Bruno Mars Arrested On Cocaine Charge

LAS VEGAS — Rising singer-songwriter Bruno Mars was found with a bag of cocaine in a Las Vegas casino bathroom following a nightclub show over the weekend, police said Monday.

The "Just the Way You Are" crooner was arrested early Sunday after being detained by security at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Mars, whose real name is Peter Hernandez, was found with 2.6 grams of cocaine and booked into county jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, police said. He faces possible felony charges.

An aide to Clark County District Attorney David Roger in Las Vegas said the case was under review and formal charges had not been filed, though Hernandez, 24, was given a court return date of Nov. 18. The office declined further comment.

Hernandez' publicist at Atlantic Records did not immediately return messages seeking comment from The Associated Press. A hotel spokeswoman declined comment. It was not immediately clear whether Hernandez has a lawyer.

An arrest report for Hernandez said a bathroom attendant told police Hernandez was taking a long time in a stall with a bag of a white, powdered substance. The attendant alerted a security guard, who confronted Hernandez as he left the stall. The security guard said he asked Hernandez to hand over any narcotics he had, and Hernandez pulled a bag of cocaine from his left-front jeans pocket.

Hernandez was taken to a holding cell where he was questioned by an arresting officer. When asked what was going on, Hernandez replied: "Can I speak to you honestly, sir?" and said he acted foolishly and had never used drugs before, the arrest report said.

Mars performed a show Saturday night at the Hard Rock's Wasted Space nightclub. The hotel-casino is separate from the restaurant chain with the same name.

"Just the Way You Are" is currently No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He sang the hooks on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" – both chart-toppers – and co-wrote and produced Cee-Lo Green's latest expletive-laden single. Mars' debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," is scheduled for release Oct. 5.

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Associated Press writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.

Comments

[fbm10]

02:01 PM on 09/22/2010

he has an amazing voice...

[Ummm yeah]

05:00 AM on 09/22/2010

Maybe they weren't his jeans...lol

[Baltazar Pinedo]

02:26 AM on 09/22/2010

Never heard of this dude named Peter Hernandez who changed his name to Bruno Mars, Now, he will no doubt become a fucking household name, as we sit at our stations, clamoring for more news about his felony drug arrest and react in shock when a judge repeatedly throws books at him between stints in rehabilitation clinics. Oh, dude I would never have heard of, I am so thankful for the felony drug arrest that brought you into my life and promise before God to call repeatedly, nay, INCESSANTLY to vote for you when you appear on Dancing With the Stars. Keep rocking BRUNO MARS! You are a role-model to America's youth who are asking their mommies tonight, "Where does Bruno Mars stand on DADT?"

[20DYNAMITE07]

09:54 PM on 09/21/2010

Two things...

Did we go back in time to the 1980's??? It seems like it's been one cocaine arrest after another recently...

Also... who the Eff smiles in their mug-shot?

[calindi]

11:23 PM on 09/21/2010

I getcha...I prefer my mugshots of the Nick Nolte variety, but you can't win 'em all.
Again...what's with the blow?  I thought all the kids were on vicodin or propofol.

But now I'm feeling mean, so I'll stop.  ;)

[wonketteRAWKS]

06:18 PM on 09/22/2010

Dude after a few lines you'd smile too!

[mukTech]

03:21 PM on 09/21/2010

Legalize it!! Legalize it!!

I went to a Wailers concert here in DC this summer, and at one point everyone started screaming "Legalize it, legalize it, ..." over and over again. LOLs
"The Wailers" is Bob Marley's band that still plays with his sister and a couple of brothers I think. So fun. Legalize it, legalize it!! LOLs

[westreal]

02:57 PM on 09/21/2010

Is this the drug of choice for stars? I mean like, when you become famous must you take c0cain or risk not being successful?

[BlindChance]

02:55 PM on 09/21/2010

This guy has a very nice singing voice, and seems to be a good-natured person. I hope he gets proper help for his drug abuse.

[garrettspopcorn]

02:29 PM on 09/21/2010

WOW!! AND ALL PARIS GOT WAS A SLAP IN THE HAND. SMH

[princessmischka]

03:58 PM on 09/21/2010

That's because she had less than a gram, he had 2.6 grams. Sentences are based on the amount that someone is in possession of at the time of the arrest.

[garrettspopcorn]

02:26 PM on 09/21/2010

WHO THE HELL IS THAT?

[JtownesquireAgain]

02:14 PM on 09/21/2010

Was Paris Hilton in the club?

[castleoninfinity]

02:08 PM on 09/21/2010

Those bathroom attendants are really spies huh!! No privacy in restroom stalls anymore!!

[Jannella]

11:55 AM on 09/21/2010

What an idiot.  He should have just gone to his hotel room.  Oh, wait, I remember being in college and being in the bathroom at a bar doing coke, and I didn't even like coke.  Thank God, my idiotic youthful indiscretions didn't land me in jail.  If I tried to explain to my parents I just did it just because it was offered to me by friends and that I don't even like drugs (not even pot) that would have pissed them off even more that I did it and now costing them a fortune in legal bills.

[TomInJax]

12:28 PM on 09/21/2010

In the early 80's when I did that stuff, the cops would have taken your stash (for themselves) and sent you on your way.

[DandaPanda]

03:39 PM on 09/21/2010

if you lived in Miami...

[washlib]

11:27 AM on 09/21/2010

yeppers..2.5 g of cocaine makes him a CRIMINAL!

Time to end ALL arrests for personal use amounts of ANY substance. NOW!

[ontariogirl]

09:48 AM on 09/21/2010

Someone lent him the bag.

[lexingtonKY]

09:36 AM on 09/21/2010

People will be staying away from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Next, restroom attendants will be reporting penis sizes and strength of your stream!