All questions about his musical talent aside, it's tough not to feel some sympathy for Justin Bieber here. The teen pop star/demigod was pulled over and cited yesterday for driving in a "reckless manner" on an LA freeway. The catch: he was being chased by paparazzi.

Bieber admitted to doing 80 — a very low estimate — while he cut into the slow lane and onto the shoulder of the freeway. California Highway Patrol officers did see at least one other car tailing Bieber, but that vehicle conveniently sped off when Bieber was pulled over.

City Councilman Dennis Zine, who was an LAPD motor cop for 18 years, was one of 10 people who called 911 to report the erratic driving. Zine thinks Bieber was doing closer to 100, and he's got the expertise to back that up.

Zine acknowledged that paparazzi were partially at fault, but he still thinks Bieber shouldn't have sped. He told the LA Times, "Any time you do 90, the paparazzi are going to do 90."

So what should Bieber have done exactly? Driving like an asshole isn't a solution, but this does feel like a lose-lose situation. And as Zine noted, the whole incident sounds awfully familiar — except this time it didn't end in death.

Maybe we can just make celebrities in cars off limits. That seems like a reasonable compromise. No one, celebrity or innocent bystander, wants to get caught in the middle of a high-speed paparazzi chase.

[Image via WENN.com]