Pop superstar Britney Spears was released from custody early Thursday morning after a brief overnight detention following her arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) in Ventura County, California, authorities confirmed.
The 44-year-old singer was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the southbound U.S. 101 Freeway near the Westlake Village/Newbury Park area, close to her home in Thousand Oaks.
CHP officials reported that dispatchers received a call at approximately 8:48 p.m. regarding a black BMW 430i being driven erratically at high speeds. Officers located the vehicle, initiated a stop, and observed signs of impairment.
Spears, who was alone in the car, submitted to field sobriety tests but was subsequently arrested under California Vehicle Code section 23152(g) for driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.
She was booked into the Ventura County Main Jail around 3 a.m. Thursday by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, with her vehicle towed. Records list her occupation simply as “celebrity.” Spears was cited and released just after 6 a.m. local time in a standard “cite and release” procedure common for such misdemeanor cases.
No probation recommendation was noted in the initial records. A court appearance has been scheduled for May 4 in Ventura County Superior Court, though case details have not yet been fully updated online.
A representative for Spears stated to media outlets, including Deadline, describing the incident as “unfortunate” and “completely inexcusable. ” The statement read, “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law. Hopefully, this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
Sources close to the singer have described her as feeling “very emotional and regretful,” particularly over potential impacts on her family, including her two sons.
Spears rose to global fame in the late 1990s with blockbuster hits like “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!…I Did It Again,” becoming one of the best-selling female artists of all time.
However, a highly publicized personal breakdown in 2007—including incidents that led to shaved-head headlines and a 5150 psychiatric hold—resulted in her placement under a conservatorship overseen by her father, Jamie Spears. The arrangement, which controlled her finances, career decisions, and personal life for 13 years, allowed her to continue performing lucrative residencies while restricting her autonomy.
The #FreeBritney movement, fueled by fan activism and Spears’ own social media posts, culminated in the conservatorship’s termination by a Los Angeles court in November 2021, a decision widely celebrated as a victory for personal freedom.
In her 2023 memoir, “The Woman in Me,” Spears addressed past substance use, denying hard drug involvement or a drinking problem while acknowledging her use of Adderall for ADHD. She has largely stepped away from the music industry in recent years, focusing on personal life, occasional social media activity, and sporadic public appearances.
Chemical test results from the arrest remain pending, and authorities continue to investigate.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Britney Spears was arrested Wednesday night in Ventura County on suspicion of DUI after erratic driving, spent several hours in custody, and was released early Thursday morning with a court date set for May 4.
