Justin Bieber Arrested for DUI and Drag Racing
Police in Miami Beach arrested Justin Bieber early Thursday morning for drag racing and driving drunk. The authorities say that the 19-year-old pop singer was driving a rented yellow Lamborghini, which they saw racing a red Ferrari at 4:19 a.m., according to ABC News. The pair had blocked traffic in a residential area with two other vehicles for the race. Police arrested both Bieber and the other driver, NBC Miami reports, after chasing the yellow sports car, which was trailed by a group of SUVs. Bieber failed a sobriety test at the scene and, later, a Breathalyzer given to him at the Miami Beach police station. He will soon be transported to the Miami-Dade County jail.
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According to the Miami Herald, Bieber was incoherent, had his hands in his pockets and resisted arrest without violence. Miami Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told the paper that Bieber did not have a valid license.
The arrest follows months of bad behavior. Last Tuesday, police arrested Bieber’s friend, rapper Lil Za, for possession of drugs, following an investigation into an egging incident in his Calabasas, California neighborhood. Authorities originally believed that the substance they confiscated was cocaine, but TMZ reports they now believe it was MDMA. As for Bieber’s involvement, they said that while it might not seem like a big deal, the charges that he vandalized a neighbor’s property is a “serious incident” and a felony. The police seized Bieber’s iPhone in the process and searched it for egging-related references, CNN reported.
Bieber is reportedly on his way to jail and booking this morning, according the the Miami New Times.
Update: Justin Bieber’s bond was set at $2,500 by Judge Joseph P. Farina of Miami-Dade County, Florida a little after 1 p.m. EST today. Bieber, who was wearing a standard-issue orange V-neck prison jumpsuit with rolled-up sleeves, appeared before the judge via closed-circuit TV from a sheriff’s office. The bond broke down to $1,000 for driving under the influence, $1,000 for resisting arrest without violence and $500 for driving with an expired license. Read expletive-filled excerpts from Bieber’s arrest report here.