On Tuesday in Los Angeles, a photojournalist died after being struck by a car while attempting to picture Justin Bieber’s Ferrari.
Officer Cleon Joseph of the Los Angeles Police Department claimed Bieber was not in his car, which had been stopped by California Highway Patrol officials on Interstate 405 for alleged speeding.
Los Angeles police said the photographer, 29, saw the sports car stopped on Sepulveda Boulevard, parked his own vehicle across the street, crossed the street to get closer to Bieber’s car, and snapped images of its occupants.
According to CNN station KTLA, officers urged the guy twice to return to his car.
“While this photographer returned to the vehicle, it did not appear as if he was looking, and he was struck by a vehicle traveling southbound on Sepulveda,” LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez told KTLA.
After striking the photographer, the driver contacted 911 and was questioned and released by police. Because the photographer was not in a crosswalk, she is unlikely to face prosecution.
The photojournalist died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was rushed immediately after the incident, according to Los Angeles police officer James Stoughton.
While the photographer’s identity has not been confirmed, TMZ identified him as Chris Guerra, who is in his late twenties.
“While I was not present nor directly involved with this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim,” Bieber wrote in a statement to E! News.
“Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders and the photographers themselves,” the 18-year-old singer added.
In July, a gang of paparazzi trailed Bieber along a motorway in several vehicles, swerving past Dennis Zine, a reservist with the Los Angeles Police Department.
“He was coming up behind me, making abrupt lane changes, not giving signals, cutting off cars,” Zine said. Bieber was trailed by photographers who were hard on his tail.
