Chris Brown faces battery charge after fight at the Palms

Hip-hop artist Chris Brown is a suspect in a beating that Las Vegas police say happened early Monday during a pickup basketball game at the Palms.

Just before 3:45 a.m., police went to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center after calls about a man there who had had been beaten.

The man, who has not been identified, was playing basketball with Brown at the Palms when the two got into an argument, police said. The argument escalated into a fight.

Brown and another man, who also has not been identified, both punched the man who ended up at the hospital, police said. He was treated and released.

Officers went to the hotel but Brown “was not available to speak to them,” police said. They could not issue Brown a misdemeanor citation as planned.

The singer faces one county of battery.

Brown has the option of signing the citation, which only means that he would agree to appear in court and would not be an admission of guilt, like signing a traffic ticket. Or the case could be submitted to the Clark County District Attorney who could issue a summons or arrest warrant.

The department said that as of 1:30 p.m. Monday they have not heard from Brown or his attorney.

Besides singing and dancing, Brown, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is known for his violent criminal record.

He was convicted in Los Angeles in June 2009 of assaulting his then-girlfriend, fellow hip-hop artist Rihanna. He was sentenced in August of that year to community service and five years of probation.

In March 2014, Brown was kicked out of a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program in California and spent three months in jail.

In September, he admitted to punching a man in Washington D.C. in October 2013 and was given a time-already-served sentence.

His probation ended in March.

Brown was in Las Vegas performing at Drai’s Nightclub on Saturday night. He is scheduled to appear at the club again Tuesday night to celebrate his birthday, according to Drai’s website.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at Clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him on Twitter: @ColtonLochhead.