Chris Brown, the American R&B singer, has been arrested in the UK in connection with a 2023 nightclub bottle attack in London.
Detectives arrested the 36-year-old musician shortly after 2am at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester.
He was held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm to music producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair in February 2023.
Brown was arrested shortly after flying into Manchester Airport on a private jet on Wednesday afternoon, The Sun reported. The newspaper said it became aware of his presence in the UK and asked police if he was under arrest.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police subsequently arrested the musician at the five-star hotel on behalf of the Metropolitan Police.
A spokesman for the force said: “A 36-year-old man was arrested at a hotel in Manchester shortly after 02:00hrs on Thursday, May 1,5 on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
“He has been taken into custody where he remains. The arrest relates to an incident at a venue in Hanover Square on February 19, 2023.
“The investigation is being led by detectives from the Central West Area Basic Command Unit.”
Nightclub attack
Mr Diaw alleges R&B star Brown attacked him while the singer and his entourage were at a Dirty Martini club night held at the Tape nightclub.
He claims Brown smashed him over the head with a bottle and then punched and kicked him as he lay on the floor.
The producer previously told The Sun on Sunday: “He hit me over the head two or three times. My knee collapsed as well.”
Mr Diaw had to be taken to hospital, needing crutches to walk when he was discharged.
One man, who is staying at The Lowry but didn’t wish to be named, said he’d overheard staff discussing Brown’s arrest after police swooped on the five-star hotel.
“Apparently, the hotel wasn’t expecting the police to arrive when they did,” he said.
“And only a few guests seem to be aware of what happened last night.
“I’ve heard of Chris Brown and know he’s a singer but I didn’t even realise he was staying here.”
One hotel worker said she was “aware” of Brown’s arrest but said she didn’t wish to comment any further.
Brown is due to perform on 10 more dates in Britain next month, but the tour could be thrown into chaos by the police investigation.
During the tour, Brown was set to play two nights at the Co-Op Live stadium in Manchester before performing again at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff.
Then the singer hoped to perform a huge show at Tottenham Hotspur’s Stadium, in north London, before heading to Birmingham, Glasgow, and Dublin.
Brown has been contacted for comment.
Source: The Telegraph
