A photographer for the Tampa Bay Times was beaten and robbed Monday night near the Vintage Ultra Lounge in downtown St. Petersburg, where he attended Chris Brown's birthday party.
According to Luis Santana, 25, he talked to the Vintage security and was told he could take photographs outside. Yet when he photographed Brown in a black Excursion or Expedition limousine, security guards for the celebrities chased him and forced him to the ground, Santana said. One guard put his knee on Santana's jaw and when he tried to push it away, the guards took his camera, worth about $3,000.
Santana said he has abrasions and bruises on his chest, back and arms.
"I’ve shot many many celebrities and this was just another notch on my belt," Santana said. "Then it just turned sour."
Police said there could be four male suspects who are bodyguards, but their names are unknown. The suspects left the scene in the limousine.
A source who was at Chris's birthday party says that the photog opened the door as Rihanna and Chris had just gotten into the car, startling everyone. Security thought that Luis Santana, the cameraman, was attempting to enter the vehicle and went into action. For his part, Santana says that a window (not a door) was down and he tried to peek in and take a picture. He says Chris actually began chasing him, and that's when security took over.
I'm not mad at security....touching a window or a door of a vehicle is too close...He was asking for that.
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