Bieber traveled to
Toronto to be booked on the charge, which was to happen at a police
station later Wednesday, two sources with knowledge of the case told
CNN.
This is the 19-year-old pop star's second arrest in a week.
Bieber's representative sent a written statement to CNN on Wednesday night as the singer was inside the police station.
"The Toronto Police
Service requested that Justin Bieber appear in Toronto today to face an
allegation of assault relating to an incident on December 29, 2013," the
statement said. "We anticipate that this matter will be treated as a
summary offense, the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United States."
"Our position is that Mr.
Bieber is innocent," the representative said. "As the matter is now
before the court, it would be inappropriate to address the specifics of
either the allegation or of our defense at this time."
Bieber was briefly jailed
in Miami on January 23 after he was stopped by a police officer who
said he was drag racing in a residential street. He was booked on
charges of drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving with an expired
license.
Sheriff's detectives in
Los Angeles presented evidence this week to the district attorney in
their investigation of Bieber's alleged egg attack on a neighbor's house
three weeks ago. The prosecutor is expected to decide as early as next
week whether Bieber will be charged with felony vandalism for the
incident.
Police have not publicly
confirmed details of the case against Bieber, but Canada's CBC News
reported that Toronto Police were called to the area of Dundas Street
West and University Avenue on the evening of December 29 in response to
an alleged assault involving Bieber's limousine driver. At the time, it
was unclear if the incident was connected to Bieber or a member of his
entourage.
The singer had attended a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game at the Air Canada Centre earlier in the evening, according to the CBC.
Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, has posted messages on Twitter that appear to be related to Wednesday's arrest:
"for all those asking
@JeremyBieber and @pattiemallette love their son. Stop passing judgement
on a situation u dont understand. i ask people to be kind and hope for
the best in people. not assume the worst. thanks"
Bieber's latest criminal arrest came just an hour after the television debut of his newest video, for his song "Confident."
Egging investigation 'tightening up'
Detectives are "tightening up" their case against Bieber in his alleged egg attack on a neighbor's residence, an investigator said Tuesday.
The neighbor accused
Bieber of tossing eggs over a fence and onto the mansion next door on
January 9, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage.
A dozen Los Angeles
County Sheriff's deputies raided Bieber's $6.5 million home in the
exclusive Oaks community in Calabasas, California, two weeks ago, taking
the security video system as evidence.
A prosecutor reviewed
the security video Monday and asked detectives to do more investigation
before a decision is made about charging the pop star with felony
vandalism, according to Lt. David Thompson.
Detectives will likely
meet again with prosecutors in the Los Angeles County District
Attorney's office next week, Thompson said. The district attorney will
then decide if a charge will be filed against Bieber.
Miami arrest
Bieber's lawyer on
Wednesday entered a written plea of not guilty on behalf of Bieber for
charges he faces in Miami, according to the Miami Dade County court
docket. His attorney also requested a jury trial.
The plea means Bieber
will not have to return to Florida for formal arraignment on the DUI,
resisting arrest without violence, and driving on expired license
charges.
Although Breathalyzer
tests suggest Bieber was not too drunk to legally drive when he was
pulled over by Miami Beach police early on January 23, it could be two
or three weeks before tests are back from the lab that should give a
more accurate blood-alcohol reading and could tell if he was high on
marijuana.
Bieber blew .011 and
.014 in two Breathalyzer tests given to him at the police station,
according to a source with knowledge of the results. Florida's legal
limit for drivers under the drinking age of 21 is .02. The police report
said Bieber failed a field sobriety test given to him at the police
station. He admitted to drinking, using marijuana and taking
prescription pills, police said.
Although Bieber was not
charged with speeding, the arresting officer said it was his reason for
stopping Bieber and testing his sobriety.
The head of the exotic
car rental company that owns the yellow Lamborghini Bieber was driving
said on Saturday that the GPS tracking system in the high-performance
car indicated Bieber never exceeded 55 mph in the 15 minutes before the
stop.
The Breathalyzer tests and the GPS information could help Bieber lawyer Roy Black in his defense of the singer.
Bieber fled Miami late
on January 24, boarding a private jet for a flight to Panama City,
Panama. Paparazzi photos showed Bieber strolling along a beach on the
Pacific Ocean on Saturday, kicking a soccer ball while others
kite-surfed above the waves.
Other photos showed his
manager, Braun, and mentor Usher Raymond with Bieber at the Panama
resort. His representatives have been silent about the criminal charges,
declining to comment to CNN.