George Clooney has blamed the "criminal" paparazzi for Britney Spears running a red light.
The 'Michael Clayton' star claims the troubled singer - who was videoed using her mobile phone and failing to stop her car at the traffic lights while her children were in the vehicle - is the victim of lawless "bounty hunters" trying to create a story.
George - who was involved in a near-collision with paparazzi on Friday
(16.11.07) while riding his motorcycle in the Hollywood Hills - said: "You look at the footage of Britney running the red light - there are eight guys with cameras at night in the middle of the street. There are no rules now.
"It's getting to a point where people that are not involved are getting hurt. What they're doing is illegal, it's high speed chases and they're competing with each other.
"They're not trying to catch me doing something stupid, they're trying to create me doing something stupid. You don't get to break all these laws and then say, 'I'm just doing my job.' The guys that commit all these crimes are rewarded for it. It creates bounty hunters in a way."
The 46-year-old actor also pleaded with paparazzi to curb their wild behaviour.
He added to US TV show 'Entertainment Tonight': "Take your pictures but don't go 60mph down a one-way street. Don't cause injury to people who aren't involved."
Yesterday (20.11.07), it was revealed Britney's video - on which photographers can be heard shouting "Stop! Red light!" - had been entered as evidence in the custody battle between the 'Gimme More' singer and her ex-husband Kevin Federline over their sons Sean Preston, two, and 14-month-old Jayden James. | 
