00:00 Officials were called to the Southern California home of Britney Spears on Wednesday to conduct
00:05 a wellness check after the singer posted a video on social media depicting her dancing
00:10 with knives.
00:11 "Someone close to Spears called authorities genuinely concerned about her well-being,"
00:16 Ventura County Sheriff's Office Captain Dean Worthy told CNN.
00:20 "Some would argue this is her expressing her creative freedom, and some might argue
00:25 this is dangerous and there's a safety issue or mental health concern," said Worthy,
00:31 but authorities opted to check on the singer's well-being due to the initial call from someone
00:35 close to Spears.
00:37 CNN has reached out to a representative for Spears for comment.
00:41 The initial call from the Spears associate, whom authorities are not naming, was to the
00:46 Los Angeles Police Department Mental Health Assessment Team, which then referred the call
00:51 to the sheriff's office, said Worthy.
00:54 The sheriff's office dispatched a sergeant who has had multiple prior contacts with Ms.
00:59 Spears over the course of many years and who had rapport with the singer, to the star's
01:04 home in Thousand Oaks, California, to check on her well-being, said Worthy.
01:10 The sergeant arrived at the Spears' home, Worthy said, and was contacted over an entrance
01:15 intercom by a member of Spears' security team.
01:18 The sergeant explained he was there based on information, Spears, may be experiencing
01:24 a potential mental health crisis or in danger of self-harm, said Worthy.
01:29 The singer's head of security told the sergeant he was with Spears, there was no threat to
01:34 her safety, and the singer did not want deputies to enter the property.
01:38 Worthy said Spears' attorney also called the sergeant, explained he had just spoken with
01:44 the singer, and assured him there were no issues with Ms. Spears mentally, physically,
01:49 or otherwise.
01:50 On Monday, Spears shared video of herself dancing with what appears to be two metal
01:55 kitchen knives on Instagram.
01:57 She later updated the post with the caption, "I started playing in the kitchen with knives
02:02 today," later adding, "Don't worry they are not real knives.
02:06 Halloween is soon."
02:08 After receiving assurances from two independent parties that Spears was not in danger, Worthy
02:13 said the sergeant departed the residence.
02:16 In January, Spears was the subject of another wellness check, when she said prank phone
02:21 calls prompted police to visit her home.
02:24 The singer posted a note to Twitter at the time in which she addressed the police visit
02:28 and said, "I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy
02:34 was invaded."
02:36 Spears went on to specify that the police never entered her home and that once they
02:40 arrived, they quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.
02:45 The singer lamented that the incident left her feeling "gaslit and bullied" and that
02:49 she was being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media.
02:54 "During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much
02:59 about can respect my privacy moving forward," she wrote.
03:03 In an emailed statement to CNN in January, Sgt.
03:07 Jason Carroll from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the department had received
03:13 some calls from concerned fans after Spears deleted her Instagram account.
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