Bodyguard saves Justin Bieber from arrest

In Justin Bieber's world, throwing water balloons at the cops isn't necessarily a punishable offense.

An eyewitness tells E! News that a state trooper — soaked below the belt courtesy of a direct Bieber balloon hit — was ready to slap the cuffs on the teen prior to his sold-out performance at the Maryland State Fair on Sunday, but Bieber's bodyguard managed to talk him out of it.

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"Still laughing. GREAT DAY," Bieber tweeted late that night.

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The "Baby" singer (emphasis on the baby) apparently had been working on his aim for awhile before making contact with the officer's gun belt.

Our source says that Bieber was having a blast tossing water balloons at people's crotches backstage ... until he made direct contact with the ticked-off state trooper, who was part of a unit on hand for crowd control.

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Bieber then retreated to his trailer while his bodyguard successfully persuaded the officer not to put a black mark on the kid's squeaky-clean record (not including the madness that ensues among his fans when his very name is mentioned).

A state police spokesman described Bieber's behavior Sunday as "inappropriate," but he confirmed that no incident report was written and no further action will be taken against the teen or his entourage.

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Hey, he made money for Maryland. According to the Baltimore Sun, at least 1,000 Bieber fans were lined up by 7:15 a.m. outside the fairgrounds waiting for wristbands to allow them entry into the concert area. The 12,500 available tickets to watch Bieber sold out in 20 minutes.

After rocking his fans' collective world, Bieber flew from Baltimore to L.A. early Monday morning to start rehearsing for his performance at this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards , where he's nominated for Best New Artist.

We suggest he leave his liquid arsenal at home.