Britney Spears has shared a heartbreaking post in the wake of being hit in the face by a security guard for NBA star Victor Wembanyama.
News broke on Thursday (June 6) that the 41-year-old singer filed a police report after she was allegedly slapped by the security guard while out for dinner at Catch restaurant in Las Vegas with her husband Sam Asghari.
The 'Toxic' star had attempted to approach NBA star Wembanyama to ask for a photo and tapped him on the shoulder, when Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs - the team that had drafted the 19-year-old just the previous month - slapped her, causing her glasses to fall off her face.
Wembanyama claimed that Spears had "grabbed" him, causing his security to react - however, footage that was shared after the news went public appears to back up Spears' account that she actually only tapped him.
In footage obtained by TMZ and shared by The Shade Room, Spears is seen hurrying to catch up to Wembanyama while saying: "Sir! Sir!"
The singer is seen reaching an arm out in front of her to tap the player, as his security quickly swats her away, making contact with her face, as one of the group yells out: "Woah, that's Britney Spears!"
Spears has addressed the incident publicly several times since the news broke, revealing that she has never seen security deal with a fan in such a manner despite spending decades in the limelight and experiencing megastardom herself.
She appeared to allude to the incident as well as recent hardships in her life with her most recent post, as she appealed to God to ask when she would smile again.
Spears shared a quote post reading: "You will smile again," before heartbreakingly adding in the caption: "When's that God???"
Following the incident, Smith is said to have approached Spears at her table in Catch to apologize and mentioned the pressures of fan attention, saying: "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans."
TMZ claimed Spears accepted his apology, but her team made a decision to escalate the matter by lodging a formal complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department, accusing the security guard of battery, however, the investigation was later closed without any charges being filed.
Spears also took to Instagram to address the incident, writing: "I’ve been working in the industry for years and have been with some of the most famous people in the world … NSYNC at one point were like The Beatles … girls would throw themselves at them everywhere we went … not one time in my life has a security guard ever hit another person!!!
"I’m not sharing this to be a victim … I SIMPLY GET IT HONESTLY … my reaction was priceless … BAD??? YES … I’ve had documentaries done about me and none of which I approved … I have felt helpless in most situations and my experience in Vegas and my reaction was a cry out on all levels … I will say it!!!"
She continued: "No, I don’t feel like I have been treated as an equal person in this country … of course when I watched the video myself … the people who actually swarmed around me when they heard me get hit made me feel like I mattered!!!
"I wasn’t aware of that at the time … all people could hear was me saying f**k you all … which was WAY BETTER THAN HITTING HIM BACK!!!
"Either way I’m still a huge fan of the NBA player … it’s not his fault his security hit me … s**t happens!!! I hope you're all having a wonderful Friday!!!"