MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — When he debuted five years ago, Justin Bieber was a mop-haired heartthrob, but a series of troubling incidents have put his innocent image at risk, and none more so than his arrest on DUI charges Thursday.
Police say they arrested a bleary-eyed Bieber, smelling of alcohol, after officers saw him drag-racing before dawn on a residential street, his yellow Lamborghini traveling at 55 to 60 mph in a 30 mph zone.
The 19-year-old singer later admitted smoking marijuana, drinking and taking a prescription medication, police say. Unlike previous episodes, this arrest has him facing potential jail time.
Bieber was charged with DUI, driving with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence. He was arrested with R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff, after police say they raced two luxury vehicles down the street at 4:09 a.m., with two other vehicles apparently being used to block off the area.
“I think this case will proceed hopefully as any other case would proceed,” said Bieber’s attorney, Roy Black, whose other celebrity clients have included Rush Limbaugh and William Kennedy Smith.
A Miami-Dade County judge set Bieber’s bond at $2,500 on Thursday afternoon. Bieber left jail about an hour after court.
