Chris Brown Is Being Investigated For Assault

Chris Brown is in the news again, and it's for the exact reason you were hoping it wouldn't be. On Saturday, the singer was investigated by police for battery and theft; according to People, a woman alleged that Brown injured her and took her cellphone after she attempted to take a photo with him at Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort, where the 26-year-old was celebrating New Year's Eve.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released a statement detailing how "the victim was alleged to have been battered by Brown, who at the same time took her cell phone. [...] A verbal altercation took place as the victim was escorted out of the room by private security and into the hallway." The woman was reportedly eventually escorted off the property by hotel security, but returned later that morning to report the alleged attack.

People reports that according to the Las Vegas police, detectives who arrived at Brown's hotel room were not allowed inside, and it was later determined that the singer had left the premises. The LVMPD maintains that they have yet to hear from him, and as said in the statement, "the investigation remains ongoing. A crime report has been taken for misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor battery listing Mr. Brown as a suspect."

In an Associated Press statement on behalf of Brown, publicist Nicole Perna called the alleged victim's claims "unequivocally untrue" and a "complete fabrication," claiming that the woman had a "total meltdown" and adding, "This seems like a clear case of retaliation for her bruised ego." Perna claimed to the AP:

"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."

Early Sunday morning, Brown himself seemingly commented on the matter, posting a photo of himself to Instagram along with the caption, "Keeping my circle small in 2016! I'm done taking the care of grown ass men. And I'm going to be hella rich after all the lawsuits I file from these crazy individuals who keep lying on my name."

It might not be his only statement on the investigation; celebrity site The Shade Room posted a bizarre video of Brown that appears to have been deleted from the singer's own Instagram page. In it, Brown alleges that the woman was "obviously looking to get a check or start some s**t":

The report is so troubling, especially considering Brown's history with domestic abuse. As of this writing, the Las Vegas investigation is still underway, with the police looking into Brown's involvement with the alleged victim and investigating the call the woman made reporting the alleged battery.