CNN –
On Wednesday, officers were called to Britney Spears’ Southern California home to conduct a wellness check after the singer posted a video of herself dancing with knives on social media.
Someone close to Spears called authorities “really concerned about her well-being,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Captain Dean Worthy told CNN.
“Some would argue that this is her expressing her creative freedom, others could argue that this is dangerous and there is a safety issue or a mental health issue,” Worthy said, but authorities decided based on the initial call. to check on the singer’s well-being someone close to Spears.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Spears for comment.
The first call from the Spears associate, who authorities are not naming, was to the Los Angeles Police Department’s mental health assessment team, which then forwarded the call to the sheriff’s office, Worthy said.
The sheriff’s office sent a sergeant who “had multiple contacts with Ms. Spears over many years” and had a good relationship with the singer to the star’s home in Thousand Oaks, California, to check on her well-being, Worthy said.
The sergeant arrived at Spears’ home, Worthy said, and was contacted via an intercom at the entrance by a member of Spears’ security team. The sergeant “stated that he was there based on information [Spears] “You may be in a potential mental health crisis or at risk of self-harm,” Worthy said.
The singer’s head of security told the sergeant that he was with Spears, that there was no threat to her safety and that the singer did not want the officers on the property. Worthy said Spears’ attorney also called the sergeant, “explaining that he had just spoken to the singer” and “assuring him that there are no problems with Ms. Spears, mental, physical or otherwise.”
On Monday, Spears shared a video on Instagram of herself dancing with what appeared to be two metal kitchen knives. She later updated the post with the caption: “I started playing with knives in the kitchen today” and later added: “Don’t worry they are NOT real knives!!! It’s almost Halloween!”
After receiving assurances from two independent parties that Spears was not in danger, Worthy said the sergeant left the residence.
In January, Spears was the subject of another wellness investigation when she said “prank calls” prompted police to visit her home.
The singer posted a note on Twitter at the time addressing the police visit, saying: “I love and adore my fans, but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was violated.”
Spears went on to say that police “never entered” her home and that when they arrived, she “quickly realized there was no problem and left immediately.”
The singer complained that the incident made her feel “upset and bullied” and that she was “once again portrayed in a bad and unfair light by the media.”
“At this time in my life, I truly hope that the public and my fans, who are so important to me, can respect my privacy in the future,” she wrote.
In an email statement to CNN in January, Sgt. Jason Karol of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the department “received a number of calls from concerned fans” after Spears deleted her Instagram account.