R&B singer Chris Brown has been charged with assault following an alleged attack on his pop-star girlfriend Rihanna in Los Angeles last month, prosecutors said Thursday.
Brown, 19, is to appear in court later Thursday for arraignment on the charges which came after he allegedly subjected Barbados-born "Umbrella" singer Rihanna to a beating in the early hours of February 8.

The incident shocked the music world and left Rihanna nursing cuts and bruises to her face, forcing her to cancel a scheduled performance at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles later that day.

Brown is charged with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats, a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said.
Speculation had mounted over whether Brown would face charges over the incident after he and Rihanna reportedly reconciled over the weekend.

Brown had issued an apology for the incident on February 15, saying he was "sorry and saddened" by the events and that he was seeking the counseling of his pastor, family and friends.

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," Brown said in the statement.

"I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."

Although the Los Angeles Police Department has steadfastly refused to divulge specifics in the case, several details of Brown's alleged attack have leaked into the media in the weeks since.

Fox 11 News in Los Angeles reported it had obtained a copy of a detectives' affidavit that described in graphic detail how Brown had attacked his girlfriend as they drove home from a party in Brown's rented Lamborghini.

The affidavit said the attack was triggered after Rihanna had read out a text message from an unidentified woman found on Brown's phone.

The singer is reported to have slammed Rihanna's head against the window of the car before repeatedly punching and biting her.

When Rihanna called her assistant to alert police, Brown raged: "You did the stupidest thing ever. I'm going to kill you" before putting the singer in a headlock so severe she nearly lost consciousness, according to the report.