Britney Spears has been arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Spears, 44, was taken into custody on Wednesday night (4 March) by California Highway Patrol officers, according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Office inmate records.
She was handcuffed around 9:28 p.m. local time, booked at 3.02am and released at 6.07am on Thursday (5 March).
She has since been released and is scheduled to appear in court on 4 May.
Her occupation when booked was listed as 'celebrity'.
TMZ was the first to report the news.
Britney Spears was arrested on Wednesday evening (Steve Granitz / Contributor / Getty Images) Her representatives have since told Tyla: "This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.
"Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.
"Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being."
In California, DUI can refer to either alcohol or drugs, which includes certain prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines.
The blood alcohol limit in California is 0.08 percent or higher if you are over 21 years old.
Offenders can be sentenced to up to six months in jail and fined.
The singer has also disabled her Instagram account - apparently sometime this week, People reports.
It came after she called out her family in a post last month, writing: "For those of you in your family who claim to help but isolate you and make you feel left out … they were wrong. We can forgive, but we never forget."
The 'Toxic' singer was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of driving under the influence (Alberto E. Rodriguez / Staff / Getty Images) The 'Toxic' singer's arrest comes just a matter of hours after news broke that Spears had secured a permanent restraining order against a Louisiana man who allegedly turned up uninvited at her home in Los Angeles.
Court documents obtained by TMZ state the 51-year-old trespassed at her property in 2025 and was spotted by Spears' security guard, who contacted police.
Spears said in the filing that she did not know the man and had no relationship with him.
Alongside the alleged trespassing, the man is accused of harassing Spears online since 2013 through posts described as 'largely incoherent'.
"Several [posts] could be interpreted as threatening to harm [Spears]," the documents claimed.
Following the filing, the man has been ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Spears at all times.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Spears had sold the rights to her entire music catalogue to independent publisher Primary Wave. The deal covers her biggest hits, including 'Toxic', 'Gimme More' and 'Womanizer'.
According to BBC News, the sale was completed on 30 December 2025 for roughly $200 million. Spears had previously said she would 'never return to the music industry', after releasing her most recent track, a duet with Elton John, a few years back in 2022.
LADbible Media Group has reached out to both Britney Spears' representatives and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.