Chris Brown's alleged victim wanted in New York City for wallet theft

ByJohn Gregory, Marc Cota-Robles, and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Chris Brown's alleged victim wanted in New York City for wallet theft
Chris Brown's alleged victim is wanted in New York City in connection with a theft back in 2013, ABC News learned.

NEW YORK CITY (KABC) -- Baylee Curran, the model at the center of the latest Chris Brown controversy, is wanted in New York for allegedly stealing another woman's purse several years ago, ABC News has learned.

The NYPD wants to question Curran over the incident, which occurred in 2013 when Curran and two friends were in New York on vacation.

During a dispute, she and another woman allegedly grabbed a $1,000 Louis Vuitton purse from the third friend. Police say the two took a Michael Kors wallet from the purse, which contained $200 and credit cards, and fled on foot.

If they return to New York, they are subject to being picked up by the NYPD for questioning in the grand larceny.

Curran is the woman who called Los Angeles police on Tuesday, before the "No Air" and "Kiss Kiss" singer was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon following an hours-long standoff with police at his Tarzana home.

Brown was released from jail late Tuesday night after posting $250,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County jail records.

The arrest, which occurred outside the view of several news helicopters that swirled overhead and throngs of camera crews that gathered at the bottom of Brown's hilltop estate, marked the conclusion of a nearly 14-hour-long standoff and investigation by police.

Los Angeles police spokesman Lt. Chris Ramirez said officers first responded to Brown's property in the 5000 block of Corbin Avenue around 3 a.m. He did not identify the woman, elaborate on the assistance she needed or know if she was injured.

Curran said she went to Brown's house to inquire about a role in a music video. She said another man was showing off some diamond jewelry when Brown came at her. She later gave an interview to ABC News, describing how she feared for her life.

"He took the gun out like this, put it in my face and said get the F out," Curran said.

Curran was the winner of the 2016 Miss California Regional State Pageant. However, in July, she was stripped of that title by the organization for breach of contract. The organization said there were also allegations that she threatened other contestants, skipped out on community service and took racy photos, which are against the organization's rules.

"We are unfortunately, I hate to say it, but we are embarrassed by the whole situation," Joshua James of the Miss California Regional State Pageant said. "She's been making unauthorized public appearances and wearing the sash and crown. We've made several attempts to reach out to her to retrieve the sash and crown, which she has yet to provide us."

Brown took to social media Wednesday to address the situation. He stated he was going to concentrate on his music.

"Yo, you know all this (expletive), everything that's going on man, I'm going to just turn the other cheek, drop some music," Brown said in the video.

Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos took to social media after Brown was released from custody.

Fellow musician Ray J took to Instagram, supporting Brown.

Brown is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, a charge legal experts say could be reduced.

"Every time the police or the DA go in on a case, they charge as much as they possibly can, because it's easier to come down from there than to go up later. So they're going to naturally go with the most significant and severe charges," said Brian Kabateck, an attorney.

The incident is the latest in a series of missteps for Brown, who has been in repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, ahead of the Grammys. Last year, he completed his probation in that case last.

In 2013, Brown struck a man outside a Washington, D.C., hotel and was charged with misdemeanor assault. The singer was ordered into rehab but was dismissed from the facility for violating its rules.

Brown spent two months in custody, with U.S. marshals shuttling him between Los Angeles and the nation's capital for court hearings.

In another incident while in treatment, Brown was accused of throwing a brick at his mother's car following a counseling session. It came after Brown completed court-ordered anger management classes.

WABC-TV and the Associated Press contributed to this report