Singer Chris Brown has managed to intrigue -- and infuriate -- the public since he first burst onto the scene in 2005. Here's a look at his life and career.
Brown poses with his award for Best New Artist at the Soul Train Music Awards in March 2006. That year, Brown also won male artist of the year, new artist of the year and artist of the year at the Billboard Music Awards.
Brown, left, appeared with "Scandal" star Columbus Short in the 2007 film "Stomp the Yard."
Brown started dating fellow singer Rihanna in 2008, and the pair appeared to be the perfect match. Here, they dance the night away in December of that year. A few months later, Brown was charged with assaulting her on the eve of the Grammy Awards.
In April 2009, Brown pleads not guilty to felony charges of assault and making threats related to the Rihanna incident.
Rihanna and attorney Donald Etra appear at a preliminary hearing in June 2009. The hearing was to determine if Brown would stand trial for allegedly attacking Rihanna during an argument in a rented sports car.
As part of a plea deal in June 2009, Brown pleads guilty to one felony count of assault with the intent of doing great bodily injury. Under terms of the agreement, Brown is given five years of probation and ordered to serve 180 days in jail or the equivalent in labor-oriented community service.
Brown and his mother appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on September 2, 2009. It was his first television interview since his arrest. "I've said countless times how sorry I am to Rihanna, and I just accepted full responsibility," Brown said. "But it's just one of those things I wish I could have relived and just handled totally different."
In June 2010, Brown broke down in tears during his performance of "Man in the Mirror" at the BET Awards in Los Angeles.
"Takers," an action drama co-starring Brown, premiered in August 2010.
In 2011, Brown's album "F.A.M.E." debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Here, he performs that summer on NBC's "Today" show.
In February 2012, Brown's career appeared to be on an upswing following his legal woes. "F.A.M.E." won a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
In March 2011, Brown reportedly stormed off the set of ABC's "Good Morning America" after he was interviewed by Robin Roberts. He later apologized.
Brown performs during the Billboard Music Awards in May 2012.
Brown and rapper Drake, seen here in 2010, reportedly got into an altercation at the New York City club W.i.P. in June 2012. Brown was left with a cut on his chin.
Brown appears in court for a probation progress report hearing in September 2012. A judge ordered a probation violation hearing after Brown tested positive for marijuana use.
Brown appears in court for a probation progress report hearing in February 2013. In a court filing, prosecutors accused Brown of not completing the 180 days of community labor as stipulated from his 2009 felony assault case.
During a court appearance in July, a judge revoked Brown's probation. The revocation was triggered after Brown allegedly sped away from the scene of a minor traffic crash in May, failing to hand over his driver's license and insurance information to another driver.
Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, speaks to the press after a judge dropped a hit-and-run charge against Brown in August. The singer reached a "civil compromise" with his accuser.
A judge also reinstated Brown's probation in August, signing off on 1,000 hours of "community labor" such as graffiti or beach cleanup. Two months later, Brown and a bodyguard were arrested and charged with felony assault after allegedly attacking a man with their fists outside the W Hotel in downtown Washington.
Brown, center, departs the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse in Washington on Monday, October 28. The assault charge against the singer was reduced to a misdemeanor and he was released without bail.
- Brown's bodyguard says he "was just doing his job" when he hit the man, report says
- "My bodyguard handled it," Brown told a Secret Service officer about incident
- A Metropolitan Police Department officer denies victim told him Brown never hit him, report says
- A Secret Service officer contradicts what the MPD officer says
Los Angeles (CNN) -- A Secret Service report on Chris Brown's alleged assault on a man in Washington on Sunday offers insight into the singer's possible defense strategy.
The document obtained by CNN suggests that Brown's bodyguard will take the rap for a man's broken nose, while lawyers could question the creditability of one of the police officers who investigated the case.
"I was on the (tour) bus when I guess someone tried to get on and my bodyguard handled it," Brown told a Secret Service officer investigating the incident on a sidewalk in front of the W Hotel just a few blocks from the White House. The incident happened around 4:25 a.m. Sunday, hours after the singer hosted a party at a nearby nightclub.
"Christopher Brown committed no crime," his attorney Danny Onorato said Monday. "We understand that his security acted to protect Mr. Brown and his property, as he is authorized to do under District of Columbia law. We are confident that Mr. Brown will be exonerated of any wrongdoing."
