamborghini through Los Angeles after a Grammys party.
The case drew worldwide attention after a battered and bruised close-up of Rihanna’s face was leaked from LAPD files.
Prosecutors on Monday -- citing the two new misdemeanor charges stemming from an alleged hit-and-run in May -- asked a judge to revoke Brown’s probation.
Brown is accused of rear-ending a woman’s Mercedes with a Range Rover May 21 on Barham Boulevard. If his probation is revoked, he could received up to four years in custody.
According to a district attorney’s investigators report, the woman and Brown -- who did not identify himself -- pulled over to the side of the road after the collision at a red light around 12:30 p.m.
Both parties then took pictures of each others’ vehicles and Brown’s passenger, Karrueche Tientrese Tran, said they should exchange numbers.
The Mercedes driver asked Brown for his driver’s license and insurance as required by California law, but he produced neither of them, according to the report.
Instead, Brown’s passenger told the woman the car was her vehicle and handed over her driver’s license, and after some searching produced an expired insurance card for a Lamborghini, according to court documents filed by the D.A.’s office.
Prosecutors attached a letter the woman sent to the LAPD investigator about the hit-and-run. In the letter, she said Brown and his passenger went “ballistic” when they realized she was taking photos.
The woman said Brown’s passenger began screaming, “She took a picture!” and that Brown then tried to grab the camera from her. Brown allegedly called her profane names suggesting she thought less of him because he was a black man and used a racial epithet for himself.
The woman informed police he then said he had more money than her and again called her a profane name, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.
A district attorney investigator reviewing the information determined Brown had failed to produce documents required by state law.
A couple of days after the collision, a private investigator called the Mercedes driver’s husband and provided Brown’s name and the name of his attorney, Mark Geragos, as well as an expired proof of insurance, according to court documents.
A body shop bill for $868.10 attached to the police report identified the victim as Olga Kovalenko.
Geragos is seeking to get the two misdemeanors dismissed involving the May alleged hit-and-run. He has a filed a motion to dismiss the charges citing a declaration of a civil compromise with the Mercedes driver.
A judge on Monday delayed a decision on what to do with the case to July 23. City prosecutors could object to the settlement and they noted Monday that Brown is also charged with driving without a license. A judge in a similar hit-and-run involving Amanda Bynes allowed the case to dismissed following a civil payout.
Even if a judge dismisses the case, it does not mean the District Attorney will drop a move to revoke Brown’s probation in connection with the incident.
The singer vehemently denied the charges on his Twitter account, saying there was “NO DAMAGE to either cars” and calling the allegations “really ridiculous.”
“I have a valid drivers license and I gave the woman the right info,” Brown wrote in a series of tweets. “She saw cameras and wanted to make a scene. She contacted the cops thinking of a payday from Chris Brown when I followed the proper procedures.
“My lawyers will be contacting you. I will not stand for this bullying and yellow journalism!”
DOCUMENT: Read the complaint filed against Chris Brown
Brown is due in a downtown L.A. courtroom Monday afternoon for a probation update in connection with the Rihanna assault.
In February, prosecutors questioned whether Brown had completed his community service ordered by the court, outlining inconsistencies in a report prepared by police in Richmond, Va., where Brown was to have completed his 180 hours of work.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Mary A. Murray filed a motion, saying a review of Brown’s community service claims found “significant discrepancies indicating at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting” and asked a judge to order Brown to carry out his court-ordered labor in Los Angeles County instead of Virginia, where he lives.
Geragos called the motion “a disgrace,” accusing prosecutors of making “scurrilous, libelous and defamatory statements” against the R&B star.
Superior Court Judge James Brandlin has yet to rule on whether Brown must serve additional community service time in Los Angeles County. If the singer does not fulfill his obligation to the court, he could be sent to jail.
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