Justin Bieber charged with assault in Toronto

MONTREAL, Canada (UPDATED) – Canadian police charged pop star Justin Bieber on Wednesday, January 29, with the December assault of a limousine driver, shortly after the 19-year-old had turned himself in.

The young heartthrob will go before court on March 10, Toronto police said in a statement that came out just over two hours after he had handed himself in, amid chaotic scenes.

The pop star arrived at a Canadian police station Wednesday, and in images broadcast on television, the singer was seen entering the station in Toronto escorted by officers through a crowd of screaming fans.

CTV television said Bieber had been to the city on December 29 and was returning from a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game when police were called to intervene in an altercation with the driver of a limousine he had ridden with his entourage.

The charges mark the latest setback for the 19-year-old heartthrob after his Los Angeles home was searched because he allegedly threw eggs at his neighbor’s house, and his arrest in Miami Beach on January 23 for drag racing and impaired driving.

Bieber said he was not guilty of the charges filed against him in Florida last week – including drunk driving, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.

In a filing by the pop star’s attorneys to a Miami court, Bieber formally rejected the charges.

(READ: Justin Bieber, dad, manager tweet after star’s arrest)

The White House, meanwhile, was asked to weigh in on Bieber’s bad behavior after it received a petition with more than 100,000 signatures calling for the Canadian-born singer to be deported. – Rappler.com

Justin Bieber photo from Shutterstock