LOS ANGELES (CNN) — Chris Brown’s legal troubles got more serious Tuesday when a Los Angeles prosecutor charged him in a minor traffic crash.
Brown already faces a charge that he violated his probation in connection with his felony assault conviction in the beating of his girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown, 24, allegedly was driving a car that rear-ended another car in Los Angeles in May.
The Los Angeles city attorney filed charges of hit-and-run driving and driving without a license, according to spokesman Frank Mateljan.
Brown’s Twitter defense
While Brown’s representatives did not immediately respond to CNN calls for comment, the singer used his Twitter account to protest the charges:
“It’s not a hit and run if u get out the car, exchange information (who has NO DAMAGE to either cars).This is really ridiculous”
“I have a valid drivers license and I gave the woman the right info. 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!”
“My profile pic is the pic I took of the persons car after “the hit and run”. NO damage. Just a dirty car. once again, I gotta clear my name”
“I work my ass off to provide for my entire family. I’ve made mistakes in the past and have worked hard to be a better person. ”
“19-24 years of age. I don’t have all the answers and you can’t show me a person that age who has it figured out. We live and grow. Let me live”
Freedom on the line?
While the misdemeanor charges — which carry a maximum of a year in jail — would not ordinarily threaten a defendant’s freedom, Brown’s felony probation could be revoked if a judge decides the new arrest is a violation. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney said prosecutors will review the charge once they are officially notified by the city attorney.
An arraignment for the new charges has been set for the morning of July 15 at the Van Nuys courthouse. Brown is also scheduled to be in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom that afternoon for another hearing to set a date for his trial in his probation violation case.
Brown punched Rihanna inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street, leaving her face bruised and bloody on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February 2009.
He entered a guilty plea seven months later and was sentenced to serve five years probation and to spend more than 1,400 hours in “labor-oriented service” for the assault conviction. The judge allowed him to serve the sentence in Richmond, Virginia, under the direct supervision of the police chief.
In a court filing in February 2013, prosecutors accused Brown of not completing the community labor. The paperwork Brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is “at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting,” District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. Brown wasn’t in town on some of the dates reported, the motion said.
Mark Geragos, Brown’s attorney, said the prosecutor’s filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court.
“And I don’t mean just false, it is fraudulent,” Geragos said.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has “tortured” Brown during his probation more than any client he’s ever had, Geragos said.
Despite the serious allegations outlined in the court filing, the prosecutor is not asking for Brown’s probation to be revoked and the singer sent to jail. She is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a Los Angeles probation officer.
Nightclub incident denied
Brown’s representative denied allegations Monday that the singer assaulted a woman while inside of an Anaheim, California, nightclub on Saturday.
The accuser told TMZ that Brown shoved her while they were in the VIP area of Heat Ultra Lounge that night, causing her to take a hard fall and injuring her knee.
The owner of the venue has called the claims false, and Brown’s rep has made a similar denial.
“Reports that Chris Brown had physical contact with a female patron at the nightclub Heat are totally false and unfounded,” Brown’s rep told CNN. “Upon speaking with witnesses, security and the owner of the club, it has been proven that said patron caused the physical harm to herself in her belligerent state.”
According to the Anaheim Police Department, an assault and battery report was filed by phone on Sunday evening. The case is considered an open and ongoing investigation.
CNN’s Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.
