Sure, some children do sometimes go wrong for one reason or another, and do something so evil that the law simply has to intervene. These situations are tragic, and fortunately quite rare, but what isn’t rare is children misbehaving in general. There will always be kids who make the kinds of mistakes that kids do, but that doesn’t mean the adults always know how to handle it. In this list, we will explore 10 times that overreaction to childish behaviors led to arrests. 

10. A Florida 13 Year Old Was Once Arrested For Farting In Class 

Most of us have probably accidentally passed gas in an embarrassing way at least once, and had to excuse ourselves or act like it didn’t happen while looking properly chastened. We have probably also all either been, or witnessed, a class clown farting on purpose or making farting noises to annoy a teacher, especially a substitute. As long as school exists, there will be class clowns causing disruptions who think they are just the funniest people who has ever lived. 

Now, usually when a situation like this gets out of control, the teacher starts with threats, and eventually sends the offending student to the principal’s office. The student then has to accept school discipline for their behavior, and will have to hear about it from their humiliated parents later. This is why it is so strange that one time in a Florida school, it escalated much farther than that. A 13 year old boy was actually arrested for his disruptive passing of gas, and later even admitted to it, which led to charges of disrupting school function — Why the police needed to be called for simple criminal mischief involving an adolescent is a question that will probably never be answered satisfactorily. 

9. A 10 Year Old Boy Was Arrested For Public Urination 

It was a monumental bust when the police came across a young boy who was committing the crime of the millennium — he was caught urinating behind his mother’s car. This dastardly lawbreaker was quickly taken into custody for being so offensive to the public. The arresting officers made sure to harangue the disturbed youth to ensure that he never forgot what a horrible mistake he had made. 

You see, the officer who made the decision to arrest and scold the young boy felt that it doesn’t matter what age you are; clearly showing yourself off in public is a serious crime, and must be treated as one. His mother had been watching for him, and she was trying to help him avoid trauma, as we all know it is rather embarrassing for a kid to pee themselves, but the officers had no mercy. Fortunately, some sense prevailed as the arresting officer was dismissed, partly after video came to light showing him bring the 10 year old to tears over his “crime”. 

8. A Six Year Old Girl Was Arrested At School For A Tantrum 

Let’s face it, if there was camera footage going back to every humiliating moment from our pasts, probably all of us would have at least a few seriously mortifying toddler tantrums to look back on. Now, for most of us when these incidents occurred, at worst we got in a little trouble at kindergarten, or lost a privilege or something for our behavior. However, one time at an American school, a six year old girl was not only disciplined for throwing a childish tantrum, she was straight up arrested and taken away by the police. 

You see, the teacher was at their wits end because this tiny human had gone so far as to kick at someone, so, flummoxed by this incredible threat to their safety, they called the police. It turns out the same officer who thought it was appropriate to arrest a six year old girl had also arrested a six year old boy on the same day. He was later dismissed for this behavior. It is just as well, as the footage shows the officer was clearly out of line. He was there to help control the situation, not terrorize children. When the child started to settle down because of the officer that should have been the end of it, but he got completely carried away..

7. An Eight Year Old Boy Was Arrested For Hitting His Teacher 

Let’s be honest, even the biggest little kid is, well, still a little kid. So it’s hard to see an eight year old boy as much of a threat to a fully grown adult teacher, who should be able to handle a difficult situation. Unfortunately, at an American school an eight year old boy once got arrested due to a perfect storm of mistakes that really didn’t need to happen at all. You see, the eight year old in question had a substitute teacher that day, and was not getting along with them at all, to the point things were starting to escalate. 

As things got worse, the boy actually warned her not to come close or he would hit her. For some reason, the teacher, instead of deescalating with an eight year old, came close, and got punched in the chest. Showing all the tact and skill with children of a blunt ax, she called in the police, who arrested the eight year old boy for being defiant despite leaving no injury on his teacher. The worst part is it turns out that the boy was listed as being part of a special needs program, had been diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD, depression, and anxiety — he was on medication for all of this. 

6. An Eight Year Old Boy Was “Arrested” Over Potato Chips 

Many of us have been good and neve even tried to shoplift, but a fair amount of people have probably erred in their lives, especially as little kids, and stolen a small item or two. Most people probably feel bad about this, but would hope that if they had got caught, the adults around wouldn’t treat you like you had just killed someone. You’d like to imagine that if you got caught up in such a situation as a kid and made a mistake like that, the people who caught you would make sure the punishment fits the crime. 

