Chris Brown's Charges Reduced

Chris Brown's felony assault charge has been lowered to a misdemeanour assault.

Brown and his bodyguard were arrested after they were allegedly involved in a fight outside the W Hotel in Washington, DC, in the early hours of Sunday morning (27.10.13), but the star has now been

released and the crime has been classed as less serious, according to TMZ.

Brown was let go without bail by the Washington police department and his charges have been reduced to a misdemeanour assault rather than felony assault. His bodyguard's charges were also reduced.

In a courtroom on Monday (28.10.13), the singer pleaded not guilty to the crime, which reportedly resulted in his victim suffering a broken nose.

The judge in the case decided the star needn't undergo a drug test, which is often a formality in these cases, but has ordered him to stay at least 100 yards away from the victim.

The fight is thought to have broken out at around 4.30am on Sunday morning and it's alleged Brown attacked the man when he and a friend attempted to insert themselves in a picture he was taking with two females.

The star allegedly said, "I'm not down with that gay s**t, I'm into boxing", and then hit the man in the nose.