More awful details about Chris Brown's alleged attack on Rihanna: Rihanna reportedly told police her boyfriend and fellow R&B star threatened her life, then choked her to unconsciousness.

That's what "a source close to the investigation" is telling E!, at least. The same source said Rihanna had a black eye and hand prints on her arms when discovered by police in Brown's car Sunday night — a bit less extreme than the "bite marks" described by TMZ's sources, but still terrible.

Brown, on his way home from a pre-Grammys party at Clive Davis' house, purportedly pulled his silver Lamborghini over to the side of the road during an argument with Rihanna. According to E!'s source, he became especially enraged when Rihanna grabbed his keys and threw them out the car's window.

If even half this stuff is true, Brown is a non-entity for a good long while, professionally. If it's not, then someone is doing a hell of a job smearing Chris Brown across so many publications.