Chris Brown Detained on Rape, Drug Allegations

By Jem Aswad

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – UPDATED: Chris Brown has been detained by police in Paris on rape charges, according to multiple news reports.

A 24-year-old woman claims that the singer assaulted her in a hotel suite in the city on the night of January 15-16 at the club Le Crystal and then returned to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where she claims that he raped her, according to TMZ . According to the Associated Press , Brown was detained Monday on potential charges of aggravated rape and drug infractions and remained in custody Tuesday, a judicial official said. Investigators have two days to determine whether to free him or file preliminary charges. A Paris police spokesperson told Variety that Brown remained in custody (as of 12 p.m. ET, and that two other men — reported to be Brown’s bodyguard and another friend — were also detained.

French police are said to be investigating the woman’s claim; authorities declined to identify her. Reps for Brown and his label, RCA Records, did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment;  RCA announced it has signed a new deal with the singer on Jan. 7.

Brown, 29, has been involved in multiple violent incidents over the past decade, beginning with a February 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna  the night before the Grammy Awards, to which he  pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years’ probation and 1,400 hours of community service and counseling .

In 2017, a judge granted Brown’s former girlfriend Karrueche Tran a permanent restraining order against Brown after she claimed he had punched her, pushed her down stairs and sent threatening texts.

In 2012, his and Drake’s entourages were involved in a brawl in a New York nightclub in which eight people were injured. Also that year, Brown attended a party (dressed as an Islamic terrorist) where Rihanna was present, in violation of the restraining order she’d taken against him after the assault; separately, he threw a chair at a large window in a fit of anger after an interview on “Good Morning America” after interviewer Robin Roberts asked him about the incident.

The following year, he was arrested for felony assault in Washington D.C. after he and his bodyguard were involved in an altercation with two men outside a hotel, although the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor; he spent 36 hours in jail. Also that year, he and his entourage were involved in an incident with singer Frank Ocean in Los Angeles in which a member of Brown’s entourage allegedly punched and threatened Ocean, although no charges were brought; also in 2013, Brown’s probation was revoked after an alleged hit-and-run incident in Los Angeles. In October he entered a rehab facility but was ejected for violent behavior; the following month he was sentenced to three months at an anger-management treatment center.

The following March, he was  arrested after being ejected from a facility where a judge had ordered him to remain  after his 90-day treatment. In May was sent to jail and later sentenced to 131 days for probation violation; he was given an early release on June 2, 2014 but remained on probation.

The following January, his probation was revoked after he violated its terms by traveling outside Los Angeles county to for a private performance at a nightclub, where a fight during the performance resulted in gunfire and five people were shot.

In June of 2016, he was  sued by former manager Michael Guirguis on charges of assault and battery , and in August of 2016, he was  arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon  after a woman called police and said he had threatened her. An hours-long standoff with police ensued; Brown was arrested and released on $250,000 bail.

In April of 2017, he was accused of punching a photographer, although charges were not brought against him.

In July of last year, Brown was arrested in West Palm Beach, Fla. on a felony battery warrant, according to multiple news reports. The singer was led offstage in handcuffs at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach at around 11 p.m., according to the  Tampa Bay Times . He was booked and released less than an hour later after posting $2,000 bail.

Additional reporting by Elsa Keslassy.