Justin Bieber is pictured at the police station in Miami Beach, Fla. on Jan. 23, 2014. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday to determine whether Justin Bieber will be tried on charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, HO, Miami Beach Police Dept.The Associated Press
Justin Bieber has pleaded guilty to misdemeanour careless driving and resisting arrest charges seven months after his arrest in Miami Beach following what police initially called an illegal street drag race.
The 20-year-old pop star's plea deal with prosecutors, detailed at a Wednesday hearing, includes a 12-hour anger management course, a $50,000 charitable contribution and court fines. The deal allows Bieber to avoid a driving under the influence conviction.
Bieber was not present at the hearing before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge William Altfield.
Bieber and R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff were arrested Jan. 23 while driving exotic sports cars along a quiet residential street. Breath tests found Bieber's blood alcohol level below the limit for underage drivers, but urine tests revealed the presence of marijuana and an anti-anxiety drug.
In July, Bieber resolved another criminal case by pleading no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbour's house in Los Angeles. In that case, Bieber agreed to pay more than $80,000 in damages and meet a number of other conditions.
Bieber is also charged in Toronto with assaulting a limousine driver in late December. His lawyers have said he is not guilty in that case.
Also in Miami, Bieber is being sued by a photographer who says he was roughed up while snapping pictures of the singer outside a recording studio.
The Canadian-born Bieber shot to stardom at age 15, with his career overseen by two music industry heavyweights, singer Usher and manager Scooter Braun, after initially gaining notice through YouTube videos. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his 2010 full-length album debut "My World 2.0."