Like hungry jackals who have been without gossip food for weeks, the paprazzi on the 24/7 Britney Spears watch have started devouring their own in the newest and most bizarre twist in this low sphere of life.

As celebrity gossip has surged through the net in the past two years (spawning many sites, but few worthwhile ones like the one you are reading now), the photo agencies have become more fierce when it comes to Brintey coverage.

And this isn’t “fierce” like on Bravo.

Several photo agencies, most notably X17, we rumored to be hiring gang members and at least one confirmed sex offender to muscle lesser paparazzo out of the Britney heard.

This week, it seems Britney’s father’s strict rule over his daughters life has finally turned the gang element against the real photogs.

Reports MTV:
Alison Silva told MTV News that on March 5, he had parked one block away from Spears’ home when three X17 photographers — whom he identified as Thomas Madiana, Carlos Madiana and Max Rinadelle — allegedly approached him and said, “You should not be here. Only X17 gets these shots.” Silva claims that one of the photographers punched him and knocked him to the ground, then the three kicked him to the point where he passed out. When he came to, he claims they were kicking him in the face. “I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.

Three witnesses called 911, and Silva was taken by ambulance to the emergency room with a police escort, according to the police report. One of the witnesses told police officers that he heard one of the attackers say, “Let’s go f— him up, there are 10 of us here,” saw one of the attackers go get a metal tube from his car for that purpose, and heard another attacker say, “Don’t kill him! Don’t kill him!”, according to the report…

“They kicked and punched me almost to death,” Silva said. “I was beat up for doing my job. Most people think, ‘Oh, he’s just a paparazzo, he’s nothing.’ But this is not nothing. This is a big business, and if it weren’t for people like me, those pictures wouldn’t be in the magazines you enjoy.”

Silva asks for unspecified general and punitive damages in his suit, in which he accuses X17 of battery; assault; false imprisonment; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligent infliction of emotional distress; negligence; and negligent training, supervision and retention of unfit employees.

Oh man, if this guy had died, say goodbye to celebrity photojournalism for a few months.

You’ll be happy to know we avoid using X17 photographs because of the above reports, their lecherous lawyers and they’ve been mean to Dave on several occasions.

The B&U does not support gang photography.

Could we get a t-shirt that says that?