Singer Chris Brown arrested on Tampa warrant

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FOX 13) - Singer Chris Brown was arrested in Palm Beach County Thursday night stemming from an incident that occurred last year in Tampa.

Brown was performing in West Palm Beach on his Heartbreak On A Full Moon Tour. When he walked off the stage, he walked into the hands of waiting Palm Beach County deputies. He was arrested on a felony battery charge and booked into the county jail.

Tampa police said the charge stems from April 2017, when the 29-year-old entertainer was accused of punching a photographer at AJA Channelside in downtown Tampa. At the time, the victim, Bennie Vines, told police he was hired to take photos at an event. Brown was also at the club for a paid appearance. 

The victim told police that Brown was sitting hear him and motioned for him to move away. Police said Vines moved away but also attempted to explain to Brown that he was hired to take photos of the crowd. 

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According to Vines and witnesses, "Brown then approached Vines, assumed a fighting stance, and punched Vines' upper lip. Brown and his entourage then left the nightclub," according to a media release from Tampa police.

A warrant was issued for Brown's arrest in August 2017.

"When you have a warrant like that, if he comes back into town we would certainly execute the warrant and we were prepared to do that. But it happened in Palm Beach last night," said Steve Hegarty, a spokesperson for Tampa police, who explained why it took several months to make an arrest. "We're taking it very seriously, but it's like it's not a murder that we need to, for public safety, go to California or New York to bring him in."

Jail records showed Brown was arrested around 11 p.m. Thursday night, and released on a $2,000 bond within the hour. The 29-year-old entertainer's record of violence includes a guilty plea to felony assault for beating up his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 and a 2016 arrest on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Brown’s next tour stop is scheduled on Friday night at Tampa’s MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre. The venue announced Friday morning that the show will go on, and tour organizers tell FOX 13 that all future shows "are moving ahead as planned." Brown promised the same in a late Thursday night Instagram post.

Associated Press reporter Tamara Lush contributed to this report.