Wife of Weezer bassist fired gun at officers, L.A. police say. She’s accused of attempted murder
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Jillian Lauren, an author and the wife of Weezer bass player Scott Shriner, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after authorities say she fired a gun at LAPD officers as she stood in her Eagle Rock backyard.
Police shot Lauren during a search for a hit-and-run suspect on Tuesday afternoon. She was taken to a hospital with a wound that was not life-threatening.
The 51-year-old, who was identified by police as Jillian Shriner, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, LAPD spokesperson Jennifer Forkish said in a statement to The Times.
“Our investigation revealed evidence such as a shell casing and video footage showing she repeatedly ignored police commands to disarm and that she fired her weapon at LAPD officers,” Forkish said.
Lauren‘s manager, Charlie Fusco, said he had no comment.
She was released from custody around 10 p.m. Wednesday after posting $1-million bail and was scheduled to appear in court on April 30, according to Los Angeles jail records. A case has not yet been presented against her to the L.A. County district attorney’s office, according to an office spokesperson.
The shooting took place shortly after 3:25 p.m. Tuesday, when the California Highway Patrol requested the Los Angeles Police Department’s assistance in tracking down three people who had fled the scene of a hit-and-run on the nearby 134 Freeway.
Police officers were directed to the back of a residence in the 5300 block of Waldo Place, the street where Lauren lives and where one of the suspects was seen running. There, officers saw Lauren standing in the backyard of her neighboring property with a handgun drawn, police said.
Police said she pointed the gun at officers, and they exchanged gunfire. Lauren was wounded and fled inside her home.
She later exited her property and was detained before the Los Angeles Fire Department took her to a hospital, police said.
Police said officers later determined that she was a resident at the home and not involved in the hit-and-run.
Three suspects were taken into custody after a hit-and-run on the 134 Freeway led to a manhunt and police shooting in Eagle Rock.
The Highway Patrol arrested the suspected hit-and-run driver around 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to agency spokesperson Daniel Keene. He was found wearing nothing but his boxers in the backyard of a home near Lauren’s residence.
The man was seen by news helicopters taking off his clothes, jumping in the pool and watering the plants in what appeared to be an attempt to blend into the neighborhood, according to KTLA. His identity has not been released.
The remaining two suspects who fled the hit-and-run are at large, police said. The collision involved three vehicles and sent one victim to the hospital with moderate injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Police officers recovered a 9-millimeter handgun from Lauren’s home. The police shooting is being investigated by the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division. No officers or other civilians were wounded during the confrontation, police said.
Jillian Lauren jumped feet-first into her literary life in Los Angeles.
Jillian Lauren and Scott Shriner have been married since 2005 and share two children. Weezer — the alternative rock band consisting of singer Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson, guitarist Brian Bell and bassist Shriner — is scheduled to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday.
Lauren is a bestselling author who gained recognition for her 2010 memoir, “Some Girls: My Life in a Harem,” describing her experiences in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei. In 2023, she published “Behold the Monster: Facing America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer,” based on her interviews with serial killer Samuel Little.
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