Justin Bieber finds life tough in the fast lane in Miami

When he debuted five years ago, Justin Bieber was a mop-haired heartthrob, clean cut and charming. But a series of troubling incidents have put his innocent image at risk, none more so than his arrest on a slew of charges related to drunken drag racing in a rented Lamborghini.

On Thursday, Bieber was released on a US$2,500 bond by a court in the US state of Florida.

After being pulled over on a main Miami Beach street, the 19-year-old Canadian initially resisted arrest, cursed at police officers and later told them he had consumed alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.

Then, changing his demeanour, he grew co-operative and even smiled for his mug shot, coiffed hair perfectly in place.

Dressed in a red prison suit, a silent Bieber heard the charges via video link: driving under the influence, resisting arrest without violence and driving on an expired Georgia licence.

If convicted, he could face up to six months' jail, but experts say he will likely get off with a lighter sentence for his first offence.

Bieber left jail about an hour after his court appearance, popping through a window of his black SUV in a black hoodie and sunglasses to wave to fans.

Police say they arrested a bleary-eyed Bieber after officers saw him drag-racing before dawn on a palm-lined residential street, his yellow Lamborghini travelling at nearly twice the speed limit.