Justin Bieber surrendered to Toronto police Wednesday to be charged with assault over an alleged altercation with a limousine driver in December last year.
Now, rumored details of the alleged dispute over the car radio volume have emerged.
The alleged incident took place in the early hours of December 30 when the teen star and five others were picked up outside a Toronto nightclub to take them to a hotel.
Unidentified sources told TMZ , Justin and his entourage were in the back of the limo when the 19-year-old allegedly asked the driver to turn up the radio volume.
It’s claimed the driver did so, but not enough for Bieber’s liking.
An argument allegedly kicked off.
TMZ claims sources said, “The limo driver claims Justin screamed profanities… then smacked him several times in the head.”
“In the course of the altercation, a man struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times,” a Toronto Police Services news release on Wednesday said.
“The driver stopped the limousine, exited the vehicle and called police. The man who struck him left the scene before police arrived.”
Earlier on December 29, Bieber and a group of pals including his father went to an ice-hockey game at Toronto’s Air Canada Center.
TMZ notes a source connected to Bieber has said a friend of the singer hit the driver, not Justin.
In addition, Steve Salem, the manager at VIP Limousine Toronto told the Toronto Sun that Bieber was “involved” but added the singer’s entourage carried out the alleged crime.
“What I heard… [the assault] wasn’t directly from Justin. He was involved, but it was others,” Salem told the Toronto Sun .
“Entourage for sure. I can confirm that,” Salem said, adding the driver was “not happy with what happened.”
Bieber’s Wednesday arrival at the 52 division police station was a chaotic one, with the star given an escort through a crowd of fans and press who turned up for a glimpse after news broke on social media of his impending arrival.
Tony Albert, the manager of Park Lane Livery limousines, which operated the limo, told the Toronto Star the driver quit his job shortly after the incident, Reuters reports.
The driver is “in shock. Something like this does not happen in Toronto,” Albert said.
Howard Weitzman, the California lawyer for Bieber, released a statement to E! News shortly after the charging.
It read:
“The Toronto Police Service requested that Justin Bieber appear in Toronto today to face an allegation of assault relating to an incident on December 29, 2013.
“We anticipate that this matter will be treated as a summary offense, the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United States. Our position is that Mr. Bieber is innocent.”
“As the matter is now before the Court, it would be inappropriate to address the specifics of either the allegation or of our defense at this time.”