CHRIS BROWN CHARGED WITH HIT-AND-RUN

According to TMZ ,L.A. City Attorney has filed 2 criminal charges against Brown, in connection with a minor accident last month where Chris rear-ended a Mercedes and allegedly refused to fork over his driver's license number and gave bogus insurance info and then left the scene.

The City Attorney has charged Chris with hit-and-run -- for leaving the scene without exchanging proper information.  He's also been charged with the crime of driving without a valid license.  The crimes are punishable by a maximum of 6 months in jail for each offense.

We've also learned the City Attorney will refer the matter to the L.A. County D.A. for a possible probation violation in the Rihanna beating case.  Worst case scenario -- if the judge in that case concludes Chris broke the law and thereby violated his probation, he could be sentenced to prison for 4 years.