This is why a citizen witness with a camera found it so strange when police were oddly combative to questions, and bullying to an eight year old boy, over the theft of a bag of potato chips. He was led away weeping, thinking he was being fully arrested and taken to jail over petty theft of a bag of chips. The police claim once they had him in the car, away from the citizen’s camera,  they told the boy they were taking him home, and did not actually arrest him. They also claim he had “priors” and thus they had a right to be mean to him. However, there is a term for what they did and it is called a mock arrest, which can (and surely is) pretty traumatizing for a small child.

5. 11 High School Students Got Arrested At Once For A Massive Hallway Brawl 

Let’s start off by noting that, unlike farting in class or throwing a tantrum, looking to cause physical harm to someone else is certainly worthy of repercussions. Still, many people have been in at least one fight, or at least a tussle, in their time at school. Kids are not always the best behaved people, and when you put that many of them together all day, several days a week, with little adult supervision in the hallways, things are going to happen. Most of the time, when people get caught, it just leads to suspension from school, and if repeated, eventual expulsion. However, one time in an American high school things went totally off the rails. 

In this instance, 11 high school students, in the middle of the afternoon, started fighting in the hallways, likely as some kind of group disagreement between two cliques of friends. The fight involved so many people that the school decided the police arresting everyone was the only solution, in their view, that made sense. Rather than suspending students, they went the full nuclear option. Now, arresting all of them may have been a bit much, but it made sense for at least one of the students. One of the highlights of the fight included a female student pushing a deputy so she could get to another female student she wanted to keep fighting with.

4. Kids Get Arrested For Participating In School Food Fights

We all know the scene from multiple kids movies. Someone throws food at someone, and someone else yells “food fight,” a few more people throw stuff. The rest of the people get angry, or shrug, and decide they might as well start in, and on it goes. The principal eventually walks in and blows a whistle, causing everyone to immediately stop, and stare in dread as they realize they are about to be punished. And, as we know, punishment always comes. Kids are suspended, their  parents are called, and the parents tack on more punishment. 

However, in some American states, they take it a bit more seriously than just a suspension and a call to your mom. After a food fight in Texas, 10 students were charged for their part in starting it, and were given the very serious criminal charge of inciting a riot. Now, the state of Illinois is not quite as strict, but when it comes to mass juvenile arrests over throwing food, they’ve got Texas beat, just in terms of sheer numbers. At a food fight at a charter school in Chicago, 25 students were arrested for their participation and were charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct.

3. A 16 Year Old Boy Was Arrested For Jaywalking 

A 16 year old California boy was lucky to be alive after an encounter with police where he was treated to an amount of excessive force that even some of the most authoritarian officers would be ashamed of. You see, the police felt that the teen needed to be dealt with as a very serious criminal with as many cops as they could scramble, as he was a very dangerous threat. They had caught the adolescent committing one of the worst crimes on the planet, and they needed to take it as far as the law would allow. 

The dastardly lad had jaywalked, which on a technical level, can also be considered trespassing in some situations. The officer felt full charges should be leveled against this dangerous African-American youth. When the juvenile was combative about being so forcefully charged and detained over something many of us have done with no consequence, backup was called. The story ends with the teen being slammed to the ground by four cops and arrested for resisting, and trespass, while five other cops look on. 

2. A 14 Year Old Boy Was Arrested For Hacking To Prank His Teacher 

Many of us have done something stupid where we’ve gotten on a sibling or friend’s computer and put a silly or embarrassing image as their wallpaper. It’s innocent kid stuff, and mostly considered a childish prank by all involved and all who witness it. It usually ends in a few cheap laughs, and maybe some harmless payback from the affected party. 

However, one time in an American school, a 14 year old boy’s prank was taken far more seriously than most of our childhood pranks ever were. The menacing youth committed the horrible crime of hacking into school computer systems so he could plant an image of two men kissing on the computer of a teacher he did not like. 

Now, you might think since real hacking was involved, a charge of criminal mischief might be in order, but instead they went ahead and charged him with a full felony cyber crime. Their argument for this is that he could have done something way worse like tampering with grades. Now, most people would likely argue that this same fact is actually in his favor, as he could have done way worse and just did innocent kid stuff. And hey, nothing wrong at all with the concept of police choosing to charge someone for something they might have done. Nope, that’s not a terrifying thought at all.

