Britney Spears brought up a fatal, decades-old accident involving her mother, Lynne Spears, during her DUI arrest in March, according to newly released police footage.
After an officer warned Britney, 44, that it was “extremely dangerous to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both,” she replied, “Yes, sir, I know. My mom actually killed a man on a bike, but I never did that before,” as seen in a video published by TMZ on Thursday, May 21.
The cop tried to continue his spiel, but Britney interrupted to add, “And nothing happened to her! … Why didn’t they arrest her? How come my mom got away with everything?”
In 1975, Lynne fatally struck a 12-year-old boy, Anthony Winters, while rushing her injured brother, Sonny Bridges, to a hospital in Kentwood, Louisiana.
“The roads were slick with rain, and as I was rounding the curve, an oncoming car was coming in the left lane,” she recalled in her 2008 memoir, Through the Storm. “In a split second I could see two young boys riding their bikes on the road. In that flash of time, I had a sick sensation that I would hit one of them, that it would be impossible not to, as I knew my car would not stop, no matter how hard I slammed on the brakes. One boy managed to get his bike out of the way, but his friend, a 12-year-old boy whose house was right by the scene of the accident, was hit.”
Lynne, now 71, did not face charges for the incident.
In 2019, Anthony’s mother, Yvonne Winters, claimed Lynne had never personally apologized to her, though she did extend some grace to the Spears matriarch.
“She’s never been in touch with me,” Yvonne told Radar Online. “It was an accident. It was a terrible situation, but it was an accident, and accidents can happen to anyone.”
The footage of Britney discussing the tragedy surfaced on Thursday as police released more information about her March 4 arrest.
In a report exclusively obtained by Us Weekly, officers noted that the Princess of Pop had spoken “nonsensically” during their investigation and admitted to drinking a mimosa and taking medications, including Prozac and Adderall, earlier that day.
“I could probably drink four bottles of wine and take care of you. I’m an angel,” she told one cop, according to the report.
Britney, who has a history of mental health and substance abuse issues, spent the night in jail before going to rehab the following month. She checked out of the facility just a few weeks later.
On May 4, the “Toxic” singer pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. She was sentenced to 12 months of probation and ordered to complete a DUI class in addition to seeing a psychologist once a week and a psychiatrist twice a month.
“Through her plea today, Britney has accepted responsibility for her conduct,” her lawyer, Michael Goldstein, said in a statement to Us at the time. “She has taken significant steps to implement positive change, which is clearly reflected in the Ventura County District Attorney’s decision to reduce the charge in this case and dismiss the DUI. Britney appreciates this discretion and is also grateful for the outpouring of support she has received.”
