When Celebrities Attack (Paparazzi): Bieber Is In Good Company [PHOTOS]

The incident took place in a shopping mall parking lot in Calabasas, Calif. Witnesses told TMZ that Bieber, who was there with girlfriend Selena Gomez, asked a photographer to move his car, as it was blocking his, and the older man refused. Law enforcement did not elaborate on what exactly happened, according to a Reuters report, but a statement said that the photographer was physically battered by Bieber.

Law enforcement officials told TMZ that the photographer said he had pain in his upper torso. He was taken to the hospital and released that same day. Law enforcement also told TMZ that Bieber, Gomez and witnesses are wanted for questioning. A Los Angeles County sheriff spokeswoman said that the deputies are investigating the case as a misdemeanor battery complaint, Reuters reported.

It seems as if the photographer caught Bieber, who turned 18 back in March, in a rare moment of solitude with his girlfriend. The singing sensation is usually constantly surrounded by management and bodyguards (not to mention his protective mother). Frankly, it's hard to imagine that the puny-looking Bieber could hurt anyone. Regardless, he wouldn't be the first celebrity to get physical with an invasive picture-taker. Here are other celebrities who've had physical altercations with members of the paparazzi.

Bjork

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Bjork went beserk outside of a Thailand airport in 1996 after a reporter approached her and said Welcome to Bangkok. Bjork, who already looked tense amidst the media swarm surrounding her, grabbed the reporter and thrashed her about on the floor for a few seconds. Later, the singer's management explained the seemingly arbitrary attack, claiming the reporter had been pestering the the pint-sized star for the previous four days.

Russell Brand

(Photo credit: Reuters)

In 2010, British comedian Russell Brand attracted the ire of paparazzi on his way into a Los Angeles airport to catch a flight. Video footage shows the usually funny man pushing and shoving random photographers, most of whom weren't exactly in his face, with then-fianceé Katy Perry trailing in his wake. Brand was later arrested and released on $20,000 bail, TMZ reported. As for Perry, she defended her man on Twitter, alleging that perhaps one of the photographers was engaging in less-than-gentlemanly behavior: If you cross the line & try an (sic) put a lens up my dress, my fiancé will do his job & protect me.

Hugh Grant

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Hugh Grant has had physical altercations with photographers, including kicking one in the groin in 2009, TMZ reported. He was even arrested in 2007 for throwing a container filled with baked beans at a photographer outside of his home, according to a Reuters report. The actor has gotten smarter over the years. He's been a major participant in the Leveson Inquiry, which is currently underway and examining the dubious information gathering methods allegedly used by the UK's more aggressive journalists.

Sean Penn

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Sean Penn is not considered the cuddliest of celebrities. He's been photographed kicking and hitting photographers. One kicking incident took place in 2009, according to a TMZ report. The actor served 33 days in jail in 1987 after assaulting a photographer, with some accounts alleging that he went so far as to hang the paparazzo by the ankles from the ninth floor of a building, according to a New York Daily News report.

Adam Lambert

(Photo credit: Reuters)

The former American Idol contestant was photographed having an altercation with a photographer in Miami Beach in 2010. Lambert later denied any battery allegations on his Twitter account, according to TMZ: Battery? Nope. I attempted to grab a camera, no punches were thrown and no one was on the ground.... It was literally harmless. If embarrassment is a crime- thats all I'm guilty of.

Avril Lavigne

(Photo credit: Reuters)

The Complicated singer has gotten into many a fight with paps and non-paps alike. When it comes to the paps, though, Lavigne, like Hugh Grant, mixes it up: She spits on them. She explained one particular spitting incident in a 2009 interview with Seventeen magazine, CBS reported, and she said it was not an isolated incident: But I'd been spitting on them for two years - and that one time it became a story. Maybe she and Grant should team up.

Chris Martin

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Coldplay singer Chris Martin has lost his cool with the paparazzi on more than one occasion. One notable incident took place in 2008 outside of New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital. The Coldplay musician took a camera from a photographer who was snapping him and wife Gwyneth Paltrow (the married couple were rumored to have gone to the hospital for Paltrow, who, videos show, didn't look as if she was feeling too well). Lesson learned: Never get between a Coldplay singer and his woman!

Will Smith

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Will Smith recently gave a reporter a light back-handed slap at the Russian premiere of Men in Black: III. The reporter, Vitalii Sediuk, is known for kissing celebs on the red carpet, according to TMZ, but Smith probably didn't know -- and probably wouldn't have appreciated the gesture either way. Talk about a culture clash.

Britney Spears

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Britney Spears was in the middle of her meltdown -- and still bald -- when she attacked a photographer's vehicle with a green umbrella in 2007. She gave a fishy-sounding explanation for the incident a few months later on her website, according to a People report. I apologize to the pap for a stunt that was done 4 months ago regarding an umbrella, she wrote, People reported. I was preparing my character for a role in a movie where the husband never plays his part so they switch places accidentally. I take all my roles very seriously and got a little carried away. Unfortunately I didn't get the part. Hmm, wonder who finally got that movie role?

Suri Cruise

(Photo credit: Twitter/@pramborsmedan)

The adorable daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise looks uncomfortable with having her picture taken (even though she always looks picture-perfect). She tends to give the cameras and their wielders nasty looks. Future pap attacker?