Weezer Bassist's Wife Recalls Harrowing Police Encounter and Divorce After Arrest
Weezer bassist Scott Shriner’s wife, from whom he is separated, Jillian Lauren, has shared that her “life was completely disrupted” following an incident where she was shot by law enforcement in Los Angeles in April.
“It feels as though you dedicate your entire life to arranging all the pieces of a puzzle. And then someone simply scatters them randomly, and I am still awaiting to discover how they will settle,” Lauren, 52, conveyed to Rolling Stone in an interview released on Saturday, December 20.
Lauren faced arrest for allegedly attempting to commit murder in Los Angeles in April after a prolonged confrontation with police.
According to the police, officers observed Lauren purportedly “holding a firearm” near a “nearby home,” which resulted in a standoff in the backyard.
LAPD Released Body Camera Recordings of Weezer Bassist’s Wife’s Encounter with Police
“The officers repeatedly instructed [Lauren] to relinquish the handgun. However, she did not comply,” the Los Angeles Police Department stated at the time. “[Lauren] subsequently directed the handgun toward the officers and shots were fired by law enforcement.”
Lauren reportedly entered the residence after sustaining a gunshot wound to the arm, and authorities later recovered a 9-millimeter handgun from the premises. The author was taken into custody for attempted murder and was later freed on a $1 million bail.
The Everything You Ever Wanted author has now informed Rolling Stone that she occupied her time in a holding cell by memorizing the markings on the walls.
“It provided me with an opportunity to momentarily escape my own thoughts during those hours in jail and contemplate the experiences of others who had been there,” she recalled. “During the height of the situation, I expressed that I would never write a book about this because I couldn’t revisit it.”
Prosecutors ultimately decided to accuse Lauren of reckless discharge of a weapon and assault using a semiautomatic firearm.
Lauren entered a plea of not guilty but subsequently consented to participate in a two-year program focused on mental health. At the time, her attorney Hilary Potashner publicly expressed gratitude to the district attorney for “thoroughly examining this case” and reaching a “just” outcome.
Reflecting on the experience, the Some Girls: My Life in a Harem author stated that she agreed to join the diversion program “to safeguard [her] family.”
“When the initial news reports appeared, my response was, ‘I’m not only a person who possesses a gun, but now I’m also considered unstable,’” she remarked. “My post-traumatic stress disorder is a genuine condition. I am a survivor of sex trafficking and domestic abuse. … When the reports mentioned ‘Mental Health Diversion,’ my thought was, ‘Okay, that’s good. People are hesitant to discuss this … I am in a position to address it.’”
Shriner, 60, communicated to TMZ shortly after his wife’s arrest that the couple were “doing okay” despite navigating “a difficult period.”
However, Us Weekly reported on December 2 that Lauren filed for divorce from Shriner after a 20-year marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the grounds for the separation.
Lauren confessed to Rolling Stone that the media attention surrounding her divorce was actually more upsetting than “headlines” concerning her arrest.
“The reports about the divorce were the ones that truly affected me,” she said. “I was the one who initiated the divorce proceedings, but still, seeing it publicized was deeply painful. It was certainly a day [spent] hiding from everything, shutting out all the attention. Divorce is a painful process, regardless of who you are.”
Regarding the current status of the separating couple, Lauren explained to the publication that Shriner is “still [her] closest friend” but they “have drifted apart” as a couple.
“We continue to share wonderful children and have consistently provided support for each other’s personal growth,” she added.
Us has contacted Shriner for a response.
Shriner and Lauren wed in November 2005 and subsequently adopted Tariku in 2007 and Jovanni in 2009.
