Many are saying that this is the case with 19-year-old singer Chris Brown, who was arrested this past weekend for alleged domestic violence and felony battery against his girlfriend, 20-year-old Barbados-born singer Rihanna. The incident led to the cancellation of both their Grammy performances Sunday.
Brown was raised surrounded by domestic violence; his stepfather allegedly abused his mother. Ironically, in 2006, Brown told MTV the abuse was "an influence in me about how to treat a woman." He also stated, "I used to always feel the hate for anybody that disrespected a lady."
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Brown pulled over the car in L.A.'s Hancock Park neighborhood and an upset Rihanna is said to have tossed the keys out the window. A source "close to the investigation" who spoke with E! News said Brown responded by choking and threatening to kill the pop diva before she lost consciousness.
A neighbor, hearing a woman's screams, made a call to 911 and the police arrived to find an injured Rihanna left alone at the scene. They took photos to document the singer's injuries, which are described as "horrific" -- major contusions on both sides of the singer's face, a black eye, a split lip, bloody nose and bite marks on one of her arms and on several fingers [via TMZ.com].
She was then taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment and Brown later turned himself in to the LAPD and was charged with making a criminal threat. He was released on $50,000