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Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin had an intense standoff with police outside his L.A. home ... and things got so serious, cops brought out the heavy artillery.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they got a call last month about a burglary in a car sitting in Scantlin's driveway. When they showed up, Wes darted into his house and refused to come out.

We're told cops tried several times to get Wes to comply, but when he continued to ignore them ... they called in at least 30 officers with guns drawn. After a couple of hours, police broke down Wes' back door and hauled him out.

We're told he was arrested for a previous warrant, but was not booked for the standoff.

Larry Drake -- who played Benny on "L.A. Law" -- suffered from a unique disease that caused his blood to thicken ... and ultimately contributed to his death.

According to Drake's death certificate -- he had been diagnosed with polycythemia vera -- a rare form of cancer related to an overproduction of red blood cells in the bone marrow.

The medical examiner also listed cardiac arrest, hypertension, and morbid obesity as causes of death.

TMZ broke the story ... Drake was found dead in his Hollywood apartment by a friend earlier this month.

Coachella fans opting out of fancy hotels, condos or mansions ... can park their asses and their horses at a huge 3 day camping party.

Vestal Village is an invite-only camping party that coincides with the Coachella festival. VV is going down at a secret location in the desert outside Palm Springs -- but we've uncovered a few clues about the scene that's been planned.

For one, we're told there will be stalls to accommodate horses and horseback rides -- however, BYOH. There will also be an Olympic sized pool and a lake. Eagles of Death Metal are headlining the event, which is sponsored by Vestal Watch, Gevitta and Estrella Damm.

We're told they're expecting about 6,000 people to attend the massive Coachella after parties.

That's a lot of dung.

The knife found on the grounds of O.J. Simpson's Rockingham estate has no connection to the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

The LAPD confirmed their testing of the folding buck knife revealed no evidence linking it to the double murder. As TMZ first reported ... microbes in the soil had degraded any possible DNA, so it was impossible to get any meaningful results.

Guns N' Roses just started arriving at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood for Friday night's epic show ... and they look like they mean business.

We got video of Slash, Duff McKagan, Richard Fortus, and Dizzy Reed as they showed up at the Troubadour to a throng of screaming fans. The guys didn't sign autographs or pose for pics. Pretty clear they're focused on the concert.

No sign of Axl Rose, but it's possible he arrived way earlier than the rest of the band.

Hahahaha!!!

Seriously though ... check out this shot of the Troubador stage. This is really freakin' going down!

Iggy Azalea spent some quality time with the one friend she knows she can trust to make her smile ... her trusty steed.

In the middle of all the Nick Young drama ... the rap star once again saddled up at an equestrian center in Calabasas to blow off some steam.

"Trailer Park Boys" star Michael Smith is behind bars after witnesses say he choked a woman at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel.

Sources at The Roosevelt tell TMZ ... Smith, who plays Bubbles on the Netflix show, was with a female friend early Friday morning when they got into an argument in the bathrooms next to the pool. We're told guests said it sounded like the shouting was over who Smith had been texting.

Our sources say they heard the woman yell, "you're choking me" and when they ran over ... they saw Smith pinning the woman up against the bathroom wall. Smith bolted and cops were called.

Law enforcement says Smith was booked for misdemeanor domestic battery, and released a few hours later. We've reached out to a rep for the actor ... so far, no word back.

****Warning: Explicit language****

Guns N' Roses fans are turning their $10 wristbands into huge moneymakers ... possibly getting up to $4,000 for just one of the golden tickets to Friday night's show.

One lucky fan who waited in line Friday morning to snag a wristband for the Troubadour gig immediately went to Craigslist and listed it for $2,000. The seller says he's gotten a ton of offers -- one for $4k, which would be about a 40,000% markup!

The twist? GNR's said the wristbands are non-transferable, so without a way to prove you're the original owner ... you might still be SOL depending on what security asks at the door.

Wanna gamble?

