Chris Brown has been taken into custody by U.S. marshals in advance of his upcoming misdemeanor assault trial, an official told NBC News on Thursday, April 3. The singer will be transported to Washington, D.C., for pre-trial hearings later this week.
Brown, 24, has been in jail in L.A. since March 14, following his arrest in Malibu; prior to that, he was dismissed from a rehab center where he was receiving treatment for anger management, substance abuse, and issues related to bipolar disorder. He entered the facility following a fight last year in D.C., which violated the terms of his probation. (The musician was put on probation in 2009 in connection with his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.)
Per NBC, Brown now faces a misdemeanor assault charge for the D.C. altercation. He was arrested last October for allegedly punching a man outside the W Hotel after the man attempted to get in a photo with the star. The charge was initially filed as felony assault, but prosecutors knocked it down shortly after he was booked.
Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, attempted earlier this week to prevent his client from being transferred into federal custody, the Los Angeles Times reports, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Geragos claimed the transport would prevent him from being able to confer with Brown before the April 17 trial.
Brown could also face additional penalties in L.A., NBC News reported. He's due to return to California for a probation violation hearing stemming from his 2009 arrest.
