Justin Bieber Egging Case: Has Instagram Photo And A Sweater Nailed Star?

Has a distinctive sweater worn by Justin Bieber and ‘high fives’ seen on his home surveillance video tied the pop star evidentially to the egging of his former neighbor’s Calabasas, California, home?

For Justin Bieber who declared “I am fashion” earlier this week, it’s now alleged the singer’s sweater fashion could finally tie him evidentially to an ongoing, egging vandalism case that has still not produced charges against the 20-year-old.

News on the Bieber-egging front has been quiet since CNN reported in March that Bieber’s lawyers, Howard Weiztman and Shawn Holley, had met with Los Angeles prosecutors to try and persuade them not to charge the singer with felony vandalism.

Amid TMZ’s then report that a plea deal was close, it was also claimed the District Attorney was not opposed to the idea of a misdemeanor charge.

So, does this new ‘sweater’ report change the stakes?

Citing unnamed law enforcement sources, TMZ reports investigators believe that the sweater Bieber wore in an Instagram photo posted to his account on January 10 — the day after the egg-attack on his ex-neighbor’s house — allegedly appears to match a white sweatshirt and baseball cap worn by a male seen in surveillance video obtained by police.

The surveillance video the site refers to was retrieved from Bieber’s house during a January 14 police raid authorized by a felony search warrant.

In the clip, which was aired on KTTV FOX 11 Thursday night, it reportedly showed a white male wearing what allegedly appears to be the same clothes worn by Bieber in his Instagram photo. It”s claimed the white male is seen walking from the direction of the neighbor’s home after the egging before “high-fiving his friends.”

(Photo: Screengrab of Los Angeles Fox KTTV -TV video.)

The Associated Press reports the high-five reaction of the man alleged to be Bieber in the surveillance video was noted in documents to support a March search warrant for Bieber’s Instagram account. Police wanted to match the outfit of the man seen in the video to clothes worn by the singer in previous Instagrams.

“I observed a male white – who resembled and who I will refer to as Suspect Bieber — run from the direction of Victim Schwartz’ residence and up the driveway at Suspect Bieber’s residence and out of view,” alleged investigating detective Ginni Alvarez of the footage in a police affidavit obtained by E! News.

Alvarez also wrote that Bieber’s friends ran back toward Schwartz’s home then returned to Bieber’s driveway where they were seen hiding behind cars. She added that when Justin allegedly returned from the direction of Schwartz’s home he seemed upbeat.

“He was approached by the group of males, some of whom Suspect Bieber is observed ‘high fiving,'” Alvarez wrote. “Suspect Bieber and the other males appeared to be laughing and celebrating.”

“I compared the Instagram photo to the surveillance video,” she continued.

“I observed Suspect Bieber was in the same attire as depicted… wearing a white sweatshirt with black images along the neckline,” adding:

“Suspect Bieber is also wearing a dark colored ball cap with a white logo in the center.”‘

While the video footage doesn’t definitively identify Justin, after reviewing it Alvarez asked the Schwartz family what Bieber had allegedly been wearing while he allegedly egged their home. Schwartz’s daughter Jessica told Alverez that Bieber wore the same clothes he had been pictured in an Instagram post earlier that day.

The affidavit document for the warrant was released Friday. However, the warrant does not state whether there was any footage of Bieber actually throwing eggs at his neighbor’s home was retrieved,” AP adds.

Bieber is accused of egging Jeffrey Schwartz’s house with multiple eggs in an incident that took place January 9, 2014 in the singer’s former Calabasas, California, neighborhood.

After the singer was named as a suspect in a vandalism investigation, a 5-day later police raid led to drug and vandalism charges for one of Bieber’s friends — Xavier ‘”Lil Za” Smith.

Schwartz claims Bieber caused $20,000 damages to his home due to expensive fittings and features.

Despite weeks lapsing since the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department handed over the case to the prosecutors, as yet the D.A. has not announced any charges.

Lead Sheriff’s detective David Thompson has previously made no secret of the fact that he wants Justin prosecuted as a felony due to the high damages estimated, which some have questioned.

If the sweater/cap identification convinces the D.A., it may seal a felony or misdemeanor vandalism charge against the Canadian.

If so, it won’t be the first time Justin’s Instagram photos have landed him in trouble.

Bieber apologized on Wednesday after his posting of two Instagram photos taken while at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo that honors 2.5 million war-dead including 14 convicted war criminals and is one of the most contentious geopolitical sites in the world, sparked anger in China and South Korea.

Bieber removed the photos from his Instagram account and explained he was told the shrine was simply a place of prayer.