In the delayed court case which finally reached trial on June 22, Chris Brown was spared jail time, but sentenced to five years probation and six months of labor. These charges stem from an attack the night before the Grammy Awards. The attack occurred in the Los Angeles’ Hancock Park neighborhood as Brown drove a rented sports car. A Los Angeles police detective described a brutal attack in a search warrant affidavit filed in the case, stating Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna and tried to push her from the car. Chris Brown’s career suffered after his arrest, with sponsors dropping him and radio stations refusing to play his music. Both he and Rihanna had to cancel several high-profile appearances.
In his first interview since the arrest, Chris on CNN told Larry King the whole story. He was accompanied at the interview by his mother and his attorney Mark Geragos.
He said he still loves Rihanna and has no recollection of beating her.
When shown Rihanna’s beaten up picture Chris looked shocked and said, “When I look at it now, it’s just like….wow. I can’t believe that actually happened.”
During the interview Chris’s mom was at his side, and she agreed that his acts were unforeseen and unwise, “Chris has never, ever been a violent person…Ever.” she told King. Chris blamed the whole thing on his dad. He told Larry that, "I used to be scared to go to bed… Nobody taught us how to love one another. Nobody taught us a book on how to — how to control our emotions or our anger."
He agreed that he deserved the sentence the judge gave him. “Everything comes with consequences,” he admits. “Now they want me to pick up trash and remove graffiti, and it’s something I’m willing to do.”