Jillian Lauren, the wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, was thrust into the media spotlight this week due to a series of extraordinary events that culminated in her being shot by police and accused of attempting to murder an LAPD officer. The chaos began on Tuesday afternoon when three suspects fled the scene of a hit-and-run on the 134 Freeway, prompting a response from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Responding to a request for assistance from the California Highway Patrol, the LAPD began scouring the surrounding neighborhood of Eagle Rock in search of the suspects.
The manhunt eventually led officers to the back of a residence near where Lauren and Shriner reside. It was there that officers reported seeing Lauren standing in the backyard of a neighboring property with a handgun drawn. According to police reports, Lauren ignored repeated commands to drop her weapon and instead pointed it at the officers before opening fire. In response, the officers returned fire, injuring Lauren, who then fled into her home before eventually being taken to the hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Following the incident, it was determined that Lauren was unrelated to the hit-and-run and was a resident in the home where the altercation took place. Police recovered a 9-mm handgun from her residence and booked her on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer. While Lauren’s manager and lawyer declined to comment on the incident, the LAPD continued their investigation, examining shell case evidence and reviewing video footage to build their case against her.
Meanwhile, the suspected hit-and-run driver was apprehended by the Highway Patrol later that day. The collision, which involved three vehicles and resulted in one person being hospitalized with moderate injuries, left the other two suspects at large.
After posting a $1 million bail, Lauren was released from custody on Wednesday night and is expected to appear in court on April 30. As of Thursday afternoon, no formal charges had been filed against her, as the LAPD had yet to present a case to the L.A. County district attorney’s office. The office will ultimately determine whether charges will be filed against her, with the attempted murder of a peace officer without premeditation carrying a potential sentence of five, seven, or nine years in California.
As Lauren navigates the legal process, her husband, Scott Shriner, is set to perform at Coachella on Saturday alongside his bandmates from Weezer. In a brief encounter with the media outside his home, Shriner confirmed that his wife was okay and expressed his excitement for the upcoming show at the Indio festival. Weezer, an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, has achieved widespread acclaim since their breakthrough with the 1994 “Blue Album.”
Despite the tumultuous events of the week, Lauren has yet to issue a public statement or speak about the incident. A bestselling author from New Jersey, she is known for her memoirs and investigative storytelling. Her work includes the 2010 memoir “Some Girls: My Life in a Harem,” detailing her experiences living in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, as well as the 2015 memoir “Everything You Ever Wanted,” chronicling her journey to motherhood.
In 2023, Lauren published “Behold the Monster: Facing America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer,” based on her interviews with serial killer Samuel Little, which inspired the Starz documentary series “Confronting a Serial Killer.” As the story of Jillian Lauren continues to unfold, the public awaits further developments in this captivating and complex narrative.
