Police deal with strange run-ins with criminals all the time, but every now and then they get into a high-profile confrontation with a major celebrity. These encounters often become front-page news precisely because they’re so unusual. Here are ethe ten weirdest celeb run-ins with the law.
Randy Travis
Randy Travis was arrested in 2012 after crashing his car in Sanger, Texas. He refused to take a sobriety test and was reportedly naked when police found him. Moreover, the arresting officers claim Travis threatened to harm them if they put him in their squad car.
DMX
Renowned rapper DMX got into some serious trouble in 2004 when he impersonated a federal agent at JFK Airport in New York. He was dealing with some road rage after someone cut him off in the parking lot, and accosted the other driver while claiming to work for the FBI. Unfortunately for him, his extremely recognizable face and voice gave him away immediately.
Ozzy Osbourne
The Prince of Darkness cultivated a rather occult image in the 70s and 80s, but he was never a violent man. He was, however, arrested in 1982 for urinating on the Alamo, a move as funny to some as it was disrespectful to others. He was actually banned from San Antonio for ten years as a result, but his charity donated $10,000 to the preservation of the monument to get him allowed back in.
Wes Scantlin
Wes Scantlin, the frontman for Puddle of Mudd, was arrested after a tense stand-off with police in 2024. After refusing to leave his Hummer during a routine traffic stop, he was pepper sprayed, yet still refused to exit the vehicle. At that time a SWAT team came in, broke his car window, shot “non-lethal” pepper balls at the musician, and finally were able to pull him from his car. Needless to say, he was arrested.
Robert Downey Jr.
Long before he became known as Iron Man, RDJ struggled with some pretty serious drug issues. He was arrested twice in 1996. First, he caught a charge for simple possession. Second, he was pinched after being found in his neighbor’s house, passed out, leading to trespassing charges. Needless to say, he’s since gotten his personal life together.
Paul Reubens
The star of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Ruebens, was arrested in 1991 on some seriously bizarre charges. He was in an adult theater viewing some, err, not-safe-for-work films and got himself arrested on charges of indecent exposure. Given his prominent role as the star of a children’s show, this was understandably a bit harrowing for people.
Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong, known for his role in movies like Terminator 2, was arrested in 2004 for disorderly conduct after an incident in a grocery store. Furlong and some of his buddies entered the store a little after 11 PM, reportedly slurring their speech and looking off-balance, and started removing live lobsters from their tanks. Furlong is a notable vegetarian and may have been planning to release the animals back into the wild.
Jason London
Dazed and Confused actor Jason London was arrested in 2013 for reportedly starting a bar fight. While handcuffed in the back of a squad car, police allege that London “purposefully defecated” in the seat. For his own part, London has denied these claims altogether, stating that the truth will eventually bear out.
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Shia LaBeouf
Controversial star Shia LaBeouf has been through a lot of legal issues. He memorably was arrested in 2007 after being found drunk in a Walgreens parking lot. In 2014, he was arrested again after disrupting a performance of Cabaret, smoking indoors and heckling the performers.
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Matthew McConaughey
You’ve probably heard about this one, or at least that Matt McConaughey was found naked playing bongos once. Yes, McConaughey was arrested in 1999 after some neighbors filed a late-night noise complaint over a party the star was throwing in Austin, Texas. Police found his conduct odd enough to arrest and charge him with marijuana possession and resisting arrest, though the drug charges were later dropped.
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