Singer and teen sensation Justin Bieber was stopped and cited for driving in a "reckless manner" on the busy 101 Freeway on Friday, the California Highway Patrol said.
The singer of "Boyfriend" and "Baby" was cited for driving in excess of 65 mph at about 10:45 a.m. Friday. The Highway patrol was notified of this after calls came in complaining of a freeway chase on southbound U.S. Highway 101 near Studio City.
"The second vehicle left the area and there's a search to find that driver," said Officer Ming Hsu of the California Highway Patrol.
Bieber told officers he was being chased by paparazzi, and investigators confirmed he was being followed by at least one vehicle, Hsu said.
The claim of a chase is backed by Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, who called authorities after seeing Bieber's distinctive chrome Fisker Karma being chased by five or six other cars, according to the Associated Press.
Zine, who spent 33 years in the Los Angeles Police Department and is a reserve officer, said he was headed downtown from the West Valley when he saw the silver sports car being chased by several cars.
"I didn't know it was Justin Bieber until later," Zine said. "He was going from the fast lane to the slow lane to the shoulder in traffic. It was a very dangerous driving situation. I figured someone was going to crash, so I called 911."
Zine said Bieber admitted to driving 80 mph. The councilman said he understands the problems celebrities have with paparazzi and sponsored a city law to curb the aggressive behavior. Still, he said, that's no excuse.
