Justin Bieber bodyguard charged with felony for taking paparazzi's camera

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A judge set a $15,000 bond Wednesday for a member of Justin Bieber's security team accused of stealing a high-priced camera from the car of a paparazzo outside a Sandy Springs arcade.
 
Hugo Hesny, 32, faces felony robbery by sudden snatching charges, Sandy Springs Police told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.
 
Photographer Jason Winslow called 911 to report the theft.
 
"I just had one of Justin Bieber's bodyguards take my camera out of my car," Winslow told a dispatcher outside the Sandy Springs Funhouse on Roswell Road.  "That camera is probably close to $9,000."
 
Police later found the camera in an Escalade parked at the Northside Drive home where Bieber is staying. Investigators said Hesny admitted to taking the camera.  After a brief court hearing Wednesday, Hesny's attorney, Andrew Schwartz, had no comment.
 
Maria Hall witnessed the incident from an adjacent thrift shop.
 
"There was four police cars surrounding the Escalade," she told Petchenik.
 
Hall said everywhere the pop star goes turns into a "spectacle," and she's concerned it could escalate into something worse.
 
"I think he needs to move back to Hollywood, not to Atlanta," she said.  "It's just chaos and potentially could be dangerous if it's a chase."
 
Police told Petchenik they'll treat this case as they would any other, and are warning paparazzo who follow Bieber around to "stay within the confines of the law."
 
A call to Winslow was not returned Wednesday.
 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution entertainment writer Jennifer Brett said celebrities are always in Atlanta filming movies, and that's attracted more paparazzi than ever before.  She said most movie stars and musicians fly under the radar.
 
"These guys are busy, they do their work and get on out of town," she said.  "Not so with the 'Biebs.'"
 
Brett said Bieber came to Atlanta to reconnect with his mentors and will hopefully stay out of trouble.
 
"I'm convinced his 20^th birthday will be a quiet, tranquil affair, perhaps spent in contemplative prayer," she said.

WSBTV