1. 12 Year Old Black Boy Chased Down, Spit Hooded, Arrested Over Begging 

The actions of the police here are such a farce it is how you would expect a Barney Fife-style cop from a comedy, who gets fired for going too far, to behave. The police saw a 12 year old Black boy running from a private security guard, and without being asked to intervene or having any idea if the kid had even done anything wrong, or had just angered a random security guard, joined in on the chase. Which, to a degree you might be able to understand, because if you see someone fleeing from security, as an officer you might at least want to intervene to find out what the hell is going on. But that’s not where this one ends.

Once they detained the boy, he was — unsurprisingly — combative for being detained by police with no evidence of wrongdoing, and spit at a female officer, to which a 12 year old found himself fitted with a spit hood. Now, some  may think this was warranted, but if the police had looked before they leapt, they would have realized it was the security guard who was committing a crime. You see, the security guard was actually trying to detain the boy because he was panhandling, which isn’t something a security guard can detain an adult for, much less a child.The parents, very understandably and justifiably, filed a lawsuit as they feel the police let racial biases allow them to take the wrong side in a situation without assessing it properly first.

We are all aware that when traveling overseas, you need to abide by the laws and customs of the country you are visiting. Obviously, drug smuggling, spying, and other criminal activity will earn you either a hefty fine or a longer-than-planned vacation behind bars. It’s common sense that if you break the law overseas, you face the local judicial system.

However, there are also some rather unusual ways in which you can land yourself in trouble abroad. Tourists have been fined or spent time behind bars for engaging in what many of us would consider standard holiday activities. Plagued with over-tourism, the Italians in particular have begun imposing fines on tourists to restore a level of decorum to their cities, while wearing swimwear in public or stepping on a banknote can land you in trouble elsewhere.

Here are ten surprising laws that you shouldn’t break on your next overseas trip.

10 Taking Home A Souvenir

Who hasn’t come home with a shell or a pebble from their seaside holiday? In Cornwall, the local authorities became so concerned about the environmental effects of thousands of tourists swiping beach pebbles that they began imposing hefty fines. In 2018, one tourist was forced to travel hundreds of kilometers to return pebbles he had taken from the beach to avoid paying a hefty fine of £1,000.^[1] In Sardinia, authorities have taken a similar stance toward tourists removing sand from their beaches.

While the souvenir-hunters above may seem relatively innocent, there are those who are nothing short of vandals, such as the tourist who took a chunk out of the Colosseum in Rome to remind him of his travels or the woman who thought it was quite okay to lift a couple of tiles in Pompeii to take home as a souvenir. Perhaps they haven’t heard the popular “responsible tourism” saying, “Take nothing but photos; leave nothing but footprints.”

9 Eating In Public In Florence

Wandering through the Italian city of Florence eating a gelato or sitting in the piazza enjoying a pizza for lunch seem like a perfectly ordinary vacation activity. However, as is the case in many popular Italian destinations, the residents of Florence have become impatient with the hordes of tourists.

Picnicking vacationers blocking doorways, sitting on church steps, and often leaving quite a mess behind them have not only become inconvenient but also begun to damage some important tourist sites. Authorities originally began hosing down the church steps and cobblestones frequented by tourists each lunchtime in a bid to alleviate the problems caused by picnicking travelers. When this failed to deter visitors from eating outside, the city imposed fines of €150–500 for eating outside during lunch and dinner hours.^[2]

So when visiting Florence during mealtimes, you now need to eat inside a restaurant or cafe.

8 Riding Bikes Or Being Shirtless In Venice

Venice has also begun to impose fines to ensure that tourists behave with a little decorum. The city is enforcing a number of new laws, including a ban on going shirtless or wearing swimwear anywhere within the canal precinct.^[3]

Being dressed inappropriately will land you a fine of up to €500, even if you are sunning yourself on a boat on the lagoon. Riding a bike through the city may seem like a great budget transport option, but not when you factor in the €100 fine your cycle through Venice will cost you.

Like Florence, Venice has also imposed fines for eating in public in the main tourist precincts in a bid to ease the problems caused by messy visitors. These may seem like trivial offenses, but the city officials are prepared to ban you from entering Venice for life if you don’t comply with their new laws.

