Robyn Fenty, popularly known as Rihanna, is reportedly cooperating with police in the investigation in the horrific assault she reportedly suffered at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown. More details are slowly emerging about the alleged assault, including reports from TMZ that unnamed law enforcement sources described Rihanna’s injuries as “horrific.” Photos of the wounds reportedly show major contusions on both sides of the 20-year-old singer’s face, with serious swelling and bruising, including a split lip and a bloody nose, as well as bite marks on one of her arms and several fingers.

TMZ also reported that Rihanna initially refused treatment at the scene, but allowed police to take photos of her injuries before being transported to the hospital. The Los Angeles Police Department, citing rules to protect the victims of domestic violence, would not confirm that Rihanna was the victim in the case, but she has been named by a number of media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, which broke with its editorial policy because of what it described as the high-profile nature of the case, according to HuffingtonPost.com.

Radar Online reported that an unnamed eyewitness saw Rihanna being treated for injuries at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Sunday.

“Rihanna was brought through the back entrance on a gurney, flanked by two LAPD officers,” the source said. “It was impossible to know it was her at first because when they wheeled her past me, she had the hood on her fuchsia-colored sweatshirt tightly drawn round her face and she was wearing big brown sunglasses. … I knew the person was famous because of all the attention she was being given by security and medical staff.”

The witness said the curtain was not drawn the entire time and they were able to confirm that it was Rihanna and that she was interviewed by police for nearly an hour. “Rihanna was clearly very upset by what had happened and I could hear her screaming,” the eyewitness said. “Rihanna was trying to get her point across about something; she sounded like she was crying as she tried to get to put her point across.”

Brown reportedly fled the scene of the incident on foot with the keys to the rented silver Lamborghini the couple was driving in following the alleged attack, leaving Rihanna “beaten really badly and hysterical” by the side of the road, a source told E! Online. “Rihanna didn’t want anyone to touch her, she was in so much pain,” the source said. A member of the 20-year-old’s “inner circle” told E! that Rihanna’s family is making plans to get her out of Los Angeles. “They want to get her back to Barbados. They want to keep her away from Chris right now.”

Brown was booked on felony criminal threats on Sunday and released on $50,000 bail. He could reportedly face additional domestic-violence counts should the district attorney decide to press charges; the D.A.’s office has not yet received the case for review. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 5.

Domestic violence is a serious problem that shows no signs of ever abating. It is my hope that this young lady will not resist assisting in the investigation. Chris Brown, if he is proven guilty of this horrific charge, needs to be punished for what he did. There is no reason for a man to raise his hand to strike a woman. I don’t care what his background is, it is just wrong and criminal. What is sad is that these two people are so young and this type of violence is startling. There are so many other faceless victims whose cases fly under the radar.

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