Stepfather Speaks Out About Chris Brown's Alleged Assault

Tue, 10 February 2009 21:29:33 ET

Stepfather Speaks Out About Chris Brown's Alleged Assault
© Hubert Boesl/Newscom

Chris Brown's former stepfather, Donnelle Hawkins, has spoken out about the singer's Sunday arrest for allegedly assaulting his rumored girlfriend Rihanna. Hawkins said the 19-year-old star must "take responsibility" for the incident.

"He (Chris) has to take responsibility for his own actions," his stepfather said. When asked if he believed reports about the alleged incident involving Chris were true, Hawkins responded, "I wouldn't be surprised."

In a 2007 interview with GIANT magazine, Chris revealed he told his mom, when he was 11, that he would go to jail for killing his allegedly abusive stepfather. "He used to hit my mom... He made me terrified all the time," the "Kiss Kiss" singer told the magazine. "I remember one night he made her nose bleed. I was crying and thinking, 'I'm just gonna go crazy on him one day...' I hate him to this day."

But his stepfather denied the abuse claims. "There was a lot of arguing between his mom and I. I never raised a hand at his mom," Hawkins said. "We (Brown's mother and I) argued frequently... As far as physical abuse there was no physical abuse."

"I spanked Chris one time," Hawkins added. "I became the bad guy. Chris was really mad at his mom for leaving his dad, so I became the scapegoat. No matter how much I tried to be a father figure nothing worked."

Meanwhile, Chris Brown will no longer be involved in the "Got Milk" ads as the campaign ends this week. "The Milk Mustache campaign is taking the allegations against Chris Brown very seriously," the company says. "We are very proud and protective of the image of the Milk Mustache campaign and the responsible message it sends to teens. Mr. Brown's ad was launched last fall and is scheduled to end this week."