Pop star Britney Spears was arrested Wednesday night in Southern California on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to authorities.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said the 44-year-old singer was taken into custody after officers received reports of a speeding vehicle on the southbound U.S. Route 101. When officers located the vehicle, they said Spears appeared to be impaired and agreed to perform field sobriety tests before being arrested.
Records show , Spears was arrested by the California Highway Patrol at about 9:28 p.m. Wednesday and later released from custody around 6:07 a.m. Thursday. Investigators are now awaiting the results of chemical tests related to the case.
In a statement to CBS News, a representative for Spears described the incident as “unfortunate” and “completely inexcusable,” adding that the singer plans to comply with the law and take steps toward making changes in her life.
Spears is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.
The singer, who first rose to fame after appearing on the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, became a global pop icon with her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999 and the follow-up Oops!… I Did It Again in 2000. Both albums were certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling more than 10 million copies each.
Spears last toured in 2018 with her “Piece of Me” tour and published her memoir, The Woman in Me, in 2023. Her long-running court-ordered conservatorship ended in 2021 following a legal battle that fueled the #FreeBritney campaign.
The case remains under investigation.