Just Bieber has released a heartfelt and emotional message to his fans, seven years to the day after he was arrested. Photo / Justin Bieber, Instagram
Just Bieber has released a heartfelt and emotional message to his fans, seven years to the day after he was arrested. Photo / Justin Bieber, Instagram
Just Bieber has released a heartfelt and emotional message to his fans, seven years to the day after he was arrested.
On January 23, 2014, in Miami, Bieber was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, resisting arrest without violence, and driving with an expired license, while he was behind the wheel of a rented yellow Lamborghini.
"What the f*** did I do? Why did you stop me?" Bieber asked the police officer who pulled him over just after 4am.
At the time, Bieber told media "The police, they just wanted press. They wanted attention, I never was speeding, I never was drag racing."
Now, seven years on, Bieber has taken to Instagram to open up about how the incident was "not my finest hour" and the personal growth he has made following that day.
"7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life," he wrote.
"I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god.. I also wore too much leather for someone in Miami. All this to say God has brought me a long way."
Just Bieber has released a heartfelt and emotional message to his fans, seven years to the day after he was arrested. Photo / Justin Bieber, Instagram
Seven months after he was arrested, the state agreed to drop the DUI charge in exchange for Bieber pleading guilty to careless driving and resisting arrest.
He would pay a $500 fine and attend a 12-hour anger management course. Bieber also donated $50,000 to a children's charity.
Speaking about his journey of growth after his arrest, Bieber has asked his fans to learn from their own pasts and use their experiences to realise how far they've come.
"From then til now I do realise something.. God was as close to me then as he is right now.
"My encouragement to you is to 'let your past be a reminder of how far God has brought you'.
"Don't allow shame to ruin your 'today' let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be.
Bieber previously opened up about how a meteoric rise to fame as a child launched him into a downward spiral of partying and drug abuse, causing him to withdraw from those who cared about him. In the end, he says, it was only Jesus who could turn it all around.
"It's hard to get out of bed in the morning with the right attitude when you are overwhelmed with your life, your past, job, responsibilities, emotions, your family, your finances, relationships," Bieber wrote.
"As my talent progressed and I became ultra-successful, it happened within a strand of two years. My whole world flipped on its head.
"I went from a 13-year-old boy from a small town to being praised left and right by the world with millions saying much they loved me and how great I was."
"Everyone did everything for me, so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility," he explained. "By this point, I was 18 with no skills in the real world, with millions of dollars and access to whatever I wanted."
"This is a very scary concept for anyone," the popstar continued. "By 20, I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged, and hated person in the world."
