Justin Bieber: ‘Virtually Certain’ Won’t Be Prosecuted Over Alleged Reckless Driving
Justin Bieber is reportedly unlikely to face prosecution in an ongoing reckless driving investigation.
The 19-year-old is accused of driving his white Ferrari at high speeds in his Calabasas, California, neighborhood over Memorial Day Weekend.
Despite initial reports that two witnesses claimed to have seen Bieber behind the wheel of his car while driving on the road, it has since transpired that one of those witnesses — ex-NFL star player Keyshawn Johnson — only saw the pop star in the driver’s seat in the driveway of his home.
A security video sourced from a camera on Bieber’s property was given to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by the singer’s legal team. It confirmed that Johnson — who had followed the Ferrari to Bieber’s house in his Prius after it allegedly sped past him on the road — only arrived when the Canadian was parking his car in his garage.
Before Johnson arrived, the video footage showed Bieber riding his motorcycle behind the Ferrari which was being driven by Tyler, The Creator, a rapper and friend of the singer.
From the Los Angeles Times:
“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials say the video shows the Ferrari in the driveway with another driver and Bieber getting off a motorcycle, then getting into the sports car and parking it. The video reveals nothing about the car’s drive around the neighborhood, authorities said.”
“Shortly after Bieber entered the garage, former USC and NFL star Keyshawn Johnson arrived to confront Bieber for allegedly speeding in local streets with children present.”
In addition, after an online video of Johnson ranting about Bieber to TMZ surfaced, Tyler (formal name, Tyler Gregory Okonma) publicly claimed responsibility for driving the Ferrari in a June 1 statement posted to his Twitter account.
Despite Tyler’s admission, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department have referred their findings to the District Attorney’s office with Bieber still named as the subject of the investigation, TMZ reports.
However, the website revealed law enforcement sources said it’s “virtually certain” the D.A. will not prosecute Bieber because there’s only one witness claiming to have seen the singer driving on the road, since Johnson only saw the teen star in the driveway.
Bieber’s camp has always maintained that Bieber was not driving his Ferrari at the disputed time in question, but had ridden his motorcycle and only got into the driver’s seat to park the car once he arrived at his house.
TMZ’s sources also said the video clearly showed Tyler in the driver’s seat of the Ferrari when it first arrived at Bieber’s house. A decision about whether Tyler will be prosecuted remains unclear, although the website claims he will not.
As IQ previously reported, the key questions in the case are:
1: At what point in the journey the two witnesses claim they saw Bieber behind the wheel, and how clearly — given the “up to 100 mph” speeds they claimed the Ferrari was traveling at.
2: Given that Johnson himself previously dismissed the idea that Bieber switched seats with Tyler in the driveway, why would it now be likely that the singer switched transports with Okonma at some point in the journey to his house?
In a upscale area like Calabasas it’s likely most, if not all, residences would have security cameras installed. If such a switch took place (in Calabasas), one of those cameras should have been able to capture it along the Ferrari’s route.
Further, it could only be assumed that Bieber and Tyler switched transports if they knew they were being followed by Johnson. And if that was the case, clearly Johnson would have seen that take place.
3: After Okonma stated that he was driving the Ferrari, it could be argued that it’s unlikely he would falsely admit to a liability that may incur the full weight of the law being brought against him.
4: Although the security video footage doesn’t reveal the entirety of the Ferrari’s journey, that in itself is not evidence that the car was driven by Bieber.
6: For L.A.authorities, the onus of proving that Bieber actively carried out an act of deception and got out of the driver’s seat of his Ferrari then rode his motorcycle onto his driveway in order to fool Johnson, needed to be beyond a reasonable doubt.
It would appear that has not been established in this alleged reckless driving case.
Bieber has also recently cleared from an investigation by L.A police into an alleged hit and run of a paparazzo outside the Laugh Factory in Hollywood on Monday night, after it was determined that no crime had been committed.
The investigation is still ongoing and is reportedly now focused on the photographer’s own role in the incident, due to his decision to stand in the road despite requests to move.
