Chris Brown took the stand Thursday and described the moment he discovered his former housekeeper, Maria Avila, severely injured after being mauled by a security dog on his property. The singer admitted he was “in shock” when he found her lying face down outside his Los Angeles home, saying, “It was a lot of blood”. But his testimony quickly turned to his controversial decision to leave the scene before first responders arrived, a move he blamed on fears of media scrutiny.
Brown testified that on December 12, 2020, he was getting ready to shower when he heard growling outside. He ran downstairs and found Avila on the ground, not moving, with a massive security dog named Hades backing away. He secured the dog in a kennel and checked to see if Avila was breathing, but he admitted he never personally called 911. Instead, he had his security guards place the call. When pressed by Avila’s lawyer, Brown said he avoided calling emergency services himself because he didn’t want the audio from the incident to leak and turn into a media “circus”.
Brown acknowledged leaving the property before paramedics or police arrived, testifying that his manager advised him to get away from the publicity. “He wanted to make sure she was taken care of [and] to get me away from the publicity,” Brown said. Avila’s lawyer, Nancy Doumanian, pressed him on the decision: “What would have been the problem with you being there and waiting for paramedics to get there with a woman bleeding in your driveway? Why would that be a problem for you as a celebrity?”. Brown responded, “Because of how my image is and always used. I didn’t want a misleading story, or like a circus, from my status. It’s pretty sticky when it comes to that. So me staying out of the way was advised”.
Brown denied owning the dog, claiming it belonged to his security team and was used to protect against break-ins and stalkers. He also claimed he had warned Avila and her sister not to go outside without permission, telling jurors he informed them in English that the dogs “weren’t friendly”. However, Avila’s lawyer noted that the women are Spanish speakers and dispute that any such conversation took place . Brown admitted some responsibility for what happened on his property, telling the court, “I accept what happened”. The case has already seen a mistrial after a juror improperly researched the case online, and a new jury was empaneled.
