If Justin Bieber was looking to shift focus away from his abrupt and controversial tour cancelation…
… this was one way to do it, we guess.
The singer hit a member of the paparazzi with his car on Thursday night.
According to People Magazine, Bieber was leaving City Church just before 9:30 p.m. when he encountered a number of photographers at the end of the building’s driveway.
“He tried to scare away the paparazzi but as he neared the group, he accidentally hit one of the photographers who was in his path,” a source tells the publication.
It’s unclear what this individual means by saying Bieber was attempting to frighten the gaggle of onlookers.
Did he simply gun the engine? Did he make a sudden and quick move with his vehicle?
Pictures snapped at the scene depict Bieber getting out of his car and checking on the victim, with TMZ reporting he remained by the man’s side for about eight to 10 minutes.
He didn’t leave until paramedics arrived on the scene.
TMZ also claims that the right side tire on Bieber’s truck very clearly rolled over the unnamed paparazzo.
He suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be just fine.
Bieber, meanwhile, spoke briefly to police before getting a ride home with a friend.
Someone else close to the artist drove his truck home.
This has been quite the week for Justin Bieber.
As previously mentioned and reported, he pulled the plug on his Purpose World Tour with just 14 dates remaining.
Insiders initially alleged Bieber was simply tired and needed a break, but multiple follow-up reports have actually pointed to Bieber’s growing affiliation with Hillsong Church.
Sources have said Bieber has become very close with the organization’s founder, Carl Lentz, and a series of recent discussions convinced Justin that he should not be playing concerts at the moment.
The church leader did not encourage Bieber to arrive at this decision; he made it on his own, for mostly unclear reasons.
Various crew members are allegedly “pissed” at Bieber because the tour ending means they’re out of work.
Fans, meanwhile, are wondering whether Bieber is done with music completely as a result of this religious awakening.
“He’s becoming the Tom Cruise of that church,” an insider told TMZ this week of the creepy relationship between Bieber and Lentz.
The superstar also has a rather shoddy driving history.
Most notably, Justin was arrested in early 2014 on suspicion of DUI, but he’s also been cited for reckless driving on multiple occasions over the years.
In this case, it sounds like an accident. And it sounds like the paparazzi must be partly to blame if they really did make it difficult for Bieber to maneuver around them.
But still.
We’re not saying Bieber hit anyone on purpose.
It simply remains hard to give Justin the benefit of almost any doubt at this point.
