Chris Brown accused of punching photographer in nightclub brawl

According to TMZ

Chris Brown had a paid nightclub appearance in Tampa but things got out of hand when the singer  got into a brawl with a photographer ... so claims the club owner.

The club management says their in-house photographer was snapping pics when Chris and his entourage arrived around 1:30 AM ... but Chris' team shut him down, saying no photos.

Chris Brown

Later, while Chris was in the DJ booth, the photographer tells us he was taking crowd shots ... from behind Chris and when the singer noticed, all hell broke loose. The photographer says Chris jumped over a couch and punched him in the face while he was cornered.

Police was called, but Chris had left by the time they arrived. The photographer says his lip got split open and his jaw hurts. He's on his way to a hospital, and says he's pressing charges against Chris.

In 2009, the singer faced charges of assaulting his then pop star girlfriend, Rihanna