Detroit native and R&B singer Teairra Mari was arrested for drunk driving in Beverly Hills, according to a news release obtained by MLive.com.
At about 3 a.m. Pacific time Friday morning, officers from the Beverly Hills Police Department responded to a two-vehicle collision on Santa Monica Boulevard. Mari, whose real name is Teairra Marquisha Thomas, was a driver in one of the vehicles, which had no other passengers. The other vehicle also contained only one driver. No one was injured at the crash, according to BHPD.
According to officers, Thomas showed signs of intoxication and was arrested. During the arrest, officers say, she “became combative, resulting in a minor cut to the hand of one of the arresting officers.” Thomas was also charged with assault of a police officer. Police say they are still investigating the incident. She was released from the Los Angeles County Jail this afternoon after posting a $50,000 bail, and is scheduled to appear at Beverly Hills Municipal Court on Tuesday.
Thomas, a graduate of Detroit School of Arts (then known as Detroit School of Fine and Performing Arts), hit the music scene in 2005 under the tutelage of Jay-Z and scored a summer R&B hit with “Make Her Feel Good.” After underwhelming album sales, Mari was dropped from Jay’s Roc-A-Fella Records and eventually ventured into acting, with a minor role in last year’s “Lottery Ticket” alongside fellow Michigander Brandon T. Jackson.
Thomas had been striking out on a musical comeback in recent months; she had released several mixtapes and songs (see here, here, here and here) and had been developing a project with top producer Rico Love. Her last charting single was “Sponsor,” a minor R&B hit last year.
