Lauren Jauregui Was ‘Not Arrested’ For Weed At Dulles Airport
It was previously reported on Wednesday, Feb. 14, that Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui was arrested for marijuana possession at the airport. While the singer was certainly caught attempting to travel with the drug, she did not land herself into serious legal trouble as it was originally assumed.
Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui was reportedly charged with possession of marijuana on Tuesday while she was traveling at Washington Dulles International Airport, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson exclusively told People. However, in a statement given to the outlet, a lawyer for Fifth Harmony and Jauregui denies the previous reports that claimed she was arrested on Tuesday night.
“Lauren Jauregui was not arrested and detained as reported, but simply given a citing for possession of marijuana and released on her own recognizance,” Fifth Harmony’s attorney Dina LaPolt stated. “She will address the matter appropriately through the legal system. This will not interfere with any future scheduled performances or activities.”
The 20-year-old singer was released on a summons, the spokesperson said. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority would not give any detailed information about Jauregui’s arrest. TMZ was one of the outlets to claim that Jauregui was arrested when she attempted to board a flight at the Washington, D.C.-area airport when she was stopped at the TSA checkpoint and searched. TSA officers reportedly found a bag of marijuana inside Jauregui’s carry-on luggage, and TMZ reported that she was arrested inside the terminal.
As soon as the new broke, Fifth Harmony’s fans made #FreeLauren trend on Twitter throughout most of Tuesday afternoon. Jauregui’s attorney quickly settled the rumor and told TMZ that the singer was not arrested or detained. Her attorney gave the same statement to the celebrity gossip blog. It is unclear where Jauregui was flying, but the girl group tweeted that they were headed “back to Brazil for @vevo_brasil Fun Pop Festival” on Tuesday.
The band said that the performance would be live streamed on Vevo.com on Wednesday, Dec. 14, but Jauregui was noticeably absent. Fifth Harmony is also scheduled to perform at Power 96.1’s Jingle Ball in Atlanta this coming Friday. According to a report via E! News, Jauregui has also reportedly apologized to their Brazilian fans for missing Fifth Harmony’s concert due to her legal troubles.
She took to Twitter on Thursday morning (Dec. 15) to apologize for missing the group’s scheduled concert in Saõ Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday. Jauregui posted her message in Portuguese, which was translated by the news outlet.
“My dear Brazilian harmonizers, I’m sorry I couldn’t see you all,” she started the statement. “I didn’t get on the plane on time and because of this I had to go to Atlanta. I promise you I’m going to do everything for you because I love each of you with all my heart. I’m sorry.”
Her fellow members, Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello, Dinah Jane, and Normani Kordei, haven’t commented on Jauregui’s incident, but they did take to Twitter to thank their Brazilian fans who attended their concert. Jauregui did not take to Twitter to talk about her citation, but she has been using Twitter to educate her fans on the genocide in Aleppo, Syria, reports Revelist.com. She urged her fans to become more informed on what’s going on overseas.
“My heart goes out to every innocent man, woman, and child that has had their life turn to terror because of greedy men’s quest for legacy,” Jauregui reportedly tweeted. “Life imitates art, America has become a reality TV show..that happens to be the super power of the ‘free world’ lol.”
“Read what I just retweeted,” she further added. “READ about the people who have been labeled terrorists..what they’re enduring while we eat our daily bread.”
The Cuban-American singer wrote these tweets shortly after she penned an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump and came out as bisexual on social media.
[Featured Image by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for iHeartMedia]
