'Unknown substance' found in Britney Spears' car in DUI arrest after hour-long police chase
The 'Toxic' singer has since been released and is expected to appear in court on 4 May
More details have emerged after Britney Spears was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, including claims an 'unknown substance' was found in her car.
The 911 call which led to the Toxic singer being arrest has been made public, revealing the 44-year-old was embroiled in an hour-long police chase, before she finally pulled over and got out the vehicle.
Spears was arrested in Ventura County, California, earlier this week (4 March), with reps for the star calling the incident 'completely inexcusable'.
The pop icon was taken into police custody at around 9.30pm local time after being stopped by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), following reports her BMW was being driven 'erratically at a high speed' on the motorway.
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In a statement, the CHP confirmed Spears 'showed signs of impairment' and agreed to a number of sobriety tests after being pulled over by officers.
Details of the 911 call have now emerged, in which officers could be heard describing the erratic nature of the star's driving.
"A black sedan, erratic braking, swerving and driving with no tail light. Can we send all units down towards this area please," the officer said, according to the Daily Mail, before the vehicle was identified as a 2026 black BMW convertible.
Once Spears had been pulled over, the dispatch confirmed: "Driver is out the vehicle," with time stamps suggesting the pursuit lasted for an hour, between 8.13pm and 9.13pm.
In the recording, one officer can be heard requesting a Drug Recognition Expert, who would be trained to assess whether a driver is impaired.
TMZ reports that in addition to the DUI, an unknown substance was found in Spears' car.
According to Ventura County Sheriff records, the popstar has since been released and is due to appear in court on 4 May.
In a statement, Spears' representatives described the 'unfortunate incident' as 'completely inexcusable', adding that 'Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law.'
They describe the move as being the 'first step in a long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney's life,' suggesting she needs help and support.
"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," they added.
DUI in California means driving while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs, including some prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines.
It is illegal to drive in the state if you have a blood alcohol level of over 0.08 percent if you are over 21.
The maximum sentence is six months in jail, and you can also be fined.
Some time this week, Spears once again deactivated her Instagram account. This came a month after she shared a scathing post saying she feels 'incredibly lucky to even be alive with how my family treated me once in my life and now I’m scared of them'.
Britney Spears: The last six months
Social media blackout and cryptic posts (October - November 2025)
In October, Spears posted a series of Instagram posts, one of which appeared to reflect on how her 2018 rehab stay had affected her. The post's picture, shared on 19 October, showed the singer riding a horse, while the caption compared her shoulder blades to 'wings' as she discussed the plot of 2014's Maleficent.
According to People, the 44-year-old mentioned enduring a 'traumatic experience' which she wrote about 'at the end' of her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, where 'for 4 months I no longer had my private door and illegally was forced to not use my feet or body to go anywhere'.
Spears then went on to say she felt 'like my wings were taken away and brain damage happened to me a long time ago 100 percent', meanwhile, another post on the same day described a conversation the 'Toxic' singer had with her grandfather before his death.
Before this, Spears had shared posts of herself dancing and drinking from a teacup, while another showed her with bandages around her wrists and legs, which she clarified was a result of 'falling down the stairs at my friend's house', adding: "It was horrible."
Her posts came amidst her ex Kevin Federaline's promotional tour for his book, You Thought You Knew, and in November, her account was deactivated.
Return to Instagram (November 2025)
The 'Circus' singer returned to the social media site on 7 November with a post which described her 'crazy' year, writing: "So much has happened this year, it’s crazy ... Get your ballerina [slippers], circle, and own your boundaries. It’s incredibly strict and somewhat of a form of prayer but with so many endless possibilities in life, it’s important to do you and keep it simple."
Music catalogue sale (December 2025)
In February, the BBC reported that Spears had sold her entire music catalogue to an independent music publisher, Primary Wave, for around $2 million (£146m), with the sale supposedly occurring on 30 December.
According to a source claim to The Hollywood Reporter, the sale included the rights to some of her biggest hits, including 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' and 'Oops... I Did It Again'.
The singer has not yet publicly commented on the reported sale.
'I will never perform in the U.S.' (January 2026)
In a lengthy Instagram post, Spears announced that she would 'never perform in the U.S.', citing 'extremely sensitive reasons'. However, she didn't rule out the possibility of performing elsewhere in the world, adding: "I hope to be sitting on a stool with a red rose in my hair, in a bun, performing with my son… in the UK and AUSTRALIA very soon."
The last time Spears performed live was in Las Vegas in December 2017.
Stalker restraining order granted (Early March 2026)
TMZ reported on 5 March that the Crossroads star had been granted a permanent restraining order from a man who, according to court documents, had allegedly been harassing her online since 2013.
The outlet further reports the 51-year-old man had been spotted by Spear's security guard when allegedly arriving at her residence, leading her guard to call police, with a deputy officer supposedly taking him into custody.
In the documents, Spears said she didn't know who he was or have any relationship with him, and the court has ordered him to stay 100 yards from the singer at all times.
Topics: Britney Spears, US News, Celebrity
Emma Rosemurgey