Los Angeles Police Department officials on Friday were interviewing officers and scouring electronic records amid growing suspicion that someone inside the department leaked or sold to a celebrity website a photo of the singer Rihanna that depicted injuries to her face she suffered during an alleged assault by her boyfriend.
Police officials said it appears the photo is part of the LAPD's ongoing investigation of Chris Brown, the pop star who allegedly assaulted the singer in the early morning the day of the Grammy Awards two weeks ago.
"At this stage, it is reasonable to believe this is the type of photo taken in a police department domestic violence investigation," said Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger. "We are obligated to protect the victims of domestic violence. The investigation will determine who had access and who was present that day during the process. We will leave no stone unturned to identify who did this or to refute that this was a photo from the Police Department."
In similar comments Friday, Police Chief William J. Bratton said it would be "an embarrassment to this department" if an employee was responsible for the leak. He said any officer or department employee who is found to have leaked the photo will face discipline, including possible termination.
Despite intense, global interest spurred by breathless coverage in tabloids and entertainment publications, the LAPD has not named Rihanna -- whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty -- as the woman in the attack, citing state laws that protect the identity of assault victims.
The popular, no-holds-barred website TMZ.com, which has established itself as one of the Internet's leading purveyors of all things salacious and celebrity, posted the disturbing photo late Thursday evening. The close-up of the singer's face shows her with bruises and cuts on her forehead, lips and eyes.
Its appearance set off a frenzy of interest as countless media outlets linked readers to the photo and thousands of people posted comments to the TMZ site regarding the photo.
The LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are ever grappling with the challenge of keeping investigations involving celebrities confidential. The problem has grown only worse with the meteoric rise of celebrity gossip websites, which have joined traditional tabloids and paparazzi agencies in the cutthroat industry of airing stars' dirty laundry. TMZ's coming out party came in summer 2006 when it obtained a leaked Sheriff's Department arrest report detailing the abusive, anti-Semitic rants of actor Mel Gibson after he was taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving. The Sheriff's Department conducted an intensive investigation into the breach, though there has been no conclusion.
