Washington, D.C., police have opened an internal-affairs investigation into conflicting claims surrounding statements made by an officer who responded to the call that singer Chris Brown assaulted a man outside a Washington hotel, the Associated Press reports.
The probe centers on an alleged conversation between the officer and an unidentified acquaintance of Brown's. According to police records seen by AP, the acquaintance told detectives who were on the scene that the officer said the alleged victim told the officer that Brown had never struck him. When questioned, however, the officer denied ever speaking with the acquaintance, AP reports.
However, a uniformed Secret Service officer who was also on the scene reported overhearing the conversation with the officer and confirmed the acquaintance's version of the story. The accuser also denied ever saying that Brown did not attack him.
An AP reporter who questioned the police department about that conversation was contacted this week by an internal-affairs investigator who confirmed that a review was ongoing.
"We are aware of the discrepancy among witness statements in the Chris Brown case. This is not uncommon in cases with multiple witnesses involved. We have received no complaint of misconduct on the part of any officer in this matter," police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a written statement.
The R&B singer was arrested after he and his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, who also faces assault charges, allegedly struck a man who tried to jump into a photo Brown was taking with two friends. Hollosy's lawyer says he rejected the same deal that Brown was offered, AP reports.
Brown is due back in court Feb. 20.
Read more at the Associated Press.