calculate ailey: Justin Bieber's Bodyguard Scuffles With Paparazzo At LAX

Altercation occurred when photographer refused to stop snapping shots of Bieber, who was at airport to pick up family.
By Jocelyn Vena

Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty Images

Justin Bieber's bodyguard got into a scuffle with a paparazzo at LAX airport on Monday. According to reports, the bodyguard intervened when the photographer refused to stop snapping the pop star's photo.

"Today at approximately 2:15 p.m., Los Angeles Airport Police observed what appeared to be a crowd control incident at Terminal 4 on the upper departures level involving Justin Bieber. An investigation revealed an altercation occurred between an unnamed body guard (victim) and a photographer (paparazzi) at the location," a Los Angeles Airport Police official told E! News about the incident.

In the same statement, the police official explained that the paparazzo was ultimately detained by officials. "[The] twenty-one-year-old ... photographer, a resident of Van Nuys, Calif., was arrested and transported to the Airport Police Station for pre-booking procedures," the statement reads. "He was later transported to the LAPD Pacific Division Jail and booked for California Penal Code Section 245 — Assault with a Deadly Weapon — a felony."

In footage obtained by TMZ, the photographer and Bieber's bodyguard are seen tussling with each other before the bodyguard punches him in the face. Later on, officials arrived and handcuffed the photographer.

Bieber was at the airport picking up his family. He tweeted about meeting up with them, but never mentioned the incident. "I have my family with me...been a while. BEST FEELING. I love being a BIG BROTHER! #FAMILY," he wrote.

Bieber recently tweeted about another incident that took place at an airport. When it was reported that he had ignored his fans, he wanted to clarify that that's not what happened. "The other day in the airport i got surrounded by 20 paps. I dont like small spaces and i just wanted to get on the plane. I ran to get thru the gate and there is a video of me running by fans and on the other side you dont see the 20 paps. I would never run by my fans... and for those that i did pass that day I AM SORRY. I know my fans are my everything. I know my responsibility to them. I LOVE MY BELIEBERS," he said of the incident, which took place in late January.

"So as i get older i know i will learn to deal with these things better and better just still learning," he added. "Still human. just had to get that out."

Bieber has always had an interesting relationship with the paps. In March 2011, he gave them the middle finger after being surrounded by photographers following a birthday dinner with his girlfriend, Selena Gomez. He later apologized for the incident.

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