Justin Bieber on Miami drink-drive charge after 'road racing'

Pop star Justin Bieber has appeared before a Miami court accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.

Police said the Canadian was arrested early on Thursday after racing his sports car on a Miami Beach street.
They said he did not co-operate when pulled over and also charged him with resisting arrest without violence and having an expired driving licence.
The 19-year-old singer was granted bail set at $2,500 (£1,500).

He had appeared before the judge via video-link from a Miami prison. He later left the jail escorted by officials and his personal entourage, before climbing on to the roof of a sports utility vehicle to wave to fans.
He has had several run-ins with police over the past year.

 

Justin Bieber waves after leaving the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami 

 

 

In the latest incident, police said the singer had been racing a yellow Lamborghini against another sports car in the early hours of Thursday.

The Miami Herald reported that members of the musician's entourage had apparently used their cars to block traffic on Pine Tree Drive at 26th Street, effectively creating a drag strip.
Miami-Dade Police said the star didn't co-operate with officers at first, questioning why he had been stopped. He also had an invalid Georgia driver's licence, they alleged.

The driver of the second car - a red Ferrari - was also arrested and both cars impounded, they said.
The other driver was later named as an R&B singer known as Khalil. He was also set bail by the court.
"During the investigation Mr Bieber made statements that he had consumed some alcohol, that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication," said Miami Beach police chief Raymond Martinez.
"They were starting from a stop position and they were accelerating to a high rate of speed, going almost double the speed limit... in that area."

The arrest report said the singer "had slow deliberate movements" and a look of "stupor" when the officer told him to step out of the Lamborghini.
The two men were first taken to Miami Beach police station and later transferred to a Miami-Dade County jail before their court appearance.

The street where police say Mr Bieber was racing is a residential area in mid-Miami Beach.

 

A Lamborghini, right, and a Ferrari were both impounded by Miami police

 

 

R&B singer Khalil was allegedly driving the red Ferrari

 

 

A police van believed to be carrying Justin Bieber arrived at a county jail

 

 

Small apartment buildings are along one side of the street and on the other side are a high school, a youth centre, a golf course and a fire station.

The arrest came a week after Mr Bieber's home in Los Angeles was searched by police following allegations he had thrown eggs at his neighbour's house.
He was accused of causing significant damage to the property. One member of his entourage was arrested for alleged drug possession following the search.

Last year, the singer was asked to remove graffiti he had left on the wall of a hotel in Australia. That came a month after he was charged in Brazil over a similar offence.

In 2012 he faced accusations of reckless driving, although prosecutors declined to press charges.

Justin Bieber lives in a gated community in Calabasas, about 30 miles north-west of central Los Angeles.

Elderly drivers should alert other motorists to their age - study recommends

 Survey of drivers by the AA found that almost half would leave more space in front and avoid tailgating if they were following a car driven by somebody elderly

 

 

Elderly drivers would be treated more considerately on the roads by alerting other motorists to their age, figures suggest.

A survey of drivers by the AA found that almost half would leave more space in front and avoid tailgating if they were following a car driven by somebody elderly.

The figure suggests that signs drawing attention to an “experienced” driver could have a similar effect to the “baby on board” stickers displayed by new parents.

Paul Green, of Saga insurance, said: “Anything that tries to encourage politeness on British roads should be welcomed. Driving bumper to bumper is a completely anti-social activity whether driving at 80 or 18.

“It is great that drivers want to show older people more courtesy on the roads, but it is quite alarming to think that people think it is perfectly OK to harass younger drivers.”

The Populus survey of 17,629 AA members found that 47 per cent said they tried to give older drivers a wider berth. Researchers found that the results differed little between age groups, suggesting that younger respondents were as considerate of another driver’s age as older ones.

The survey also found that 22 per cent of drivers would be more likely to give way to a classic car, but one in five said they would be less likely to yield to a 4x4 or a luxury car, with those in London having the least patience.

One in five also admitted to losing their cool while behind learner drivers. Motorists aged 18 to 24 were least tolerant of learners, with 31 per cent admitting to losing their patience, compared with 15 per cent of over-65s.

Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: “We’ve got a careless driving fixed penalty offence now, that was introduced last year, and technically you should be able to get a fine and penalty points for tailgating.
“Tailgating is one of the biggest dangers on the motorway — in many ways more dangerous than speeding. In all our surveys, along with the middle-lane-hog the tailgater comes out as one of the top pet hates.”

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Man, 20, who took dad’s BMW and crashed it into shop before fleeing was learning to drive, court hears

 

A 20-year-old man learning to drive sneaked into his dad s BMW and crashed it into a shop before he panicked and fled the scene, a court heard.

A 20-year-old man learning to drive sneaked into his dad’s BMW and crashed it into a shop before he “panicked” and fled the scene, a court heard.

Ashley Baker, of Sheldrake Drive, Ipswich, has been banned from driving for six months after damaging the front of a Premier Stores outlet in Greenfinch Avenue, on the town’s Chantry estate, at around 4am on October 6.

Magistrates heard the silver BMW, discovered around a mile away from the shop by police, was written off after it sustained “substantial damage”.
Baker pleaded guilty to five charges, including careless driving, before he was spared jail at South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Dino Barricella, mitigating for Baker, admitted the “temptation of driving a BMW” had “gotten the better” of his client.
“He was another young man learning to drive who decided for whatever reason to take the BMW,” he said.
“It was too powerful and he lost control at the scene. He panicked and fled. He knows it was wrong. He is genuinely sorry for his actions. His father has forgiven him.”

The court was told that Baker, currently claiming job seeker’s allowance, was taking driving lessons at the time of the accident.
Residents reported being awoken by a loud bang before police arrived on the scene and put a cordon in place.
Fire crews and workers from gas and electricity companies were also called due to a strong smell of gas.

Investigating officers originally believed the incident could have been an attempted ram raid.
Baker and a 44-year-old man were initially arrested on suspicion of burglary the morning after the incident but police later confirmed no burglary charges were to be brought and the 44-year-old told he faced no further action.

Baker pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving with no licence, driving without insurance and failing to stop/report a road traffic collision.
Prosecutor Ian Devine said there was “no suggestion” that the incident was an attempted ram raid.
“He has simply gone off the road (following) a poor piece of driving,” he said.
“He had no licence and had no insurance to drive.”
He said the front number plate of the BMW discovered at the scene and traces of DNA found on an airbag in the BMW led to the arrest of Baker.

The court was also told that the shop had sustained damage to its shutters at the front of the store.
In addition to disqualifying Baker from driving for six months, district judge Cecilia Dawson fined him a total of £160.
He must pay a £20 victim surcharge and was also ordered to pay £85 costs