Pop star Justin Bieber has waved to fans as he left a US court where he faced a drink driving charge (DUI) after police caught him drag racing in Miami Beach.
Police said Bieber was racing a rented yellow Lamborghini on a residential street when he was arrested shortly after 4am local time on Thursday - allegedly after drinking and smoking marijuana.
Beach Police Chief Raymond Martinez told reporters that Bieber was incoherent at the time of his arrest, and was unable to produce a valid driver's licence.
Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, Bieber appeared in a Florida courtroom several hours later, where a judge ordered him held on $US2500 ($A2800) bond.
He left jail a short time later, waving to fans while sitting atop his sport utility vehicle (SUV).
Beyond the DUI charge, he also faces charges of resisting arrest and driving with an expired licence.
Police released two mug shots of Bieber - he is smiling and slightly bleary-eyed in one, more serious in the other - as well as video footage of the arrest.
A police report revealed that the teenager failed a sobriety test.
An "odour of alcohol" was detected on Bieber's breath, he had "bloodshot eyes" and made "slow deliberate movements," the report said.
Authorities said Bieber also was uncooperative and verbally abusive during his arrest, hurling obscenities at police, and initially refusing to exit his vehicle.
News reports said Bieber admitted to police that he had consumed alcohol, taken prescription medications and smoked marijuana.
Bieber's publicists told AFP they had no comment.
Miami Beach police said they also arrested Bieber's friend, the rapper Khalil Amir Sharieff, and charged him with driving under the influence.
Sharieff reportedly had been driving a red Ferrari while racing against Bieber's yellow Lamborghini.
Police at first were hard-pressed to halt Bieber, given the speed at which he was travelling.
"When the cars are going that fast, it takes a while to catch up," said Martinez.
The police report said that he was travelling close to 95 kilometres per hour, about twice the posted speed on the residential street.
The pop star's crew reportedly blocked off the road with their SUVs to create an improvised drag strip.
The drag racing incident is just the latest in a series of recent negative headlines for Bieber, who has sold more than 12 million albums since emerging on the music scene in 2009 as a schoolboy sensation.
Just last week, police searched Bieber's Los Angeles mansion over an egg-throwing attack, seized illegal drugs and arrested one of the singer's associates.
The Canadian teen idol was accused of causing thousands of dollars in damage to a neighbour's house after pelting it with eggs.
He also attracted criticism on a recent tour of Australia after allegedly spraying graffiti on a hotel wall.
