Justin Bieber and bodyguard sued by paparazzo over alleged brawl on the night of singer’s DUI arrest.
Justin Bieber and one of his bodyguards are being sued by a paparazzo in a new lawsuit.
A paparazzo claims he was locked in a restaurant and beaten up by Justin’s bodyguard on the same night as the singer’s DUI arrest back in January.
Paparazzo Manuel Munoz alleges he was taking photographs of Bieber as the pop singer left the SET Nightclub in Miami Beach on January 23 when one of the singer’s bodyguard’s — Dwayne Patterson — allegedly chased him into a Subway and locked the restaurant door.
The paparazzo claims he was herded into the Subway restroom , where Patterson allegedly demanded Munoz delete photographs he took of Bieber.
The complainant alleges Patterson kicked and punched him and stole his camera’s memory card.
In a 911 call obtained by TMZ , Munoz claims Patterson eventually got the memory card and claims his camera was damaged.
Munoz is now suing Bieber and the bodyguard for an unspecified amount, the site adds.
However, the site points out that in a police report from the incident Munoz does not mention being punched or kicked.
Instead, the paparazzo claims Patterson tripped him up, allegedly leaving him with a “small scratch in his left knee.”
The report also states Munoz and Patterson bartered for the photographs while they were in the bathroom, with Munoz telling the guard he would sell Bieber the photos for $10,000, but Patterson wouldn’t go above $5,000.
In the 911 calls , frantic screaming can be heard as Munoz describes the alleged scene in the background, but the degree of exaggeration by the paparazzo may work against him in a lawsuit.
Bieber was later arrested on suspicion of DUI shortly after leaving SET nightclub, when he and another driver were stopped by two Miami Beach police officers just after 4 am on a residential street.
The singer was driving a yellow Lamborghini at the time and police claimed he was preparing to drag race. The drag racing claim has been disputed .
Justin is currently heading into a July 7 trial to face charges of DUI , resisting arrest without violence, and driving with an expired license, to which he previously pleaded not guilty.
The new paparazzo lawsuit follows a more recent allegation made against Bieber.
The singer is currently being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department following a compliant by a San Fernando Valley woman, who has accused Bieber of attempted robbery.
In an incident alleged to have occurred on Monday, May 12 at around 10:30 pm at Sherman Oak’s Castle Park — a miniature golf/batting cage area — the woman claims Justin reached into her purse and took her cellphone to check and delete (if found) photographs of himself and his crew.
The woman claims Bieber returned the cellphone after discovering it was locked, then asked her to open its photo archive. She says she did so. The accuser also alleges Justin wrestled with and yelled at her and made her 13-year-old daughter cry by speaking harshly.
Bieber’s Los Angeles attorney Howard Weitzman has since told the Associated Press that a fan approached his 20-year-old client Monday night and got aggressive as she took snaps of him hitting baseballs in a batting cage.
Weitzman said Bieber asked the woman to stop harassing him , adding that a park employee later reported the accuser was overzealous and that no robbery attempt, wrestling or alleged intimidatory dialogue took place.
“I would think this would fade away, given the facts here,” the lawyer told AP .
A Sherman Oaks Castle Park employee told TMZ on Wednesday (May 14) that Bieber was upset when the woman took photographs of him in an aggressive way and wouldn’t stop.
The eyewitness added Bieber did not reach into the woman’s purse or touch her .
The LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division, Robbery Special Section , is currently investigating the Sherman Oak’s claim. They have appealed for information from members of the general public.
In video footage posted by TMZ earlier this week, Bieber was purportedly heard calling a woman a “b—h” at a Burbank, California, stables when she refused to stop taking snaps of him.
The incident took place hours before the alleged attempted robbery, which has been denied by the singer.
Bieber is also being sued in two civil lawsuits filed by paparazzi alleging the singer directed his bodyguards to confront them.
The singer took to Twitter on Wednesday to address the alleged attempted robbery claim, urging people not to “believe rumors.”
It is hard to defend myself and my privacy every moment of the day. Then to see rumors. The truth will set u free pic.twitter.com/tYFzKYlcrF
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 15, 2014
My mom raised me to be kind to others. I get judged, harassed, and I try to take the high road. Sometimes it isn’t easy. But we keep trying
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 15, 2014
I will continue to be the man my mother raised. I love people and I will try to be kind even when things are not fair. Don’t believe rumors
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 15, 2014