Britney Spears Arrested in California

Britney Spears was arrested for a DUI in Ventura County, California.

The Grammy-winning singer, who has a long history of troubling behavior, was pulled over and handcuffed by the California Highway Patrol around 9:30 p.m./PT Wednesday night.

She was booked early Thursday morning around 3 a.m. and released as a “cite & release” just after 6 a.m.

Spears previously faced legal issues in 2007, when she turned herself in for a hit-and-run and driving without a valid license after steering her car into a parked vehicle in Los Angeles.

The case was later dismissed, but not before Spears was placed under a 13- year legal conservatorship – a legal guardianship that saw her finances and personal life controlled by her father from 2008 to 2021.

“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life,” a representative for Spears said in a statement. “Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”

The statement continued, “Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being.”

The pop singer had a productive conversation with her mom and sons following her DUI arrest.

Spears’ mother, Lynne Spears, called the singer as soon as she became aware of her arrest. Lynne had a “positive” and “hopeful” conversation with her daughter after offering her support.

She also talked to her sons, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, after being released from jail, but she hasn’t seen any family members in person.

Spears’ relationship with her sons, whom she shares with her ex-husband Kevin Federline, has been rocky over the years.

She was hurt over Sean choosing not to spend the holidays with her and Jayden last year because he “wasn’t ready to meet her halfway.”

Last month, Spears blasted her family in a scathing Instagram post.

“For those of you in your family that have (sic) said to help you is to isolate you and make you feel unbelievably left out … they were wrong. We can forgive as people but u don’t ever forget,” she wrote.

The pop superstar added, “I’m incredibly lucky to even be alive with how my family treated me once in my life and now I’m scared of them,”.

Spears is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on May 4.

Although the Sherriff’s Office report does not list a reason for the arrest, news outlets are reporting that the 44-year-old singer is suspected of allegedly driving under the influence.

The incident is still under investigation, and chemical test results are pending, CHP said.

Spears was driving alone in her black BMW 430i southbound on US-101 when officers pulled her over.

Her car was impounded after the incident, according to jail records, which also list her occupation as "celebrity."

She was believed to be under the influence of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol during her arrest.

Additionally, an insider close to the pop icon said that officers found an unknown substance inside her car at the time of her arrest.

The Grammy-winning singer was “crying and very tearful” while being booked for her DUI arrest.

“She was incredibly emotional,” a source added. “It’s been a very hard couple of months.”

The insider added Spears “felt ashamed and embarrassed” and is “very sorry” for what happened.

“She doesn’t want to let anyone down, including her fans,” source added. “The last thing she wants is to be judged publicly all over again.”

Spears was not admitted to the hospital after the arrest but was briefly taken to a medical facility by law enforcement for the purpose of administering blood tests in accordance with drink-driving protocol in the state.

The pop star deleted her Instagram account on Thursday as news of her arrest broke.

Spears is one of the most successful pop stars ever, with hits such as Baby One More Time, Toxic, Everytime, Gimme More, Womanizer, and Stronger.

She recently sold her song catalog and an unclear number of other rights to Primary Wave.

In January, Spears wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that she “will never perform in the U.S. again because of extremely sensitive reasons.”

She added, “But I hope to be sitting on a stool with a red rose in my hair, in a bun, performing with my son… in the UK and AUSTRALIA very soon.”

In the post, Spears shared a throwback photo of herself sitting next to a white Yamaha piano, beginning the caption with: “Sending this piano to my son this year!!! Interestingly enough, I dance on IG to heal things in my body that people have no idea about. Yup and it’s embarrassing sometimes… but I walked through the fire to save my life.”

The pop superstar has not released an album since 2016’s “Glory,” and she last performed live in the U.S. in 2018, when she closed out her “Piece of Me” tour with a show at the Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Spears had been scheduled to return to Las Vegas in 2019 for a second residency, “Domination,” but she ultimately postponed the show and stepped away from performing indefinitely.

She has largely kept a low profile since her conservatorship was terminated, but public drama has come anyway.

Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline, the father of her two sons, Sean and Jayden, releases a memoir, “You Thought You Knew.” It includes allegations that Spears drank during pregnancy, used cocaine while the boys were still breastfeeding, and engaged in bizarre and frightening behavior during visits with them. Spears responds with a statement on her social media accounts saying Federline has engaged in “constant gaslighting” and the book is full of “white lies.”