STRATFORD, Ont. - Justin Bieber's camp is pointing a finger of blame at the paparazzi for the Canadian pop star's latest run-in with the law in Canada.
Ontario Provincial Police said Bieber, 20, was arrested Friday and charged with dangerous driving and assault following a collision between a minivan and an ATV in a rural area northeast of Bieber's hometown of Stratford.
The driver of the ATV and an occupant of the minivan "engaged in a physical altercation," according to police.
Const. Kees Wijnands would not say whether Bieber was driving the ATV, but pictures posted online show the star and on-and-off girlfriend Selena Gomez riding on an ATV on Friday.
Wijnands said there were no injuries as a result of the collision, but couldn't say whether there were any injuries from the altercation.
"He attended our office and he was arrested," Wijnands said. Bieber was then released on a promise to appear in court Sept. 29.
In a statement emailed to The Canadian Press, Bieber's lawyer in Toronto indicated the paparazzi were involved but provided no details.
"Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's peaceful retreat in Stratford this weekend was unfortunately disrupted by the unwelcome presence of the paparazzi," said Brian Greenspan.
"This has regrettably resulted in charges of dangerous driving and assault. Mr. Bieber and Ms. Gomez have fully co-operated in the police investigation. We are hopeful that this matter will be quickly resolved."
Just a few days before the incident, Bieber's car was hit from behind by a vehicle driven by a photographer in Hollywood and the Grammy Award-nominated singer tweeted: "There should be laws against what I just experienced. We should have learned from the death of Princess Diana..."
He then tweeted: "... I don't have a problem with Paparazzi but when they act recklessly they put us all in danger."
This is Bieber's second brush with the law in Canada.
Early this year Toronto police charged him with assault, alleging he hit a driver several times in the back of the head after he and five others were picked up by a limousine in the early hours of Dec. 30.
There is a court hearing in that case scheduled for Sept. 8, but Greenspan said Bieber won't attend.
Bieber has also had legal woes in the United States and Germany.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanour charges of careless driving and resisting arrest seven months after his arrest in Miami Beach following what police initially called an illegal street drag race.
In July, Bieber pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbour's house in Los Angeles. He agreed to pay more than $80,000 in damages, meet a number of other conditions and was sentenced to two years' probation.
Bieber also settled a fine and paid for the costs of caring for a monkey he brought into Germany last year without the necessary papers, according to that country's authorities. The monkey was seized by customs and Bieber failed to claim the animal.
The monkey now lives in a zoo.
A look at some of Bieber's recent legal troubles:
Dec. 30, 2013: Police allege Bieber hit the driver several times in the back of the head after the pop star and five others were picked up by a limousine in Toronto on Dec. 30, 2013. Bieber has pleaded not guilty to assault.
Jan. 14, 2014: Police searched Bieber's home in Calabasas, Calif., and detectives later filed a search warrant following an egg-tossing incident which caused damage to a neighbour's home. In July, Bieber pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge and was ordered to pay nearly $81,000 in damages and to serve two years' probation. The singer was also ordered to complete five days of community labour and a 12-week anger-management program. Bieber has since moved from Calabasas into a Beverly Hills condo.
Jan. 23, 2014: Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach after what police described as an illegal street race involving the pop star and a friend. Neither was charged with drag racing, but Bieber was charged with resisting arrest after a profanity-laced tirade against police officers. Urine tests also revealed the presence of marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system. In August, Bieber pleaded guilty to charges of careless driving and resisting arrest. A plea deal struck with prosecutors included a 12-hour anger management course, a $50,000 charitable contribution already made to a local children's organization and a $500 fine.
Aug. 20, 2014: A lawsuit filed by paparazzo Aja Oxman alleged Bieber ordered his bodyguard, Dwayne Patterson, to take a memory card after the photographer snapped photos of the pop singer on a Hawaiian beach in November of 2013. The suit also alleged Patterson placed Oxman in a chokehold and seriously injured him and damaged his camera. The photographer is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $25,000 for assault and battery, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Bieber wasn't arrested and no charges were filed against him due to a lack of evidence that he ordered Patterson to attack Oxman.
Aug. 29, 2014: Bieber was arrested and charged with dangerous driving and assault after a collision between a minivan and an ATV in a rural area northeast of his hometown of Stratford, Ont. A lawyer for the pop star said Bieber's "peaceful retreat" with Selena Gomez — the singer's on-again, off-again girlfriend — was "unfortunately disrupted by the unwelcome presence of the paparazzi" whom he said was involved in the incident. Bieber is to appear in a Stratford court on Sept. 29.
