Published July 11, 2012
By Jeff Cobb
Fisker has enjoyed recognition when high-profile people endorse its Karma but attention Justin Bieber is receiving after evading paparazzi in his chromed plug-in car is undoubtedly unwanted.
An LA City Councilman said his running through traffic with a car or two closely following him looked like he was doing 100 mph and barely in control.
“As I watched, I was anticipating a crash,” Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine told ABC News of the Friday incident. “It was chaos. Total willful wanton disregard for people on the roadway.”
Obviously this should not have any real bearing on Fisker, but it would probably prefer having no more controversy or notoriety from famous drivers doing allegedly crazy things in its products. In recent months, the startup has worked to improve a pock-marked public relations record, and trending Web news today has the politician saying he thinks the Karma driver should be arrested.
Bieber was pulled over by California Highway Patrol after Zine called 9-1-1 and the singer was cited for driving over 65 mph, with an investigation following.
ABC News reports Zine had been a police officer for 33 years and as a public official he decried Bieber’s alleged driving of the car Bieber was given by his manager for his 18th birthday – which he later had chromed.
This is not the first time Bieber has had issues with photographers or reporters aiming to get a marketable picture of him in his daily life in this car or his previous “Batmobile” Cadillac CTS-V.
Bieber has also had an allegedly angry and somewhat physical confrontation with a photographer trying to take pictures of him with actress Selena Gomez, and he’s been pulled over several times for various infractions in the Cadillac before.
“It’s hard to blame solely the paparazzi,” said Mark, an attorney who’s not working on the case on “Good Morning America.” “Bieber drives a car that attracts quite a bit of attention. Pictures of that will bring money to paparazzi if they see it and sell the pictures, especially of him in the car.”
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The court of public opinion is now deliberating the actions of the young singer in his extra-conspicuous Karma. It is further believed that after the pull-over, as many as five cars continued the pursuit of California Highway 101.
Somewhere in this, Bieber is believed to have called 9-1-1, identifying himself as the driver of a Fisker, not being forthright in explaining why he said five cars were following him, and identifying himself as Justin Johnson.
ABC News
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