LONDON — Singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of affray in connection with an incident at a London nightclub in February 2023, marking a significant development in a case that has spanned more than three years.

The 37-year-old musician entered the plea alongside his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 40, who also admitted to affray. Both men were involved in an altercation at Tape London nightclub, where they attacked music producer Abraham Diaw, prosecutors said.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the incident unfolded when Brown approached Diaw on the dance floor and struck him twice on the head with a glass tequila bottle. Akinlolu, an American rapper known by his stage name HoodyBaby, joined Brown in assaulting Diaw, delivering punches to his head. The attack resulted in Diaw sustaining head and knee injuries that required hospitalization.

The defendants had originally faced more serious charges, including Brown’s alleged attempt to cause grievous bodily harm. His trial on those charges had been scheduled for October. Instead, both Brown and Akinlolu agreed to plead guilty to affray—a lesser offense that involves threatening or violent behavior, carrying a maximum prison sentence of three years.

Prosecutor Claire Campbell described the assault as "vicious and unprovoked."

Following the altercation, British authorities issued arrest warrants for Brown and Akinlolu, but both men had left the country. Brown returned to the United Kingdom in 2025 for a concert in Manchester and was detained at that time. He initially pleaded not guilty in June 2025 and was released on bail set at £5 million (approximately $6.7 million), permitting him to continue his international tour while the case proceeded.

On Friday, Brown arrived at Southwark Crown Court dressed in a tan suit and wearing a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap. A group of supporters gathered outside the courthouse, playing Brown’s music and holding signs as he signed autographs before leaving the building.

Sentencing for both Brown and Akinlolu is scheduled for October.

Chris Brown, a Grammy-winning R&B singer, rose to prominence in the mid-2000s with a string of chart-topping hits. Despite his commercial success, his career has been overshadowed by various legal difficulties, including allegations of assault and previous run-ins with police. Notably, Brown was convicted of assaulting his former partner, pop star Rihanna, in 2009 and has faced other accusations of violence in the years since.