7 Bathing In A Roman Fountain

Cooling off in a Roman fountain may seem like the perfect activity for a hot summer’s day. However, even dangling your feet in a fountain will now get you a hefty fine. Like Venice and Florence, Rome is also cracking down on unruly tourists. Officials are setting standards of “decorous dress” for tourists as well as banning sitting on fountains, steps, or even the ground to enjoy an Italian picnic.

In a further bid to curb “tourist vandals,” the city has also banned bathing in any of the fountains. You can understand fining those tourists who strip down to their underwear to take a swim, but even placing your feet in the water puts you in breach of the new city ordinances. Taking a splash in the famous fountains will cost you €450.^[4]

6 Hiking In Flip-Flops

Planning a trip to the Italian seaside resort of Cinque Terre this summer? Don’t forget to pack the hiking boots. That’s right, wearing sandals or “flip-flops” in areas of the popular seaside resort will land you a hefty fine of up to $4,000.^[5]

Local rescue groups have become increasingly frustrated with being called upon to save ill-prepared tourists. Many travelers amble off on a walk between the seaside towns, unaware that the paths between the villages are steep mountain trails. Wearing flimsy summer footwear, many tourists have had to be rescued after becoming stranded on the steep goat tracks.

In a bid to enforce some common sense, the local National Park authorities began imposing hefty fines on any travelers found on the trails without appropriate footwear.

5 Taking Plastic To Capri

The locals in the idyllic Italian island of Capri take a lot of pride in keeping their island paradise picture-perfect. So it is little surprise that they’ve followed the worldwide trend of banning single-use plastic.^[6]

Plastic straws and cups will no longer be available in any of the island’s many restaurants and cafes. To help preserve the island’s pristine beauty, tourists will also face fines of up to €500 if they are caught with single-use plastics in their possession. So, if you’re planning to take a picnic on Capri, make sure you have the old-fashioned wicker picnic basket with you.

4 Overstaying Your Welcome At The Taj Mahal

The UNESCO World Heritage mausoleum in Agra is one of the most visited destinations in the world. In fact, up to 50,000 tourists a day enter the gates to wander around, taking in the splendor of the Taj Mahal.

However, the tourist influx is becoming unsustainable, making it almost impossible to take that requisite selfie overlooking the reflection pool. As a result, authorities have begun imposing strict time limits for visitors to the site.

Not only must you prebook your tickets, but if you fail to turn up on your allotted time, you simply won’t be allowed in. Once inside, it’s best to plan your trip carefully, as you will have only three hours to enjoy the majestic splendor of the Taj Mahal. Overstay your welcome, and you will find yourself paying a fine on the way out the gate.^[7]

3 Stepping On A Banknote In Thailand

The Thai people revere their royal family, and their strict lese-majeste law is rigorously enforced with tourists as well as locals. Under Thai law, it is strictly forbidden to make any negative comments regarding the royal family.^[8] This can include speculating on the king’s health or defacing any image of the king.

A breach of the lese-majeste law can lead to an extended vacation behind bars. This includes stepping on a banknote, as the king’s face appears on the currency. Touching someone with your foot is considered the ultimate insult in Thailand, so accidentally stepping on a Thai baht is in breach of the country’s lese-mejeste law.

2 Wearing Swimwear

Swimwear is the first thing we pack for a summer holiday by the sea. Some of us imagine ourselves spending the entire vacation in our bathing suits.

We’re certainly aware of the need to cover up in many Asian and Middle Eastern countries. However, a number of places in Europe are now imposing bans on wearing swimwear off the beach (like Venice, as already mentioned). Many locals are offended by tourists wandering around their city in various states of “undress.” This includes not only women in bikinis but also shirtless males.

In 2011, for example, Barcelona began to impose fines on tourists who fail to get dressed before leaving the beach.^[9] Head to the cafe for a bite to eat wearing just your bikini, and you can be fined €300 for being “semi-nude.”

1 Taking Photos

Taking photos to capture your holiday memories is a given. Long before we arrive home, many of us have uploaded them to social media to share our adventures with family and friends. However, in some countries, taking a photo can get you fined, your camera equipment confiscated, and even land you in jail.

In 2018, a British tourist in Egypt was arrested over an innocent airport photo which unintentionally captured a military helicopter in the background.^[10] The French can also be a little paranoid about you taking photos of their security forces, so a happy snap with a gendarme could lead to the confiscation of your camera.