Chris Brown in anger management rehab
Chris Brown getting special treatment?
Brown bodyguard Christopher Hollosy -- who stands 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds -- told investigators he punched the man in the face because he tried to follow Brown into the tour bus. The man was trying to get to Brown, so he "was just doing his job" as a bodyguard when broke his nose, he said, according to the report.
Assault charge against Chris Brown reduced
Brown's weekend arrest in the District of Columbia threatens his freedom in California, where he is serving felony probation for the 2009 domestic violence conviction in his attack on ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
Beating the simple assault charge in Washington would help his lawyer persuade a Los Angeles judge not to find him in violation of probation rules, which require him to stay out of any legal trouble.
Brown, 24, checked himself into a "rehab facility" Tuesday in an effort to "gain focus and insight into his past and recent behavior, enabling him to continue the pursuit of his life and his career from a healthier vantage point," his representative told CNN.
It is unclear if Brown's rehab stint will cause him to miss two court dates next month -- including a November 20 probation hearing in Los Angeles and a November 24 preliminary hearing on the assault case in Washington.
Prosecution of the assault charges against Brown and his bodyguard is based on statements given to investigators by the alleged victim -- identified as Isaac Adams Parker, 20, of Beltsville, Maryland -- and a woman who is a friend of Parker.
Cop's credibility questioned
The woman, who is not identified in the police reports, told a Secret Service officer that the violence started when she and a female friend were standing on each side of Brown, posing while the singer's bodyguard used her cell phone to take a photo.
When Parker "moved in" and tried to take his own photo with Brown and the women, she heard Brown tell Parker, "I'm not with that gay s--t," and then "I feel like boxing," according to the Secret Service report. Brown then punched Parker in the face with a closed fist, she said.
Parker also told the Secret Service officer that when he tried to get into the photo, Brown said "I ain't down with that gay s--t," the report said.
Another witness told the officer that he saw Brown chase Parker and swing at him, but he couldn't see if Brown's punch landed on Parker.
But Brown's lawyers could raise questions about Parker's credibility -- or at least the credibility of one of the investigating police officers -- based on what the Secret Service officer reported.
A friend of Brown's says that a Metropolitan Police Department officer told him that Parker said Brown never hit him, the Secret Service report says.
The report says the officer denied to other detectives that he had spoken to Brown's friend. However, the Secret Service officer contradicts him. "A uniformed Secret Service officer approached detectives and verified that he overheard the MPD officer" telling Brown's friend that Parker said Brown never hit him, the report says.
Parker "denied he ever told anyone" that Brown had not hit him, according to the report.
Anger management rehab?
There has been no indication that Brown has a substance abuse problem. The behavior that has landed him in legal trouble over the past several years has been anger management.
Brown's brutal attack on Rihanna on the eve of the Grammys in February 2009 resulted in a felony domestic violence conviction that carried a lengthy probation period. A judge found him in violation of that probation in August because of discrepancies in proving he fulfilled the court-ordered 1,400 hours of community labor. He imposed another 1,000 hours of work.
The Los Angeles County district attorney appears in no mood to cut Brown any breaks, which suggests that prosecutors will ask for jail time for him because of the arrest early Sunday in the shadow of the White House. While the simple assault charge in Washington is a misdemeanor, it could trigger a probation revocation.
Hit-and-run charge against Chris Brown dropped
Brown is in a vulnerable position. The Los Angeles judge overseeing his felony probation could order him to complete as many as four years in prison for the beating of Rihanna if he is found in violation of probation. Prosecutors have declined to comment on if they will seek to put him behind bars.
Brown spent 36 hours in a Washington jail and was taken to court in shackles Monday afternoon. He was released and ordered to report to his California probation officer within 48 hours. He checked into an undisclosed California rehab facility the next day.
The probation officer's job is to prepare a report for the Los Angeles judge who will decide if Brown will be found in violation of his probation.
Going to rehab could allow Brown lawyer Mark Geragos to argue that the entertainer is getting proper help for his core problem.
The statement from Brown's representative did not disclose how long he intends to stay or what might be a "healthier vantage point" for him.
CNN's Greg Seaby and Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.
