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Chris Brown ordered booked on hit and run charge

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By Alan Duke

CNN

LOS ANGELES (CNN) — Two charges against Chris Brown were dropped Tuesday, but the singer is still accused of hit and run after a minor traffic crash.

Brown’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a judge ordered him to show up at a sheriff’s station within a week to be officially booked on the charge, according to a court spokesman.

The prosecutor dismissed charges of driving without a license and driving without proof of insurance during a hearing Tuesday in a Van Nuys, California, court.

Brown allegedly sped away from the accident scene in May after a confrontation with the driver of another car, having refusing to provide his name, driver’s license and insurance information.

The hit and run charge threatens Brown’s freedom since it led a judge to revoke his probation last week in connection with his conviction in the beating of his girlfriend, Rihanna. The judge allowed Brown to remain free until a trial is held.

A Brown representative said last week that the singer expected all of the charges to be dropped and probation reinstated this week.

Brown, 24, was already facing a probation violation trial after prosecutors accused him of not completing the community labor ordered for his 2009 felony assault conviction.

Brown was ordered to return to court on August 16 for a hearing to set a trial date to determine if the probation revocation will stand. If it does, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Brandlin could order Brown to jail to serve part of the original five-year jail sentence imposed for the attack on Rihanna.

A woman whose Mercedes was allegedly rear-ended by a Range Rover that Brown was driving on a Los Angeles street told investigators that he “went ballistic” after the traffic accident and screamed at her.

According to the police report on the incident, the other driver, Olga Gure, quoted Brown as shouting at her: “You are a b—h!”

The report added more from Gure, who quoted Brown as saying, “Who do you think you are, b—h? Do you think if you driving Mercedes so got money, b—h? Do you think I am just a black n—-r? I got more money than you, b—h!”

The trigger for Brown’s alleged rage was that Gure took a photo of him and his girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, to document the scene — since he allegedly refused to show her his driver’s license, she said.

When Brown tried to grab the camera, Tran screamed, “Don’t touch her, don’t touch her,” Gure said.

“I was so shocked that I was speechless,” she said. “Just a moment ago he was a nice guy. After screaming some insulting nonsense for a while longer, he slammed a door and drove away fast and noisy.”

Brown’s Twitter defense

Brown used his Twitter account to protest the traffic charges last month:

“It’s not a hit and run if u get out the car, exchange information (who has NO DAMAGE to either cars).This is really ridiculous”

“I have a valid drivers license and I gave the woman the right info. She saw cameras and wanted to make a scene.”

“She contacted the cops thinking of a payday from Chris Brown when I followed the proper procedures.”

“My lawyers will be contacting you. I will not stand for this bullying and yellow journalism!”

“My profile pic is the pic I took of the persons car after “the hit and run”. NO damage. Just a dirty car. once again, I gotta clear my name”

“I work my ass off to provide for my entire family. I’ve made mistakes in the past and have worked hard to be a better person. ”

“19-24 years of age. I don’t have all the answers and you can’t show me a person that age who has it figured out. We live and grow. Let me live”

Other probation violation charge

Brown punched Rihanna inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street, leaving her face bruised and bloody on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February 2009.

He entered a guilty plea seven months later and was sentenced to serve five years’ probation and to spend more than 1,400 hours in “labor-oriented service” for the assault conviction. The judge allowed him to serve the sentence in Richmond, Virginia, under the direct supervision of the police chief.

In a court filing in February 2013, prosecutors accused Brown of not completing the community labor. The paperwork Brown submitted to show he had completed community labor is “at best sloppy documentation and at worst fraudulent reporting,” District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. Brown wasn’t in town on some of the dates reported, the motion said.

Geragos, Brown’s attorney, said the prosecutor’s filing was so fraudulent that he would ask the judge to punish the deputy district attorneys involved and call for a contempt of court hearing for filing false documents with the court.

“And I don’t mean just false, it is fraudulent,” Geragos said.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has “tortured” Brown during his probation more than any client he’s ever had, Geragos said.

The prosecutor is asking the judge to order him to restart his 1,400 hours of community service under the supervision of a Los Angeles probation officer.

CNN’s Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.

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