In the UAE, it is illegal to take a photo without the written consent of any strangers who may be in the background, while the Saudis frown upon photos of monuments and palaces. Some memories are best captured with postcards.

Lesley Connor is a retired Australian newspaper editor, who provides articles for online publications and her own travel blog.

Tourists can be truly obnoxious. From the moment they leave their houses for their destination, something changes. Their Hyde side comes out in the form of self-righteous, egotistical, and irrational behavior. Manners? What are those? They wreak havoc on drivers, airport crews, hotel staff, and locals.
Everyone who grew up in a tourist town has their own stories of rude, demanding, and entitled travelers who overstepped.

A select few tourists, however, step even farther and cross the line of the law. These ungracious guests damage property, steal, break boundaries, dishonor traditions, and disgrace their home countries. When that happens, you just love to see them get what’s coming. This list features ten of the most terrible tourists ever, both their idiotic crimes and their (hopefully) satisfying punishments.

Related: 10 Popular Tourist Attractions Filled With Human Remains

10 Who Leaves a Baby?

In 2019, a British tourist staying in Tenerife, Canary Islands, was arrested after a drunken public fight ended with her abandoning her three-month-old baby on a public street. A baby at three months can’t even sit up by themselves yet, okay? Details released by the police suggest a pretty trashy lead-up to the crime.

While eating at a local restaurant, the unnamed woman and the baby’s father both became drunk and argued with each other loudly. The woman stormed off on foot with her baby, and the father, concerned, called local police to find her. They quickly found the mother in the street near the couple’s hotel, but no baby. When asked, the mother simply said that she couldn’t imagine where the baby might be. It took 40 minutes for a pair of good samaritans to find the kid. The tourist’s drunken, foolish anger and neglect earned her six months in prison and hopefully some lasting shame.

9 Stop. Etching. The. Colosseum.

There really isn’t one person to blame for this because everyone keeps doing it. Tourists from all over the world keep carving their initials into the Colosseum (as if anyone cares that JJ + AK have been there and are in love). Despite the landmark’s impressive 2,000-year age, its status as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and its record as the largest-ever amphitheater, visitors don’t seem to mind hacking away at its exterior. For example:

• In 2020, an Irish tourist carved his initials into one of the Coliseum’s pillars. 
• In 2017, an Ecuadorian tourist carved the names of his whole family on a wall. 
• In 2015, two Americans carved their initials on a wall and filmed it. 
• In 2014, a Russian tourist carved a single letter before they were caught. 

The good news is that officials caught the etchers, and in Italy, the crime of damaging a historical landmark comes with a minimum fine of $2,400 and up to a year in prison. Of course, they could always earn their freedom through…gladiatorial combat (wya, Caligula?).

8 They Stole…the Beach?

In 2019, a French couple vacationing on the Italian island of Sardinia was arrested for stealing sand from a beach. As absurd as that sounds, the pair didn’t just fill a baggy or a pocket. They filled fourteen soda bottles to the brim, loaded them into the back of their SUV, and tried to take the SUV on a ferry ride back to the mainland. The haul weighed nearly 90 pounds.

The pair claimed that they had no idea that taking sand was illegal and that they just wanted a souvenir. While that would normally be believable, the 90-freaking-pounds of it all and the fact that sand from Sardinia is a valuable commodity often auctioned online makes them seem a bit suspicious. It’s unknown what portion of their potential one- to six-year prison sentence the couple served.

7 The Easter Island Ear

In 2008, 26-year-old Finnish tourist Marko Kulju chipped an ear off of one of the Easter Island heads. He was attempting to steal the monument fragment, but it fell to the ground and shattered after he chipped it off. So much for that…It was then that a nearby woman saw what happened and reported him.

The 1,000-year-old statues sit on a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Kulju could have been sent to prison for seven years due to the attempted theft. After what must have been a phenomenal apology, Kulju was instead fined $17,000 and banned from the island for just three years.

6 When Swimming Is Its Own Punishment

It seems that several people are unaware, so let’s put this in print: it’s illegal to swim the canals of Venice. Not only is it illegal, but due to the canals’ notorious filth, it’s gross and even potentially dangerous.

