Star is being detained for psychological evaluation after bizarre outburst

Sep 4, 2014 12:35 GMT  ·  By
Blu Cantrell was big in the early 2000s, has been out of the spotlight for about 5 years
   Blu Cantrell was big in the early 2000s, has been out of the spotlight for about 5 years

Kids of the late ’90s and early ‘00s will probably remember the name Blu Cantrell because she was the unmistakable voice from such hit records as “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” and “Breathe.” Sad tidings about Blu today, as reports say she’s in police custody pending psychological evaluation.

The 38-year-old singer, real name Tiffany Cobb, has been out of the spotlight since 2007-2008, when she tried a comeback in reality television but the plan backfired and she slipped back into obscurity.

The other night, Blu was arrested and placed on an involuntary hold after a very bizarre incident that occurred in a Santa Monica neighborhood, TMZ reports. Sources reveal for the celebrity publication that she was running through the streets, “ranting” about people wanting to kill her.

“Cantrell went seemingly berserk in a Santa Monica neighborhood around 2 AM on Wednesday. Witnesses tell us she was screaming about someone giving her ‘poisonous gas.’ The episode went on long enough that someone called police,” the celebrity e-zine says.

When the boys in blue arrived on the scene, the singer tried to play the “don’t you know who I am card?” and talk her way out of the handcuffs. Clearly, the policemen did not know who she was because they were still going to take her in, when she thought she’d give it another try, by describing herself as a “one-hit wonder” singer.

“Law enforcement sources tell us cops took Blu to a nearby hospital where doctors checked her out,” TMZ adds. There’s a suggestion that Cantrell is on an involuntary hold, or Section 5150, which is meant to establish whether she poses a danger to herself or others before she’s let out of custody.

Several media outlets tried to reach out to Cantrell’s publicist for comment on the situation but they have had no luck so far.

Other celebrities who have been detained on a 5150 hold after similar bizarre incidents include Britney Spears and Mischa Barton, whose cases were perhaps the most mediated. Spears, for one, is still under conservatorship after the very publicized 2008 mental meltdown that saw her shave her head and attack a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella, among other things.

That Blu Cantrell is going through a similar situation is not known yet, but it sure does look like something spooked her badly enough to get her out of the house, yelling in the street. We’ll keep you posted with updates on her condition, as soon as they become available.