State Attorney Drops Charges Against Singer Chris Brown

TAMPA, FL — Just before Grammy-winning R&B singer Chris Brown is due to perform in Tampa, the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office has dropped felony battery charges against him.

The State Attorney's Office gave no reason for dropping the charges other than to say, “After a thorough review of the facts and information from the alleged victim, our office determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute."

Brown was attending an after-concert party at the now-closed Aja Channelside nightclub on Meridian Avenue around 1 a.m. April 17, 2017, when he became annoyed with club photographer Bennie L. Vines.

Vines told police that Brown was sitting near him and motioned to Vines to move away. Vines said he moved away and attempted to explain to Brown that he was hired to take pictures of the crowd.

Witnesses said Brown then approached Vines, assumed a fighting stance and punched Vines in the mouth, causing a small laceration to his upper lip. Vines declined medical treatment for his cut lip.
By the time police arrived at the club, Brown and his entourage had left and couldn't be located.
Nevertheless, the State Attorney's Office issued a warrant for Brown's arrest on Aug. 11, 2017, for third-degree felony battery.

It took more than a year for that warrant to be served. Brown was arrested by Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies following his June 5, 2018, concert at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released the next day on a $2,000 bond. Brown then headed to Tampa to perform his scheduled Friday night concert at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.

The State Attorney's actions mean Brown can head to Tampa Aug. 31 to perform at the Amalie Arena without a legal cloud hanging over him.

Brown will perform with hip-hop artists Tony Lanez, Ty Dolla Sign, Joyner Lucas and Yella Beezy at 6:30 p.m. as part of his Indigoat Tour, following the release of his ninth studio album, Indigo.

Since his 2005 debut, Brown has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has surpassed over 10 billion audio streams across digital outlets to date. Brown has won more than 125 awards including a Grammy Award for his album F.A.M.E. in 2011 and has amassed more than 7.5 billion YouTube views - including over 40 music videos that each have more than 100 million views, earning him the title of male artist with the most Vevo certified videos ever.

Brown has made more Billboard Hot 100 entries since the start of his career than any contemporary male singer alive to date, spending 160 consecutive weeks charting on the Hot 100.

His last album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, has been streamed over one billion times on Spotify and has been certified two-time platinum. The album spent more than a year on the Billboard Hot 200.

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