Take the 2019 case of two Norwegian women caught swimming in a Venice canal in their underwear. When they were arrested, police informed them of the canal’s disgusting history, including its current infestation with rats. Upon hearing this, one of the women threw up in the police station. It’s unknown what penalties the women faced (aside from disgust), but that same year, two Czech men caught swimming in a canal were fined around $3,320.

5 “Ding Jinhao Was Here”

In 2013, Ding Jinhao became one of the most hated human beings on the planet overnight because of his actions while visiting Egypt. While touring the 3,500-year-old Luxor Temple, Ding carved the Chinese characters for “Ding Jinhao was here” into a hieroglyphic mural. Though he initially got away with the act, other Chinese tourists passing the mural later recognized the characters and uploaded pictures of the vandalism to social media.

Within days, the post had gone viral, Ding’s personal information was shared publicly, and the computers at Ding’s school were hacked. The Chinese government issued an apology, as did Ding and his parents, with Ding even crying during his apology. When all was said and done, the Egyptian government enacted a new, harsher law protecting cultural relics. Ding was doxxed, bullied, and targeted by internet trolls and hackers, leading many to question whether Ding, aged 15, got his just desserts or perhaps too much.

4 Chicken Cordon Yellow…stone

The Guardian headline read in part, “men sentenced for cooking chicken in Yellowstone hot spring,” and against all logic, that really is the whole story. In 2020, three men left the trails in Yellowstone’s Shoshone Geyser Basin area, sat around one of the geothermal springs, and tried to cook a chicken.

Appearing before a judge for sentencing, one of the men said he intended to “make dinner.” That was it. All in their 40s and 50s, the men were fined, placed on probation, and banned from the park.

3 The Holy Water Bidet

Bali, Indonesia, has a reputation for attracting the worst tourists in history. For whatever reason, they flock to the beautiful island province, perpetually irritating locals. There were the five Australian men who ran naked through the Balinese streets. Drunk, they urinated and vomited freely as they ran. I would not want to be the guy behind him. Then there’s the guy who got in a drunken fight and dropkicked a local off of his moving motorbike.

However, the worst tourists in Bali have to be Czech tourists Zdenek Slouka and his girlfriend, Sabina Dolesalova. Slouka reached into a holy fountain at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary and used its water to clean off his girlfriend’s butt. They filmed it and posted it online. Somehow, the government completely forgave the two after performing a purification ritual.

2 Come Home, Dirk

In 2012, two Welsh tourists in Australia gained infamy for stealing a rare, valuable item: Dirk, a seven-year-old fairy penguin. The Welshmen had attended a beach party earlier in the night and ended up (apparently) absurdly drunk. For whatever reason, they then decided to break into Sea World and run amok.

While drunkenly trespassing, the pair jumped into the dolphin tank for a swim and even “let off a fire extinguisher in a shark enclosure.” Of course, they then stole little Dirk but allegedly had no memory of the incident. They only learned of their crime when they woke up the following day, hungover, with a penguin in their apartment. When they tried to set Dirk free in a local canal, they were caught and arrested. The fine of 1,000 Australian dollars each seems low.

1 Of All the Places…

It really should go without saying, but stealing from the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp is not a cool thing to do. Yet, there are numerous cases in which tourists have stolen or attempted to steal items from the site for souvenirs, just begging any existing gods of justice to smite them.

In 2019, an American visitor attempted to steal, of all things, a piece of metal from the train tracks leading into the camp. In 2018, two Hungarian tourists tried to steal bricks from a crematorium. The most notorious theft in recent memory has to be the successful 2009 theft of the sign at the camp’s main gate. Emblazoned with the Nazi slogan “Arbeit Macht Frei,” meaning “Work Will Set You Free,” the sign was a dark symbol, and its theft was a complicated problem. It was found in pieces and restored, but perhaps more important than the sign itself was the ability of tourists to be that terrible.

We all love rock concerts and stand-up comedy; going to live shows gives us a certain thrill that watching from home can’t compare. And celebrities have always fascinated the general public. Their politics, personality, or extreme behavior has often landed them in trouble. Sometimes the entertainer or the police take their job way too seriously. So seriously, in fact, the musician or comedian is hauled off stage in the middle of their act and brought to jail. It happens more often than you think. Here are ten times a celebrity was arrested because of their performance.

