The author and former harem member Jillian Lauren, wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, has been released on a $1 million bond just hours after her felony arrest for attempted murder.
The 51-year-old was shot and injured by police before being booked on attempted murder charges in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
According to Los Angeles jail records, she was released from police custody the same day, and her next hearing is scheduled for April 30.
The incident happed when LAPD officers chased three misdemeanor hit-and-run suspects who had left a freeway crash scene and ran into a residential neighborhood of Eagle Rock in east Los Angeles. Lauren was not involved in the original car chase.
Authorities claim Lauren came out of a neighboring house armed with a handgun and failed to drop the weapon even after being repeatedly told to do so by officers.
Officers say that Lauren opened fire after seeing one of the car chase suspects on her property, reports CBS News.
They say she pointed her gun at the officers, at which point they opened fire. TMZ reports that she was shot in the shoulder.
The suspect went inside their home, packed an overnight bag and then was escorted to a local hospital where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Lauren is facing attempted murder charges, and LAPD confirmed that there is no suggestion she was involved in the earlier hit-and-run incident.
“The officers ordered Shriner to drop the handgun numerous times. However, she refused. Shriner then pointed the handgun at the officers, prompting at least one to open fire,” the LAPD said in a statement. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun inside the home.
One of the suspects in the original car chase was arrested, while two others fled the area. The suspect who was arrested was wearing just boxer shorts when he was caught in a nearby backyard.
KTLA, citing authorities, reports that the man had been attempting to blend into the neighborhood and even jumped into a swimming pool.
The Independent has reached out to Weezer’s representatives for comment.
Lauren married her musician husband in 2005 and published her memoir Some Girls: My Life in a Harem in 2010. The book recounted her experiences with Prince Jefri Bolkiah, brother of the Sultan of Brunei, between 1992 and 1995.
Shriner has been a member of Weezer since 2001 and is the band’s longest-serving bass player. Shriner and Lauren have two adopted children. The couple also have two dogs, Peanut and Calvin, who have appeared in PETA promotions to encourage people to adopt pets from shelters.
Lauren’s first memoir, Some Girls, was a bestseller that has been translated into 18 languages. The book recounted the years she spent as one of Prince Jefri’s paid young female “guests,” explaining that they were signed to contracts worth as much as $20,000 per week.
In 2011, she published a novel, Pretty, and in 2015, a second memoir, Everything You Ever Wanted, about her and Shriner’s experiences adopting an Ethiopian child with special needs.
In 2023, she published the bestselling true-crime book Behold the Monster: Facing America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer. The book is based on her extensive interviews with serial killer Samuel Little, which also formed the basis of the 2021 documentary series Confronting a Serial Killer.
Weezer was recently announced as a surprise late addition to the lineup at this weekend’s Coachella festival. They are expected to perform this Saturday, April 12.
