Usher In Panama To Talk Some Sense Into Justin Bieber
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – You may call this an intervention of sorts.
Usher has flown to Panama to talk some sense into pop singer Justin Bieber days after his Miami Beach hijinks made national and international headlines, according to TMZ.com.
According to the celeb site Usher, who was a mentor to the Biebs, flew down to have a serious talk with him on the heels of his arrest. Also present were Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and his childhood friend Ryan Butler, according to the website.
Bieber left South Florida last Friday amid a crowd of screaming fans. While it was not known where he was headed at the time, he was photographed Saturday walking on the beach of Punta Chame, Panama.
Court documents show an automatically generated hearing date for Bieber was set in a Miami-Dade courtroom for Monday, January 27th. However, Bieber is not expected to be there and a future hearing date is likely to be scheduled.
CBS4 reporter Maggie Newland was first to show the world the surveillance video that captured the alleged race with rap artist and friend Khalil Sharieff down Pine Tree Drive on Miami Beach.
WATCH: First on CBS4 Surveillance Video Shows Alleged Bieber Drag Race
Moments before Justin Bieber was arrested, the home surveillance video showed a yellow Lamborghini traveling down Pine Tree Drive on Miami Beach with a black Cadillac Escalade next to it.
Just behind, a red Ferrari followed by another black Cadillac Escalade and five seconds later, a Miami Beach police car. Police said Justin Bieber was behind the wheel of a yellow Lamborghini drag racing his friend and fellow recording artist Khalil Sharieff in the red Ferrari.
About 4 o'clock Thursday morning, Bieber's entourage in black Escalades allegedly blocked traffic for the race.
Bieber was accused of DUI, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest. Police said he admitted smoking marijuana, taking prescription drugs and drinking alcohol before speeding between 55-60 miles per hour down Pine Tree Drive where the posted speed limit is 30.
Just one hour after facing a judge, the pop star walked out of jail on $2,500 bond. Bieber jumped on the top of a black Cadillac Escalade and waved before he was chauffeured away.
READ: Justin Bieber Released From Jail After Miami Beach Arrest
CBS4's Gaby Fleischman asked Juan Carlos Garces, a paparazzo who was waiting outside the Orchid House Thursday night, if he thinks Bieber is spiraling out of control.
"I think he's going through what everyone goes through which is the learning process of life and he has to pay the price, but he really must consider that a lot of people love and look up to him," said Garces.
CLICK HERE to read the Arrest Affidavit from Miami Beach Police
As a result of the charges, Bieber could automatically lose his license for a year and he could face a fine up to $1000 and 50 hours of community service. The ramifications for his career are less clear. There have been plenty of music stars who have been entwined in far more serious legal trouble or scandal, and have rebounded thanks to the power of a hit single and/or an image makeover.
While his fan base may be dwindling, he still has key support from those in the music industry,
"I don't know Justin and I don't know what he's involved in. All I know is if drugs are involved and I hope they are not, they're lethal," music mogul Clive Davis said in an interview Thursday after Bieber's arrest. "He's a young man with strong talent that has really found an audience, so I'm sure we wish him well."
