Lauren Jauregui was missing from Fifth Harmony's performance on Dec. 14, 2016, after she was cited for possession of marijuana at Dulles Airport in Virginia the day before. Fifth Harmony only had four members during their performance on Wednesday.
Lauren Jauregui Stopped at Virginia Airport
TMZ revealed that Lauren Jauregi of Fifth Harmony was busted for possessing weed on the night of December 13 while she was trying to board a plane at Dulles Airport. According to law enforcement insiders, the Fifth Harmony singer was stopped at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint and forced to submit herself to a secondary search.
A TSA staffer discovered what looked like a bag of marijuana in the singer's carry-on luggage. Afterwards, the police was notified in the airport terminal, but she was not allegedly arrested but merely cited for possession of marijuana.
Billboard reported that Lauren was attempting to fly from Virginia to Brazil where Fifth Harmony was scheduled to perform. Nevertheless, Fifth Harmony managed to appear at the Fun Pop Fun Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil on December 14, albeit missing one member. The four band members continued the show, which did well despite Lauren's absence.
Fifth Harmony Member Not Arrested, Merely Cited
After the airport incident, Jauregui and Dina LaPolt, Fifth Harmony's attorney, issued a statement that the singer was not arrested nor detained. Lauren was merely cited for possession of marijuana and then released on her own recognizance. According to the statement, the Fifth Harmony member will address the matter appropriately through the legal system.
The incident will also not interfere with any future scheduled performances and activities of Fifth Harmony. News of the Fifth Harmony member's airport incident immediately spread all over the internet, with the hashtag #FreeLauren trending on Twitter.
Other Fifth Harmony members, namely Camila Cabello, Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei and Dinah Jane did not comment on Lauren's citation yet. After their performance in Sao Paulo, Fifth Harmony will return to the United States to sing at Power 96.1's Jingle Ball on December 16.
