Justin Bieber will plead guilty to lesser charges stemming from his arrest in South Florida in what police initially described as an illegal street drag race, two people directly involved in the case told AP on Tuesday.
The two people said the 20-year-old pop star would plead guilty to misdemeanour careless driving and resisting arrest without violence charges, rather than the original driving under the influence charge. Bieber will also agree to take an anger management course and make a $50,000 (Dh183,652) charitable donation, in addition to paying court-ordered fines.
The two people insisted on anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly before a Wednesday court hearing. Bieber is not expected to attend the hearing. The Miami Herald first reported the plea deal.
Bieber was arrested early on January 23 in Miami Beach after what police described as an illegal street race between Bieber’s rented Lamborghini and a Ferrari driven by R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff. Neither was charged with drag racing and there was little evidence they were even exceeding posted speed limits.
Alcohol breath tests found Bieber’s level below the 0.02 limit for underage drivers, but urine tests showed the presence of marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system. Bieber was also charged with resisting arrest after a profanity-laced tirade against police officers, as well as driving on an expired licence.
Egg throwing case
In July, Bieber resolved another criminal case by pleading no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbour’s house in Los Angeles. In that case, Bieber agreed to pay more than $80,000 in damages and meet a number of other conditions.
Bieber is also charged in Toronto with assaulting a limousine driver in late December. His lawyers have said he is not guilty in that case.
Also in Miami, Bieber is being sued by a photographer who says he was roughed up while snapping pictures of the singer outside a recording studio.
The Canadian-born Bieber shot to stardom at age 15, with his career overseen by two music industry heavyweights, singer Usher and manager Scooter Braun, after initially gaining notice through YouTube videos. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his 2010 full-length album debut My World 2.0, but his popularity has begun to wane.
