Justin Bieber accidentally hit a paparazzo with his pickup truck as he was leaving a church service in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and the dramatic moments leading up to and following the accident were captured on camera.
According to TMZ, Bieber was in the process of pulling out of a parking spot in his large pickup truck outside of the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills when the accident took place. There were a number of paparazzi gathered around his truck as he attempted to leave the venue, and as he accelerated, one photographer was hit by the front right tire of the truck. The man fell to the ground immediately, and Bieber jumped out of his truck to investigate what happened.
In the video, Bieber can be seen tending to the man he hit. He can also be seen arguing with several paparazzi about how close they routinely get to his vehicles when he’s driving. But eventually, the arguing died down and everyone on the scene, including Bieber, focused on the man who was hurt during the incident. TMZ is reporting that Bieber spent about 10 minutes with the man and begged for paparazzi to step back and give him room.
The police and the paramedics were called, and according to reports, the photographer suffered several unspecified injuries to his lower body, although none are believed to be life-threatening. Bieber spoke with police about the accident and was not cited for his role in it. He was permitted to leave the scene with a friend while another friend drove his truck home.
The accident came just days after Bieber announced that he was canceling the remainder of his Purpose World Tour dates.
Following the incident, the photographer shared a video from his hospital bed and thanked Bieber for being "compassionate."