10 Marty Wayne 1946

In 1946, Marty Wayne was an up-and-coming comedian with a penchant for filthy jokes and pantomime. While performing in Philadelphia, Wayne was arrested. At the time, the newspaper wouldn’t quote the police; they reported that he was arrested “for his purple passages,” which would most likely be considered mild by today’s standards. The venue’s owners were fined, and Wayne spent six months in prison!

Wayne’s career never really took off after his release. However, Wayne may well have been the inspiration for other more famous entries on our list. Obscenity laws were stricter and more plentiful in Wayne’s time. Most likely, he would have had a longer and more successful career had he lived in modern times, much to the chagrin of comedy fans everywhere.^[1]

9 Marilyn Manson (2001)

While Manson was not stopped during the show, he was arrested immediately following a 2001 performance in Michigan. Allegedly while on stage, Manson rubbed his gentiles on a security guard’s head. Manson recalled the incident at a 2013 show in Detroit. He claimed that he almost went to jail for having sex with a man’s head, an embellished version of the event. Officially Manson was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery for spitting on security officer Joshua Keasler’s head and felony sexual misconduct charges for wrapping his legs around Keasler and “grinding” on him.

According to prosecutor David Gorcyca, “These acts are sexual and physical assaults on an unsuspecting individual whose job was to protect the performers” Eventually, the felony charge was dropped, but the misdemeanor stuck. Manson seemed unaffected by the incident in every possible way.^[2]

8 Richard Pryor 1974

1974 was a big year for Richard Pryor, Blazing Saddles premiered, which he co-wrote, and he was arrested following a live performance in Richmond, Virginia. By the mid-1970s, laws concerning obscenities had been overturned throughout most of the country, leading some to believe there was racial bias in the arrest. According to comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff, “All the words that are in Blazing Saddles are the same words that he got arrested for saying onstage.”

Whether or not that was the case, Pryor was arrested for breaking a “foul language” ordinance. The local newspaper quoted the police saying, “He was repeatedly told to clean up his act.” The comedian used unapproved language in his jokes, one of which he directed toward the Richmond Police Department. He was released on a $500 bond and was later forced to attend a hearing on the matter later. Pryor never “cleaned up his act.” In 2006, he was the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor honoree presented at the Kennedy Center, a distinctive honor for one arrested for his sense of humor.^[3]

7 Janis Joplin 1969

As the first queen of rock ‘n’ roll, it’s not necessarily surprising that Janis Joplin spent a few nights in jail. The circumstances of this particular arrest, however, are classic Janis. On November 16, 1969, B.B. King opened for her at Curtis Hixon Hall in Tampa, Florida. The crowd of roughly 3,500 people was losing their minds by the time she got on stage. They ran into the aisles toward the stage and stood on top of each other for a better view. She was doing a slow, bluesy version of “Summertime” as police tried to escort people back to their seats.

Things got heated between the crowd and the cops, and Joplin noticed. She allegedly yelled, “Don’t f**k with those people” through the microphone. Her comment was enough to provoke Sgt. Ed Williams to get a warrant for Joplin’s arrest because of her “vulgar and indecent language.” Joplin continued to antagonize the Tampa Police force throughout her set, and by midnight, she was behind bars. She was released on bail within a few hours and continued to play shows with the same vigor until she died at 27.^[4]

6 George Carlin 1972

George Carlin had an outstanding comedic career that spanned over fifty years. Carlin was renowned for his vulgar yet well throughout jokes and had multiple run-ins with the law in his early days.

He appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows and countless live performances. Most memorable was his “Seven Words You Can’t Say” bit. While performing that act at the 1972 Milwaukee Summerfest, Carlin was arrested for “profanity,” despite obscenity laws being overturned throughout the country by the early 1970s. Officially charged with disorderly conduct, the charges were eventually dropped, and the judge ruled in favor of Carlin’s first amendment freedom of speech rights. Carlin remarked later that he had the last laugh on the topic. The arrest gave the comedian publicity that he just couldn’t buy and significantly impacted his career.^[5]

5 Bobby Brown 1989

Following a 1987 Beastie Boys concert, the people of Columbus, Ohio, passed an anti-lewdness ordinance. Early in 1989, R & B star Bobby Brown broke that ordinance during a live performance, to the surprise of no one. “My Prerogative” had just been released, and there was no way Brown wasn’t going to live up to the song’s name. He brought a woman from the crowd on stage with him during a rendition of the popular song and “simulated sexual intercourse” with her, according to Columbus Police.

