Paparazzo That Chased Justin Bieber May Face Criminal Charges

The paparazzo who allegedly chased Justin Bieber down the Los Angeles freeway, prompting the teen pop star to drive at high rates of speed, may be facing criminal charges himself. TMZ reports the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has finished its investigation of the Bieber speeding incident and submitted the file to the Los Angeles City Attorney Frank Matelja for review.

A TMZ law enforcement source claims the CHP is recommending the photographer be prosecuted. If the L.A. City Attorney does decide to move forward with the Justin Bieber paparazzo case, he could levy charges of reckless endangerment against the celebrity photographer. The Los Angeles City Attorney is authorized to prosecute misdemeanors. If convicted on reckless endangerment charges the Justin Bieber photographer could face up to 6 months in jail.

Witnesses to the Justin Bieber chase and the singer’s subsequent speeding ticket noted the cars involved were driving at close to 100 mph. Bieber filed a harassment complaint against one of the photographers who allegedly chased him down the freeway, claiming the man “was a maniac” and put “several lives in danger,” TMZ reports. Some of the paparazzi following Justin Bieber allegedly drove along the shoulder on the freeway to keep up with the speeding teen heart-throb.

CHP officers cited Justin Bieber for speeding when they caught up with him. Bieber was able to read the license plate of the paparazzi which he felt was most aggressive and gave the number to the police officers when filing the complaint. Ironically, when police offices visited a recording studio where Bieber was working to take his statement, the photographer at the heart of the complaint was outside waiting to capture a glimpse the singer with his camera – so police officers took a statement about the incident from the accused as well.