Brown, 27, denied any wrongdoing in posts on Instagram before he was taken into custody and said that he had woken up to find police outside and that they would need a warrant to enter the property in the Tarzana neighborhood in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.
"He is being transported to robbery homicide, where he will be arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, Lieutenant Chris Ramirez of the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters at an impromptu media conference outside Brown's home.
Ramirez declined to elaborate on the charges against Brown, saying that the investigation was still under way. Earlier TMZ.com and the Los Angeles Times reported that the singer had pointed a gun at the woman.
Police who responded to the 911 emergency call spent hours surrounding the home before obtaining a search warrant and beginning a search of the sprawling premises in the early afternoon.
During that search TMZ posted a photo of Brown standing outside the home with a police officer and his attorney, Mark Geragos. Geragos could not be reached by Reuters for comment.
In 2009, Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, and in 2015 finished a lengthy term of probation, community service and domestic violence classes. Brown has also been involved in several other incidents involving violence.
"I don't sleep half the damn night I just wake up to all these ... helicopters, choppers is around, police out there at the gate," Brown said on Instagram.
"I don't care y'all going to stay playing with me like I'm the villain out here, like I'm going crazy ... good luck when you get the warrant or whatever you need to do. You're going to walk right up in here and you're going to see nothing you idiots," he added.