Drew Barrymore and her husband Will Kopelman are reportedly calling it quits after 3 years of marriage.

The two have already separated and although divorce docs have not been filed, it's apparently imminent ... according to Page Six, which first reported the split.

Drew and Will, an art consultant, have 2 toddler girls ... Olive and Frankie.

6:25 PM PT -- The O.C. Sheriff's Department tells us the officer Alexa names in her lawsuit, Deputy Epson ... is not one of their employees. Nor has he ever been. However, a Sheriff rep tells us they take the allegations seriously and they are investigating.

The daughter of 'Real Housewives' star Lynne Curtin says an O.C. Sheriff's deputy raped her after a bizarre traffic stop and search of her vehicle ... and now she wants the county to pay.

Alexa Curtin says she was leaving her boyfriend's Dana Point home in April 2014 when she got pulled over by a man she believes to be an O.C. deputy. In a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Curtin says the deputy searched her car and found underwear. She says he grilled her, saying things like ... how many pairs of underwear she had and why she needed them.

Alexa, who used to make frequent appearances on 'Real Housewives of Orange County,' never says why he pulled her over in the first place.

After the search, she says the deputy abruptly announced he had to tend to another call, but told her to stay put on the side of the road -- only to return 20 minutes later in his personal vehicle, and in plain clothes.

Curtin says he jumped in the passenger seat of her car and said, "Since you are still here, I am going to f**k the s**t out of you." She says he groped her, digitally penetrated her and then told her to straddle him. She describes the encounter as "nonconsensual sexual intercourse."

She says he ejaculated inside her and on her seat.

In the suit, Curtin says she was afraid to report the alleged rape to authorities out of fear the deputy would harm her again. She's suing Orange County for violating her civil rights and for an illegal search and seizure.

The O.C. Sheriff's Department had no comment.

Madonna's fighting a new battle over her children -- she wants them to have the right to live in her ritzy NYC condo while she's on the road.

Madge is suing the owners of her apartment building over a new rule put in place years after she signed the lease. Madonna says when she originally signed, the deal was the apartment could be used by her, her spouse, her children, other relatives and even domestic employees.

But in April 2014 the owner amended the lease to say the children could only live in the home while she, a spouse or partner was there as well. The rule applies to everyone in the building, not just Madonna.

Bella Hadid dominates more than just high fashion catwalks -- she took her model game to the beach down in St. Barts ... like every other famous person.

The 19-year-old smoke show is hanging with friends in the Caribbean ... and most likely celebrating her recent Model of the Year award.

Question: Are non-celebs even allowed on St. Barts?!!

Robert Duvall looked as healthy as the horse he rode in on ... at a "Lonesome Dove" reunion Thursday ... despite reports he'd suffered a stroke.

Several news outlets reported Duvall, 85, had gone MIA the last 7 months following a health scare. But his rep, Jim Dobson, tells TMZ the stroke thing is 100% false, and the pics from the reunion in Fort Worth prove it.

The real deal -- we're told Duvall's been in Florida with his wife, Luciana, for the last 4 months ... and he's working on casting a new film in which he'll also star.

Bobby D. hung with ex 'Lonesome' co-stars Danny Glover and Ricky Schroder at the reunion, and also gave a speech to honor the classic TV mini-series.

A used Fiat just sold for $300,000 -- and, no, this is not an April Fools' joke.

Auction site Charitybuzz just sold one of the Fiat 500 Lounge hatchbacks that Pope Francis cruised around in during his trip to NYC and D.C. last year.

Its new owner, ironically, is a Jewish businessman named Miles Nadal.

Nadal tells TMZ he won't actually be driving the car -- it'll go in his personal automotive museum along with the other 130 cars and motorcycles he's got in there.

And get this ... the car purchase comes with a free holy blessing! We're told Nadal will meet with either Cardinal Timothy Dolan at St. Patrick's Cathedral or the Archdiocese of New York to bless the Fiat.

Retail value for a non-Pope Fiat is about $24,000.