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 The alleged incident happened in the early hours of December
30, when the limousine picked up six people including Bieber,
19, outside a Toronto nightclub, police said in a statement.
Bieber allegedly struck the limousine driver on the back of the
head several times during an altercation on the way to a hotel,
police said. The driver got out and called police, but Bieber
left before they arrived, according to the statement.
A Canadian lawyer for the pop star issued a statement that said
Bieber is innocent.
"As the matter is now before the court, it would be
inappropriate to address the specifics of either the allegation
or of the defense at this time," it said.
Bieber's legal team expects the matter will be treated as a
summary offence, the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United
States.
The pop star is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on
March 10.
Bieber was charged after appearing at a Toronto police station
on Wednesday evening. He arrived in a black SUV and was met by a
crowd of journalists and screaming fans, who braved temperatures
of minus 10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit).
Wearing a baseball cap on backwards and hooded black coat,
Bieber was mobbed by photographers and fans pushing for a closer
look as bodyguards and police officers cleared a path for him to
enter the station.
FACING FLORIDA CHARGES
Bieber has been in trouble with authorities in the United States
this month. He was charged with driving under the influence in
Miami after police say he was caught drag racing a rented
Lamborghini. Police said Bieber told them he had taken
prescription medicine, smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol.
According to court records, he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday
to those charges. If convicted, Bieber could face up to six
months in prison, although experts say he is likely to receive a
lighter sentence because it would be his first offence.
Bieber is scheduled to make a court appearance on February 14 to
formally answer those charges. He was also charged with driving
on an expired license and resisting arrest.
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 Also on Wednesday, an online petition asking the
administration of President Barack Obama to deport Bieber from the
United States following his Miami arrest passed the
100,000-signature threshold required for a White House response.
Bieber is unlikely to be deported because federal
law dictates that a visa can only be revoked or denied for a
conviction of a violent crime with a minimum one-year prison
sentence.
Bieber, a native of Ontario, Canada, first shot to fame as a child
when his mother posted YouTube videos of him singing. He became a
musical and social media sensation with a devoted following of
young, mainly female fans.
The "Boyfriend" singer's life off-stage has been
rocky in the last year with problems ranging from scuffling with
paparazzi in London to a felony investigation into whether he pelted
a neighbor's house with eggs in his gated community near Los
Angeles.
But the recent charges and other problems have not dented his appeal
with some fans, including those gathered outside the Toronto police
station on a chilly Wednesday night.
A 24-year old Toronto woman, who identified herself only as Chantal,
said when she heard about the appearance she came out to show her
support.
"I know he makes mistakes but I'll always be a fan," she said. "He's
a 19-year-old guy. I mean every 19-year-old or teenager goes through
the same struggles. It's just not amplified and it's just not shown
to everyone."
"We support you. Your Beliebers love you," she added.
(Additional reporting by Natalie
Armstrong in Toronto, Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles and Zachary
Fagenson in Miami; editing by Grant McCool and Lisa Shumaker)
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