Cops Probe Alleged Brit-and-Run

Fri., Nov. 2, 2007 3:52 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

Britney Spears has enough trouble with the long arm of the law. Now, she has to deal with its foot.

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed to E! News it is investigating a claim that the Blackout artist ran over the foot of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy while fleeing the courthouse following last week's custody hearing.

"We are aware that Britney Spears was leaving the courthouse," said an LAPD spokesperson. "We are also aware that a deputy was injured. We're unable to confirm the details of the incident or the deputy's injuries, as the investigation is in the initial stages."

The newly licensed Spears was obviously distraught following her ill-fated presentation before a court commissioner. Accompanied by professional sidekick Alli Sims, Spears wheeled her white Mercedes convertible out of a courthouse loading dock and attempted to navigate through a throng a paparazzi, with several deputies trying to keep order.

E! News video footage of Spears exiting the court doesn't conclusively show the alleged foot fault.

There was no immediate word from the Sheriff's Department on the identity of the stricken law enforcer, other than that it was a woman who suffered "minor to moderate" injuries. TMZ reports the deputy is currently on crutches and has been reassigned to light duty.

Spears, 25, has apparently taken her "Hit me, baby, one more time" mantra to heart of late. Aside from the courthouse incident, Spears plowed over the paw of a shutterbug Oct. 18. While the foot-flattening mishap was captured on film, the paparazzo chose not to press charges.

Following Friday's hearing, Los Angeles County Commissioner Scott M. Gordon denied Spears' request to reinstate her full custody rights for sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. Ironically enough, Gordon first rescinded those rights last month, in part because of the singer's lack of a valid driver's license. She has since obtained one.

In his ruling issued Tuesday, Gordon let Kevin Federline retain primary physical custody of the boys but did allow Spears two monitored daytime visits and one overnight per week.

It was a small victory for the pop star, who on Thursday was slapped with yet another lawsuit, this time from former manager Johnny Wright, who claims the "Gimme More" singer breached her longtime contract with his management team and stiffed him of $15,000 in commissions.