Chris Brown won’t face battery charge in Las Vegas

Happy birthday, Chris Brown, from Las Vegas.

Looks like that battery charge he was facing is going away, just in time to celebrate his 26th birthday.

Metro announced Tuesday the man who told them that the singer punched him during a pickup basketball game at the Palms on Monday no longer wants Brown to be charged.

Las Vegas police have ended their investigation.

Police were called to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center about 3:45 a.m. Monday after a man showed up saying he had been beaten.

The man, who was not identified and has since been released from the hospital, told investigators that he and Brown were playing basketball when an argument turned into a fight, police said. That is when the man said Brown and another man beat him.

Brown “was not available to speak” to police when officers went to the off-Strip resort to try to get him to sign a misdemeanor citation, Metro said. Signing the citation wouldn’t have meant he admitted guilt — only that he agreed to appear in court.

Brown, who turned 26 on Tuesday, has a violent criminal record, which includes a 2009 conviction in Los Angeles County for assaulting his then-girlfriend, fellow singer Rihanna.

Brown is scheduled to perform Tuesday night on the Strip at Drai’s Nightclub at The Cromwell.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.