Listen Live
Fantastic Voyage Generic Graphics Updated Nov 2023
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
El DeBarge

Source: Monica Morgan / Getty

Five-time Grammy-nominated singer El DeBarge has once again found himself in trouble with law enforcement. According to TMZ, the singer was arrested on drugs and weapons charges in Burbank, California.

RELATED: Chico DeBarge Arrested For Drug Possession, Motorhome Impounded

RELATED: Tommy DeBarge Of R&B Group Switch Passes Away At 64

DeBarge was detailed at a local gas station on Sunday (January 8) around 3:40 a.m. Police on the scene initially noticed DeBarge’s vehicle had expired tags but discovered an expandable metal baton in the car, considered an illegal weapon in California. Police then began to search the vehicle, where they found pepper spray and narcotics they suspected to be heroin.

The singer was also driving with an expired license and was eventually charged with possession of a leaded cane or baton, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, among other charges.

He posted a $25,000 bond and is due back in court in March.

DeBarge Family Issues

El DeBarge has had a long history of battles with addiction throughout his career. In 2018, the singer was arrested and charged with felony vandalism after allegedly destroying a man’s windshield with a wrench after an argument. Before then, he’d been arrested in 2006 and 2012 on drug possession charges.

The DeBarge family has suffered setbacks in recent years. Youngest brother Chico DeBarge was arrested in 2021 on meth possession charges and was previously arrested in 2007, 2019, and 2021 on similar drug possession charges. That same year, Tommy DeBarge passed away from liver and kidney failure.“And so it is that on October 21, 2021, I had to say farewell to one of the greatest bass guitarists this world has ever known, and I am grieved as I confirm to you that my brother, Thomas Keith DeBarge, passed away,” El DeBarge wrote on Instagram about his brother’s passing. “My dear brother Tommy finally made his transition after a lengthy illness. Tommy was a loving, gentle soul and a beloved son, husband, father, grandfather and one of the best brothers anyone could ever ask for. His legacy will live on in the hearts of all those who love him so much and in the beautiful music he created.”