Brown came off the stage for a break around 8:30 that night when the auditorium’s head of security arrested him. He was taken to the county jail and booked. However, he was able to pay a $652 fine and was released. Brown was only off stage for about 90 minutes before returning and finishing the show.^[6]

4 Axl Rose 1987

Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has had quite a few run-ins with the law over his storied career. In 1991, he allegedly coerced the crowd into a riot during a show in St. Louis. Rose was arrested after the fact and made to stand trial for his role in the Riverport Amphitheater Riot. Years before that, he had been arrested during another show.

In 1987, GNR was on tour for their debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The band arrived in Atlanta in late November; their performance was scheduled for the 22nd. Allegedly, Rose punched a Black police officer in the face and was arrested. The police stated that he could be released if he apologized to the officer, but Rose responded to this offer in his own way. He refused to apologize and said, “F**k you!” to the cops. He was arrested due to physical assault during the band’s performance.^[7]

3 Jim Morrison 1967

In December 1967, while performing in New Haven, Connecticut, Doors frontman Jim Morrison became the first rock star ever arrested mid-performance. The incident became famous after being written about in countless newspapers and magazines and even appearing in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic The Doors. As the story goes, Morrison was “making out” with some girl backstage before the show. The two were interrupted by a police officer who ordered the couple to leave. Morrison, of course, refused and was consequently maced by the officer. Shortly after that, the officer was informed that his victim was, in fact, the ultra-famous lead singer, Jim Morrison.

Later, during a “Back Door Man” performance, Morrison improvised altered lyrics to recount the events to the audience. He then sang derogatory slurs at the police, and that was literally the show-stopper. The police came on stage, stopped the performance, and arrested Morrison. He was charged with inciting a riot, indecency, and public obscenity. This would not be his first arrest, though. In 1969, he was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior, indecent exposure, profanity, and drunkenness a few days after a concert in Miami, Florida.^[8]

2 Lenny Bruce 1961-1964

Lenny Bruce is arguably the most revered name in stand-up comedy; his wit, charm, and jokes were ahead of his time. He believed in himself and his ability to make people laugh, whether or not authorities thought he was funny or not. He is responsible for bringing first amendment rights to his craft, paving the way for others like George Carlin and Richard Pryor. Bruce was arrested many times for obscene and vulgar language throughout his career.

The first time was in 1961 in San Fransico. On this occasion, the police waited until after his set. However, on December 4, 1962, Bruce was performing his act at the Gates of Horn Club in Chicago when he made multiple jokes containing what was considered obscene. Phrases like “schmuck” or “c***sucker” came out of his mouth one too many times, and police stopped the show and hauled him off to jail.

Over five years, Bruce appeared in court in several states for his act. He was convicted on the Chicago charges and sentenced to four months in jail. Comedy clubs nationwide blacklisted him after his conviction. He spent years going through the appeal process, but he died of a drug overdose before it could be completed. He won his appeal posthumously and was pardoned. In 2003, Governor George Pataki of New York pardoned Bruce, calling the state’s first posthumous pardon “a declaration of New York’s commitment to upholding the First Amendment.”.^[9]

1 Dave Chappelle 2022

Dave Chappelle was never arrested during one of his shows. Quite the opposite. For our last entry, we’re turning the tables. On May 3, 2022, Dave was in the middle of his Netflix is a Joke festival set when a member of the audience at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Ang attacked him. Later identified as Isaiah Lee, the attacker jumped onto the stage and shoved Chappelle (not a small man) to the ground. The incident occurred as Chappelle attempted to exit the stage for a mid-set break. The police subdued Lee quickly, and he suffered “minor injuries.” He was brought to the hospital to treat his injuries and to be evaluated for mental illness. Lee was later charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon.

Police say Lee was found with a replica handgun that produces a knife blade when fired. Chappelle is one of the top stand-up comedians of the last decade and has become a household name. His brand of comedy has offended a lot of people over the years. There are many reasons someone might take offense to his act, and this wasn’t the only time he was assaulted on stage. According to TMZ, he was once the victim of a racial assault when an audience member threw a banana peel at him during a show in New Mexico. Despite all this, Chappelle has stayed at the top of his industry while giving back to his community.^[10]