Rihanna on Chris Brown Attack: Not the First Time

Despite the gruesome allegations against him, Chris Brown may have gotten lucky because the charge he was booked on is somewhat weak, police sources say.

But the R&B singer is still in deep $h!t if a new report is to believed - one in which Rihanna says this is not the first time Brown has attacked her.

Sources say that the Los Angeles County District Attorney kicked the case back to the police for further investigation because evidence that Chris Brown was making felony criminal threats against Rihanna is kind of thin.

Those sources are quick to say he will, however, almost certainly be charged with felony domestic battery, a lesser offense but still very serious, considering the horrific injuries he allegedly inflicted upon his girlfriend.

Here's how it went down, according to the police report:

After Chris Brown received a text message from a woman, who police have not identified to the media, who wrote about getting together with him, an argument erupted (initially, Rihanna would not tell cops what started the argument).

Rihanna did, however, tell them that during the argument, he started hitting her.

According to police, she ordered him to drive her home and "faked a call" to someone, saying things like, "He's dropping me off. Make sure the cops are there."

Rihanna told cops that the bogus call enraged Chris Brown.

He said something to the effect of "You are really fu**ed up now. I'm going to kill you." This statement is the basis of the criminal threats charge.

At that point, according to the police report, Chris Brown allegedly began a violent attack with his fists. At some during this, Rihanna took the keys out of the ignition of Brown's rented Lamborghini and threw them outside, further angering him.

And there's this: Rihanna told cops this was not the first time Brown hit her. She referred to it as an ongoing and escalating abusive relationship.

We're told the criminal threats charge is based on that one statement Brown allegedly made. A law enforcement source told celeb news site TMZ, "It's kinda weak, and the D.A. is not going to prosecute a high profile case like this unless it's solid."

That's why it was kicked back for further investigation.

Given the brutal nature of the assault, which the pictures clearly show - there contusions on her face, swollen eyes, cut lip, bloody nose, bite marks on fingers and arm - a felony domestic battery charge is virtually a done deal.

That, however, is a less serious offense than making criminal threats.

Also, a reported picture of Rihanna with a black eye following the assault going around the Internet is a fake. Here's the phony next to the real photo from an unspecified date and location that this photoshop artist went to town on: