Justin Bieber fans have been known to threaten the life of his girlfriend Selena Gomez and even a random girl who tore down her Bieber posters, so it’s no surprise that they’re lashing out at the man who brutally attacked the singer outside Macy’s today. Except, the guy was actually a cop. And it’s possible he never laid a hand on the Bieb.
Shortly after the attack, TMZ reported that the “crazed fan” who attacked Bieber was actually an undercover police officer trying to protect him. Now a NYPD spokesperson has told Hollywood Reporter that there actually was no attack:
“One of his bodyguards failed to follow lawful order,” the spokesperson explains, citing an order to move.
“[Bieber] was not even touched,” he adds. “The only person touched was the bodyguard.”
“This was a momentary, well-intentioned misunderstanding that was quickly resolved,” a rep for the singer tells THR. “The event went very well.”
Of course this didn’t stop “Beliebers” from identifying the police officer as “Tom Petterson” and proceeding to harass anyone by that name online. It seems the name surfaced on Twitter, and there’s no credible information that suggests he’s even been in the presence of JB. Nevertheless, “Tom Petterson” quickly became a trending topic on Twitter. His address and phone number were posted online, along with photos of him. The dude has a lot of range:
There are various Tweets along the lines of “dear, Tom Petterson if you dont kill yourself, 31 million beliebers will do it for you. so i suggest you do it asap.” There are also Facebook groups that note Petterson should “watch his back” or “enjoy his last hours.” If you want to participate in Petterson’s demise, you’ll have to make a choice. You can either RSVP to “Beliebers Attacking Tom Petterson,” which will take place on Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., or go with the “KILLING OF TOM PETTERSON.” I’d go with the latter, as you can choose to take him out anytime between June 23 at 12:30 a.m. and October 23 at 12:30 a.m. (Eastern Time, I’d assume.)
Maybe this is a just a generational thing, but I still don’t understand how devotion to Bieber so easily transfers into murderous rage. When I was 14, I suppose I would have screamed if I was in the presence of my celebrity crush. Unfortunately, Fox Mulder didn’t do much touring. If I had access to Twitter, I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t have thought to send death threats to Tea Leoni. But perhaps I’m being unfair to the kiddies. I guess I could have been pressured into menacing Special Agent Monica Reyes online if my friends were doing it. Is the dark side of teenybopper fandom something that developed in the last decade, or were girls in the ’60s sending messages with letters cut out of magazines to Linda McCartney?
Justin Bieber Attack Reports: ‘He Was Not Even Touched’ [Hollywood Reporter]
Misunderstanding Turns Justin Bieber’s “Attacker” Tom Petterson Into The Most Hated Man On Twitter [CBS News]
Earlier: Man Jumps Barrier, Attacks Justin Bieber In Manhattan
Teen Girl Gets Death Threats From Bieber’s Global Army
Twitter Offers A Rich Variety Of Selena Gomez Death Threats