Fresh details have emerged about the circumstances surrounding Britney Spears’ arrest on Wednesday, March 4.
Reports surfaced yesterday claiming the ‘Womanizer’ singer had been detained in California on suspicion of DUI. She was later released and is expected to return to court in early May.
After the arrest became public, Spears’ representative addressed the situation in a statement, saying: “This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.
“Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
The spokesperson’s message, shared with E! News, continued: “Hopefully she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.
“Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing.”
A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has now outlined what allegedly happened before Spears was taken into custody.
According to the account given, Spears appeared to show signs consistent with impairment and took part in a series of field sobriety tests following a traffic stop.
The spokesperson said: “At approximately 8.48pm, a black BMW 430i was reported to the CHP’s Ventura Communications Centre for driving erratically at a high rate of speed on southbound US-101 near the Borchard Road exit in Newbury Park.”
Spears was reportedly the only person in the vehicle and was later arrested for “driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol”.
CHP said the matter remains under investigation and that chemical test results have not yet been finalized.
Jail records indicate the vehicle was impounded following the incident, according to BBC News.
The arrest comes after Spears recently posted online about feeling grateful to still be alive.
Last month, the 44-year-old wrote on Instagram: “I’m incredibly lucky to even be alive with how my family treated me once in my life and now I’m scared of them.”
“We can forgive as people but u don’t ever forget,” Spears added.
At the time of writing, the pop star’s Instagram page appeared to have been taken down.
Back in October, Spears shared a run of Instagram posts, including one that appeared to look back on how her 2018 rehab stay impacted her. The 19 October post featured an image of her on a horse, while the caption referenced her shoulder blades as ‘wings’ and included discussion of the storyline of 2014’s Maleficent.
As reported by People, the 44-year-old also described going through a ‘traumatic experience’ that she said she wrote about ‘at the end’ of her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, explaining that ‘for 4 months I no longer had my private door and illegally was forced to not use my feet or body to go anywhere’.
She later said she felt ‘like my wings were taken away and brain damage happened to me a long time ago 100 percent’. A separate post that same day also referenced a conversation she had with her grandfather before he died.
Earlier than that, Spears had uploaded videos of herself dancing and drinking from a teacup. Another post showed her wearing bandages on her wrists and legs, which she said was due to ‘falling down the stairs at my friend’s house’, adding: “It was horrible.”
These updates came as her ex Kevin Federaline was promoting his book, You Thought You Knew. In November, her account was deactivated.
Spears returned to Instagram on 7 November with a post reflecting on what she described as a turbulent year, writing: “So much has happened this year, it’s crazy … Get your ballerina [slippers], circle, and own your boundaries. It’s incredibly strict and somewhat of a form of prayer but with so many endless possibilities in life, it’s important to do you and keep it simple.”
In February, the BBC reported that Spears had sold her full music catalogue to the independent music publisher Primary Wave for around $2 million (£146m), with the deal said to have been completed on 30 December.
A source claim to The Hollywood Reporter alleged the sale covered rights connected to major tracks such as ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ and ‘Oops… I Did It Again’.
Spears has not publicly addressed the reported sale.
In a long Instagram post, Spears also said she would ‘never perform in the U.S.’, citing ‘extremely sensitive reasons’. She suggested she could still perform internationally, adding: “I hope to be sitting on a stool with a red rose in my hair, in a bun, performing with my son… in the UK and AUSTRALIA very soon.”
Spears last performed live in Las Vegas in December 2017.
TMZ reported on 5 March that the Crossroads actor had been granted a permanent restraining order against a man who, according to court filings, had allegedly harassed her online since 2013.
The outlet also reported that the 51-year-old was spotted by Spears’ security when he allegedly showed up at her home. Her guard reportedly contacted police and a deputy officer is said to have taken him into custody.
In the paperwork, Spears stated she did not know the man and had no relationship with him. The court reportedly ordered him to remain 100 yards away from her at all times.
On 5 March, it was reported that Spears had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Booking details published on the Ventura County Sheriff’s website list an arrest time of 9:28pm on 4 March, with booking taking place about five and a half hours later at 3am.
She was released the following morning and is scheduled to appear at Ventura County Superior Court on 4 May. After her release, she deactivated her Instagram account.