Four paparazzi arrested after chasing Britney Spears

Britney Spears drives her Mercedes-Benz with her assistant Alli Simms (L) as she leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse garage after a child custody hearing with her ex-husband regarding her two sons in Los Angeles, California October 26, 2007. Four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after a late night car chase of Spears on the outskirts of Los Angeles, police said on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after a late night car chase of pop star Britney Spears on the outskirts of Los Angeles, police said on Thursday.

Los Angeles police spokeswoman Sara Faden said the four were among a group of paparazzi seen driving at high speed in the Mission Hills area of the city around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday on the trail of the troubled singer.

"Britney Spears was part of the group, but was not driving recklessly," Faden said. She said four men were booked for reckless driving and each ordered to put up $5,000 bail.

According to the celebrity Web site www.TMZ.com, Spears told police that one of the cars, which she could not identify, may have tried to run her off the road.

Spears, 26, has been trailed by paparazzi day and night for several months as her personal and professional life has fallen apart following her divorce from Kevin Federline and bitter battles over the custody of her two children.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, editing by Alan Elsner)