Australian singer Guy Sebastian has recalled a terrifying 2011 incident in Los Angeles when police officers held him at gunpoint after mistakenly suspecting him of stealing his own car, which had been impounded and towed without his consent.
Australian singer Guy Sebastian has shared a harrowing experience from 2011 when he was held at gunpoint by multiple police officers in Los Angeles amid suspicions that he had stolen a car.
During an interview on Nova’s Smallzy’s Surgery with Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small on Monday, the 43-year-old singer detailed how he was subjected to a forceful police response after his vehicle, which he had purchased on eBay, was towed without his consent. At the time, Sebastian was living and working in the United States at the age of 29, renting Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe’s two-bedroom house in the Hollywood Hills.
Sebastian explained that he had parked his car in the driveway of the property but found it missing when he returned. Over the following weeks, he embarked on a lengthy search, visiting 20 to 30 tow companies in the Van Nuys area, after being informed by police that his car had been impounded by a tow company operating within a loophole in the law. The company exploited regulations allowing impounded vehicles to be sold if unclaimed after three months. Eventually, the car was located, though he was charged $4,000 USD by the tow company—a sum he described as a scam.
After retrieving the car, which showed damage sustained during the towing, Sebastian attempted to notify the police that it was no longer stolen. However, after waiting on hold for 45 minutes, he decided to drive to a nearby car wash close to the sheriff’s station. It was there that police arrived in force. Sebastian recounted that eight or nine officers appeared with their guns drawn, ordering him to “SHUT UP AND GET ON THE GROUND!” Despite his attempts to explain the situation and show the paperwork confirming his ownership, the officers would not hear him. One officer forcibly removed his phone from the car, breaking it.
Sebastian recalled, “He actually had the gun pressed into my forehead. It was full on. I could feel the metal of the gun… I was telling them it’s my car. They wouldn’t hear it. They put me in cuffs, pushing my face into this wet concrete.”
Following verification of the paperwork, Sebastian was released. Reflecting on the incident, he acknowledged the police’s actions, noting, “They’re pretty trigger happy over there.”
The incident was originally confirmed by Guy Sebastian’s management to the Sydney Morning Herald at the time it happened. The singer has since been able to recount the experience with a degree of humour, but it remains a vivid reminder of the challenges he faced during his time in the United States.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/armed-cops-in-los-angeles-cuff-guy-sebastian/news-story/f5bf7ee2ae75c16999b12cd83c24640c – Confirms Sebastian’s 2011 arrest by armed LAPD officers over mistaken stolen car allegations.
- https://thewest.com.au/news/world/guy-sebastian-arrested-in-the-us-ng-ya-182858 – Details the car theft mix-up, retrieval from impound, and arrest involving multiple officers with guns drawn.
- https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/aussie-singer-guy-sebastian-claims-cop-held-gun-to-his-head-in-california/YLVNT4UBBXZ67ZLALDWHZJTRZ4/ – Corroborates the specific claim of an officer pressing a gun to Sebastian’s forehead during the incident.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King – Provides context about LAPD’s use-of-force history, relevant to understanding policing culture mentioned in Sebastian’s ‘trigger happy’ remark.
- https://www.odmp.org/search/year/2011 – Offers a record of law enforcement activity in 2011, the year of Sebastian’s arrest, though not directly related to his case.
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14657857/Guy-Sebastian-arrested-gunpoint-stolen-car-Los-Angeles.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 – Please view link – unable to able to access data
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
4
Notes:
The narrative discusses a 2011 incident but does not provide new or recent information, indicating it is old news.
Quotes check
Score:
9
Notes:
The quote from Guy Sebastian seems original to the context, but its historical accuracy cannot be verified without external sources.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from the Daily Mail, a generally well-known publication, though it may not always be considered academically or journalistically reliable.
Plausability check
Score:
7
Notes:
The incident’s details are plausible and were originally confirmed by Guy Sebastian’s management in 2011. However, the specific details cannot be verified using recent sources.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): OPEN
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative is based on a past event and lacks recent information. While the source is known, the plausibility of specific details relies on past confirmations and lacks current verification.
