“My world fell to pieces around me in a heartbeat,” the author recalled of her bizarre standoff with Los Angeles police in April.

Jillian Lauren speaks out after being shot by police, filing for divorce from Weezer bassist Scott Shriner

"My world fell to pieces around me in a heartbeat," the author recalled of her bizarre standoff with Los Angeles police in April.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

EW's editorial guidelines

December 22, 2025 11:33 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Jillian Lauren in 2019. Credit:

Timothy Norris/Getty

Jillian Lauren (formerly Shriner), the best-selling true-crime author and estranged wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, is speaking her piece.

Eight months after Lauren made headlines for a convoluted standoff with the Los Angeles police in the spring, she opened up about the roller coaster that her life became in a new interview with *Rolling Stone* published Saturday.

"I was doing the best I knew to protect my family," Lauren told the outlet of the bizarre incident that occurred in her neighborhood of Eagle Rock in April. "[The] impulse was self-defense."

The incident in question involved the *New York Times* best-selling author being shot by police after opening fire on hit-and-run suspects in her neighborhood. According to a press release issued by the LAPD after the incident, Lauren "was struck by gunfire" in "an Officer-Involved Shooting" and retreated into her home before returning outside, where she was taken into custody. She was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, but was eventually charged with assault and negligent discharge of a firearm.**

Jillian Lauren in court in Los Angeles on May 13, 2025.

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty

In September, Lauren avoided jail time and was granted a mental health diversion by the L.A. County Superior Court. Under the terms of the agreement, the mother of two was ordered to avoid the use of drugs and alcohol, attend therapy, and not own firearms.

"My world fell to pieces around me in a heartbeat," Lauren said. "It's like, you spend your whole life just getting an entire deck of cards in order. And just take them and throw them up in the air one day, and I'm still waiting to see how they're gonna land."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.******* The mother of two recalled being arrested and taken to jail, where she said she tried to memorize the graffiti on the walls as a way to "get out of my head."

"When the [mental health diversion] headlines came out, my joke was, 'I'm not just a gun-toting criminal, now I'm a crazy one,'" she recalled. "My PTSD is a very real thing. I'm a victim of sex trafficking and domestic violence. ... When the headlines said 'Mental Health Diversion,' what I really thought was, 'Okay, good. People are so scared to talk about this. I'm in a position where I can speak to it."

But Lauren's time in the headlines didn't end there. Earlier this month, the author was thrust into the spotlight again when it was announced that she filed for divorce from Shriner after two decades of marriage.

Scott Shriner and Jillian Lauren in 2018.

Charley Gallay/Getty

Lauren and Shriner — who tied the knot in November 2005 and have welcomed two sons over their 20-year marriage, Jovanni Starshine and Tariku Moon — shared the news in a joint Instagram post a few days after their divorce made news.

"Looking back with pride on the world we built, we marvel at our magnificent boys - our brightest lights," the announcement reads, in part. "We'll always miss the wild-at-heart kids we once were: drinking milkshakes, driving through the desert night just to see the Grand Canyon. We'll always share the wonder we saw in each other's eyes, when we first held our children."

It continued, "The same wild hearts that brought us together, carry us now in different directions. We'll forever be a family, united in love, laughter, and music. Thank you all for the confetti shower of support and friendship throughout the years. It's been beautiful."

Weezer cover Metallica at Coachella 2025, do not address bassist's wife's shooting and arrest

Jillian Lauren-Shriner files for divorce from Weezer bassist Scott Shriner months after getting shot by police

Lauren told the outlet that she and Shriner had been growing apart "for years," and the incident with the police pushed everything to a "crisis point."

"I had to go back and work on trauma from a long time ago in order to try and understand myself now, my actions," she confessed. "The headlines about the divorce were the ones that really hurt me. I was the one who served my husband, but still, to see it in the public was really painful. It was definitely a day [spent] under the covers, blocking out all the noise."

According to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE at the time, Lauren didn't list list a date of separation and cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for her filing. In addition to asking that her last name be restored to Lauren, she requested the court grant her spousal support while asking that Shriner's ability to be granted support be terminated, and is seeking joint legal and physical custody of their sons.

Jillian Lauren in 2019.

Albert L. Ortega/Getty

Despite the split, Lauren asserted that she and Shriner maintain an amicable relationship. "He's still my best friend. We still have beautiful kids together and have always really supported each other in our various transformations," she said.

Reflecting on the past events, Lauren shared that she's relying on her tight circle of friends. "They've circled the wagons around me. ... When the chips are really down, you do find out who your friends are," she said. "My tree was shaken, but it is still standing."

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Lawsuits & Legal Troubles

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”