- Music
- 25 Nov 16
It’ll probably come as no surprise to hear that the teenager filmed being hit by the Canadian popstar prior to one of his gigs on Tuesday is now planning to take legal action.
The young teenager, who is at the centre of the video footage showing Bieber giving him a bloodied lip, took to a Spanish radio station yesterday to talk for the first time about the bizarre incident.
The 18-year-old Kevin Ramierz said he couldn’t divulge any information about any specific plans to sue the singer. “This matter is now in the hands of lawyers. They will deal with it. I can't give out any more information at the moment,” he said.
But it’s obvious that the only reason Kevin – who hasn’t reported the incident to Spanish police – would be talking to lawyers is to sue for damages.
The footage of the incident - which has gone viral – shows Kevin reaching inside the rolled down window of Bieber’s chauffeur-driven car to touch him, as the singer made his way towards the Palau Jordi venue in Barcelona.
It's difficult to tell how gently or forcibly the Catalan teenager touched Justin Bieber, but it was enough to provoke a backlash and leave the startled fan with a bloodied lip.
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However, Kevin – a name that was briefly popular with Spanish parents to christen their kids some 20 year ago because the then Hollywood heartthrob Kevin Costner was hugely popular over there – also said that he was “disappointed” by his idol’s reaction.
Kevin added that that alleged assault on him was “unnecessary” and insisted that he was just a “normal fan” who wanted to get close to his idol. But after the shock blow to his face, Kevin told the radio show that he decided not to attend the concert.
Talking to the public radio station called ‘Onda Cero’, Kevin went into some detail about his side of the story. “I didn't think for one moment Justin was going to punch me. He had been in the airport the day before talking with fans and I assumed he was happy to get close to us,” he explained.
On the video, fans can be heard shouting in Spanish, “Hear! Hear!” in an effort to grab Bieber’s attention.
Asked why he had put his hand into the chauffeur-driven car as it approached the venue, the Spanish teenager said: “His car had stopped before he went by and he had seen us. He knew there were no barriers and he knew we were going to go up to him.
“I took the opportunity to put my hand through his car window and touch his shoulder and face in true ‘Affectionate fan wants to touch his idol’ style.
“He could have brushed my hand away, anything apart from such an aggressive punch. I was left in a state of total shock. I couldn't believe what he did.”
Unsurprisingly, Kevin says he’s no longer a fan of the 22-year-old superstar. “He doesn't appear to like his fans now!” he said.
This isn’t the first time that erratic superstar has got involved in public spats. His most famous row was with Orlando Bloom after they bumped into each other on a night out back in 2014.
It was alleged that Bloom went to attack Bieber over derogatory sexual comments he made about the movie star's ex-wife, Miranda Kerr. At the time, the tabloids claimed that Bieber boasted to the Lord of The Rings' star that he had slept with the Australian model.
On another incident back in June, Bieber was pictured getting into a fight outside a hotel in Cleveland. On that occasion, the video footage showed Bieber ending up flat on his back after being “slapped” by a much bigger man.
In one report in the leading Spanish newspaper's El Pais this week, it was noted that Bieber is a big boxing fan and that he “also practices it regularly. Through Instagram, he has shared numerous images and videos of his workouts.”
The paper also observed: “Among his friends are boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who retired in 2015. Mayweather, 39, and Bieber, form one of those strange friendships united by eccentricity and a hobby of posing together on social networks.”
One thing’s for sure: it looks like we haven’t heard the last about this “aggressive punch” from Bieber. But if Bieber were to end up losing a court case or even settling to make the whole unpleasant matter disappear, any compensation would only be a drop in the ocean for him. Bieber was recently ranked number six in this year’s Forbes’ annual rich list for under 30s, taking home a staggering $56 million.