Chris Brown draws crowds to yard sale
TARZANA » “First come first served,” the announcement read. And did they ever.
Long before its 10 a.m. start time, the line was hundreds long for Grammy award-winning singer Chris Brown’s yard sale Wednesday at his Tarzana home, “featuring significantly marked-down high end designer items.”
From 10 a.m.-7 p.m., his San Fernando Valley home had drawn customers from all over the region, some who’d spent the night to get an early step onto a pop star’s property, and ultimately, to buy items like shoes or a jacket that he owned. It was unclear if Brown, 30, was home during the sale.
The line outside the house included hundreds of wouldbe buyers and gawkers by late morning. Brown’s security staff staggered entry into the property, which was off-limits to a swarm of media outside.
The singer’s security guards kept a watchful eye, as did Los Angeles police officers on the scene. A police helicopter circled overhead.
Only 20 people at a time were allowed to go inside, and getting to the front of the line meant you could spend 10 minutes at Brown’s yard sale. As customers walked out, people still standing in line yelled: “What did you see?!” “What did you get?” “How much did you pay?” Many in line were young people, even teens.
Two girls who came out said there are thousands of items for sale, all under $100. Another man said he’d paid a little more than $100 for something. Some buyers were not happy.
“There’s a lot of stuff, and it’s hard to go through it,” one said.
Steve Guillermo of Anaheim made the journey. He’d heard about the sale on social media and drove with a friend to the area, where they spent the night. He left with three jackets and some sweaters.
In 2009, Brown was accused by his singer girlfriend, Rihanna, of brutally beating her as they drove away from a party the night before the Grammy Awards.
Photos later released showed bruises and swelling on Rihanna’s face.
Brown later claimed Rihanna threw a phone at him, began yelling at him, tried to kick him, then hit him.