Chris Brown was charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a valid license following an accident in the San Fernando Valley on May 21st. His arraignment is set for July 15th.
If convicted, the pop singer could face up to one year in jail, the Associated Press reports. Though the charges were filed by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, the county district attorney’s office will also be notified of the charges. That office, along with the court, will decide if these new misdemeanors will have any effect on the felony probation that Brown continues to serve after assaulting Rihanna in 2009.
Brown took to Twitter to refute these claims, saying he exchanged information with the other driver and that there was no damage to either car – even going so far as to use a photo he took at the scene of the accident as his profile picture. “NO damage,” he wrote. “Just a dirty car. once again, I gotta clear my name.”
Brown added: “She contacted the cops thinking of a payday from Chris Brown when I followed the proper procedures.”
If convicted, the hit-and-run would be yet another mark on Brown’s rap sheet, with other recent incidents including an outburst at a valet, a parking lot brawl with Frank Ocean and a fight with Drake in a New York nightclub. Los Angeles prosecutors recently used some of those incidents to claim that Brown violated the terms of his probation from the Rihanna case, and they also charged that Brown never completed his required community service.
Read Brown’s full Twitter defense below:
Source: RollingStone.com
