A woman on Saturday accused R&B singer Chris Brown of battery and theft at a Las Vegas hotel-casino, prompting an investigation by police, officials said.
A caller reported the alleged incident to authorities at about 10:20 a.m. at the Palms Casino Resort, where officers responded and contacted a woman who had sustained minor injuries, according to a statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
A subsequent investigation indicated that the woman was attending a party in a hotel room at the Palms when she “went to take a picture of” Brown, the news release said. An altercation over her cellphone ensued, during which the woman was allegedly battered by Brown, who also took the mobile device, according to police.
A verbal argument followed, as private security personnel escorted the woman out of the room and into a hallway, according to the police statement.
The alleged victim was then escorted from the property by Palms security staff due to the disturbance in the hallway, authorities said. She returned shortly afterward and reported the incident to the hotel.
“Detectives attempted to contact Mr. Brown in the hotel room, however they were not permitted entry, and it was later determined that he (had) already left the location prior to officers’ arrival,” the news release said.
As of Saturday evening, the Police Department “had not heard from” Brown regarding the episode, officials said. The investigation was ongoing.
A police report was filed for battery and theft, both misdemeanors, listing Brown as a suspect, according to authorities.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Brown described the woman’s allegations as “unequivocally untrue,” the Associated Press reported.
The woman “was escorted out of the private after-party at the Palms Casino Resort for being disruptive and out of control,” according to Brown’s publicist, Nicole Perna. “Once she was in the hallway, while waiting for Chris Brown’s security to bring out her phone, she had a total meltdown — throwing her purse to the ground and claiming that she ‘could buy everyone in the hotel’ — as witnessed by numerous people waiting to get into the party. The Palms Casino Resort security also saw her wild behavior via hotel security cameras and immediately came up to the hallway to escort her out of the hotel.”
“Her claim that she had her phone in her possession inside the after party and was able to take a photo causing an altercation with Chris Brown is a complete fabrication,” Perna said.
The multiplatinum recording artist pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2009 after attacking his then-girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna, in a vehicle in Hancock Park. The case culminated with Brown being sentenced to five years of probation, which ended in March.
