Chris Brown escapes time behind bars
Chris Brown, center, is escorted into Los Angeles County Superior Court for the preliminary hearing of his felony assault case for allegedly hitting and threatening former girlfriend Rihanna after a pre-Grammy party in February. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
Brown makes his way into the courthouse in downtown L.A. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Brown leaves the courthouse after the hearing. (Jake Stevens / Los Angeles Times)
Reporters and news crews crowd around Rihanna’s attorney, Donald Etra, during a news conference after the hearing. (Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images)