Bieber sued by snapper, saying bodyguard locked him in toilet
Justin Bieber is being sued by a photographer who says his bodyguard locked him in a restaurant.
Manuel Munoz claims in a new lawsuit that he was taking pictures of the 'Believe' hitmaker as he left the SET Nightclub in Miami Beach in January - hours before the singer was stopped by police for drag racing and alleged driving under the influence (DUI) - and was chased by the 20-year-old star's minder Dwayne Patterson into a nearby Subway eatery.
According to the photographer, the bodyguard locked the restaurant door and cornered him in the bathroom, demanding he delete the photos, before trying to "forcibly" remove the memory card and kicking and punching him, damaging his camera in the process.
However, a police report obtained by TMZ shows the photographer made no mention of being punched and kicked, but that he was tripped, causing a "small scratch in his left knee."
And the report also states Munoz told the bodyguard he would hand over the photographs for $10,000 but Patterson refused to pay more than $5,000.
Munoz is suing Justin and the bodyguard for unspecified damages.
The singer's lawyer, Howard Weitzman, insists his client has nothing to do with the case and described it as a "shakedown for money".
He said: "This new lawsuit filed by a paparazzo is yet another shakedown for money. The paparazzo admits that Justin was not present at the alleged 'assault.' The paparazzo told the police he had only scratched his knee when he was allegedly tripped, but now claims he was beat up. There are no damages."
