Chris Brown Choked, Made Death Threats Against Rihanna
Prosecutors said Tuesday they want more evidence from police before determining whether to press charges against Chris Brown, but the details surrounding the case continue to grow more and more damning for the 19-year-old singer.Earlier reports claim that pop singer Rihanna, the 20-year-old girlfriend and alleged victim of Brown’s alleged attack, suffered “horrific” injuries including bite marks, major contusions on her face, a split lip and a bloody nose.
E! News quotes an unnamed source as saying that Rihanna has alleged to police officers that Brown choked her while threatening to kill her and that she subsequently lost consciousness.
She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and later released.
E! Online reports that police took two sets of photos of the singer, one at the scene, the other in the hospital.
The Los Angeles District Attorney yesterday asked police officers to conduct further investigations, after being presented with the case against Brown, who has been charged with making criminal threats.
While the police have not officially said that Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, was the victim of the alleged attack, unnamed police sources told the Los Angeles Times that she was.
The only statement released by Rihanna's publicist said: "Rihanna is well. Thank you for concern and support."
Brown was arrested Sunday night after surrendering to police, who sought the 19-year-old singer when a woman claimed she had been attacked by Brown during a fight.
According to E!, the couple began quarrelling after leaving Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party late Satuday night. According to TMZ, the fight began when Brown received a text message from another woman.
When the fight escalated, Brown allegedly pulled over to the side of the road in L.A. Rihanna then reportedly grabbed the keys and tossed them out of the window.
Brown tried to find the keys, according to the report, but became enraged when he couldn’t. He returned to the car and then allegedly put his hands around her neck screaming “I’m going to kill you!”
Rihanna reportedly told police that she lost consciousness temporarily, and when she awoke, Brown was gone.
There have been conflicting reports as to who placed the 911 call, attributing it to Rihanna and an unnamed passerby.
According to several news sources, police took photos of Rihanna’s injuries at the scene, which would likely be used as evidence in a case against Brown.
Brown was booked Sunday on suspicion of making a criminal threat, a felony. Police have said that prosecutors would determine what charges, if any, were warranted.
The district attorney's kicking the case back to police could signal that prosecutors are seeking to build stronger charges against Brown; or it could mean the current evidence is too flimsy or has holes that would drop it to a misdemeanor or make it go away altogether, Loyola University law professor Stan Goldman said.
Brown remains free on $50,000 bail.
The allegations have at least momentarily tarnished Brown's squeaky-clean image. Chewing gum maker Wrigley has suspended ad campaigns featuring the singer.
WAKS-FM, a Cleveland-area radio station has stopped playing Brown's music until the allegations are resolved after outraged listeners called to criticize the singer. Stations in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis also reportedly pulled Brown's music.
Brown has withdrawn from public appearances in Phoenix scheduled for this weekend before the NBA All-Star game. Rihanna on Tuesday postponed a planned concert in Malaysia.
Brown and Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, skipped planned performances at Sunday's Grammy Awards, leaving fellow recording artists to try to make sense of the allegations.
Kanye West, who toured with Rihanna, said on Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show Tuesday morning that the reports of abuse were "devastating."
"I feel like, just as a person, I don't care how famous she is or even if she just worked at McDonald's, that should never happen," West said on the show, which is broadcast on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles. "It should never come to that place."
