Singer Justin Bieber (C) arrives late for the premiere of the film "After Earth" in New York May 29, 2013.CARLO ALLEGRI/Reuters
Did Justin Bieber's bodyguard really use a gun to threaten a photographer and steal the memory card from his camera last week in Miami?
That's the bold claim being made by photographer Jeffrey Binion. According to TMZ, Binion filed a report with police claiming Bieber's bodyguards attacked him when he tried to snap pictures of the singer outside Miami's Hit Factory last week.
Now Binion has filed a lawsuit against Bieber and his bodyguard, Hugo Hesny, asserting that the Canadian pop star orchestrated the attack. The suit claims Hesny, at Bieber's directive, threw Binion up against the wall and "displayed a gun" (holstered under his shirt), while Bieber and his other bodyguards removed the memory card from his camera.
Binion says he suffered bodily injury, pain and suffering and mental anguish from the incident and incurred an undisclosed amount of medical expenses.
Binion's lawyer, Russell S. Adler, told TMZ: "Justin Bieber is now an adult, and he should act like one. He needs to learn that he cannot use bodyguards as weapons to harm innocent people. Bieber's violent behavior toward photographers must end, and he should take responsibility for his actions."
Without revealing the source of his information, Adler also claimed Hesny was not legally licensed to work as a bodyguard in Florida and does not hold a valid permit to carry a concealed weapon in the sunshine state.
Bieber and his security team have recently been involved in four separate incidents, three last week in Miami and one last weekend in Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, Bieber and his entourage were allegedly at a hookah lounge in Hollywood when a patron–not a paparazzo–tried to take a picture of the singer. One of Bieber's bodyguards tried to stop the picture-taker and a scuffle allegedly ensued. TMZ claims the LAPD have opened a misdemeanor battery investigation into the incident.