Cops Investigating Bieber Over Scuffle

A sweet trip to the mall with his girlfriend took a turn for the criminal for Justin Bieber yesterday, or so says a paparazzo. The Los Angeles Times reports that police are investigating the photographer's claims that the Biebs hit him after he took a photo of the singer and Selena Gomez at Calabasas Shopping Center around noon. In legalese, Bieber is under investigation for possible misdemeanor battery. TMZ has more details, of course. It reports that the photographer called 911, and told arriving police he felt pain in his upper torso. He was admitted to a local hospital, and later released.

Witnesses tell TMZ that a lawyer who happened to be on the scene told the paparazzo he could make a killing off the incident, and advised him to file a police report. Those witnesses also shed a little light on how the scuffle allegedly came to pass: The say Bieber was trying to exit the mall but the photog was blocking his car. The singer reportedly got out and asked him to move, and things went south from there. (More celebrity stories.)