Oops, She Did It Again!

Miami Beach has two sets of laws -- one for Britney Spears, one for the rest of us

Comments (0) By Brett Sokol Thursday, Apr 25 2002

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Let's say I'm sitting inside crobar and I spy Britney Spears right next to me, knocking back a magnum of Cristal. Being an upstanding citizen, I whip out my cell phone and alert the police department. Would an officer rush to the VIP room?

"We always respond," Hernandez replies. "We would send somebody there and at the very least have the person leave the establishment. We would then either cite the club or arrest whoever served her alcohol. It might not always be the bartender. I'm over 21. If I go buy a drink and give it to Britney Spears, I'm the one who's liable now."

Crobar's bouncers keep the under-21 set out on the sidewalk -- unless you're famous

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Quickly warming to the scenario, Hernandez continues with a laugh: "I don't see Britney Spears going up to the bartender directly. Unfortunately you and I have to go get our own drinks. But whoever in Britney's little entourage got the drinks would be responsible under a state statute -- that's arrestable."

Did dealing with pop stars ever come up at the police academy?

"No," Hernandez chuckles, mimicking a stern police instructor: "This girl with blond hair is Britney, this one is Christina Aguilera." But he concludes on a serious note.

"The law is black and white," he says of the Beach's ordinance barring nightclub entry to those under 21. And while Hernandez declined to specifically name any spots currently under investigation, he warned, "If a club is giving famous people special treatment, then they're rolling the dice. If they're willing to pay the price for letting someone violate the ordinance, then they're going to pay the price."