FILE
- This June 25, 2014 file photo shows singer Chris Brown arriving at
the D.C. Superior Court in Washington. Brown is scheduled to appear in a
District of Columbia court for what would be a third attempt at a plea
deal to resolve an assault case that dates to October 2013. According to
court filings, Brown was scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on
Friday for a plea hearing but was unable due to travel issues. The
hearing was rescheduled for Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chris
Brown pleaded guilty on Tuesday to punching a man in the face outside a
Washington hotel, an assault that occurred while the singer was on
probation for attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown pleaded
guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to time served. He spent
two days in a District of Columbia jail in the case, one that further
tarnished the image of the Grammy-winning singer.
Brown, 25,
admitted that he hit a man who tried to get in a picture the singer was
taking with two women outside the W hotel a few blocks from the White
House last October. The victim, Parker Adams, suffered a broken nose.
At
the time of the arrest, Brown was on probation in a felony assault case
for attacking pop star Rihanna hours before the 2009 Grammy awards. The
arrest led a judge in California to revoke his probation, and he was
ordered in May to serve an additional 131 days in jail. He was released
in June.
Brown's attorney,
Danny Onorato, argued that Brown had already suffered extensive
consequences from the Washington case, noting the additional jail time
in California and the four months he spent receiving inpatient
counseling. He said that Brown's career has been on hold for nearly a
year and that he wanted to take responsibility for his actions so he
could go back to work, including a tour in support of a new album.
"To say that he's been punished severely in this matter is an understatement," Onorato said.
Brown
spoke only briefly, saying: "I would like to say to the court that I'm
sorry." He did not comment as he left court, swarmed by photographers
and a handful of fans.
Brown
had previously pleaded not guilty in the case. A trial scheduled for
April was delayed, and two previous attempts to reach a plea deal fell
through. Onorato said there were "nuances" of difference in the
potential deals.
"As Chris
Brown himself has now finally acknowledged, he punched a man in the face
without provocation," U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen said in a statement.
"No matter your status or celebrity, you will be held accountable for
such conduct in our city."
Brown
had a squeaky-clean image before his attack on Rihanna, but since then
he has had several flare-ups that have been reported to authorities and
noted by Los Angeles prosecutors. Brown broke a window after a 2011
"Good Morning America" interview in New York and was accused of
snatching a woman's cellphone in Miami after she tried to snap pictures
of the singer. He was also slightly injured in a New York nightclub
brawl and, earlier this year, was accused of being involved in a
fistfight with Frank Ocean's entourage over a parking spot at a West
Hollywood recording studio.
He
was not charged in any of the incidents, but they have hurt his public
standing. Nonetheless, legions of fans, including many of his more than
13 million Twitter followers, continue to support him. Following the
hearing, he tweeted "#XTheAlbum," a reference to his new recording, due
out Sept. 16.
Onorato said his client has learned to "be more judicious" in his dealings with the public.
"He's
an incredibly talented and charismatic kid," Onorato said. "I think
he's misperceived a lot. He's a wonderful person, and I'm glad this is
behind him."
Brown's
bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, was convicted of misdemeanor assault in
April for his role in the same scuffle. He has not yet been sentenced.
The victim, Adams, has also filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Brown
and Hollosy.
By BEN NUCKOLS
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