On This Day in 1994: Grace Slick Arrested for Pointing a Loaded Gun at Police

The Incident in Marin County

For many, Grace Slick’s voice is linked to the Summer of Love, but in 1994, the former Jefferson Airplane singer made headlines for a very different reason. On March 5, officers responded to her Marin County home after receiving a call from a man who claimed a “drunken woman was firing a shotgun in the house.” The caller, 58-year-old Ira Lee, reportedly greeted police by shouting, “Kill me!” and had to be restrained by officers.

Once law enforcement arrived, they faced Slick herself. Police said she pointed a shotgun at them and ordered them off her property. The brief standoff ended when Officer Bob Rossi managed to wrestle the weapon away after distracting her. Slick was arrested and charged with felony assault and felony brandishing a weapon at a police officer.

Slick Reflects on the Arrest

Years later, Slick recalled the episode with her characteristic blunt humor. Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, she admitted, “Of course” when asked if she was drunk at the time. She explained, “They said, ‘Put the shotgun down, Grace.’ I told them, ‘Not until I know what’s going on.’ So, one of them did a body roll and knocked me down. It was a good move.”

This arrest was part of a series of alcohol-related problems that eventually convinced Slick to quit drinking. She told the Chronicle, “I can’t drink anymore because I’m so bad at it. If I had continued, I’d be dead by now. There isn’t any other drug that can turn you into an ass in just three hours. I love it. It’s fabulous. But I just can’t do it.”

Court Proceedings and Sentencing

At the end of April 1994, Slick appeared in court and pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a shotgun. As part of a plea deal, she agreed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, perform 200 hours of community service, undergo random drug testing, and abstain from alcohol. Reflecting on her legal outcome in an interview with Counterpunch, she said, “My lawyer got me off, where all I had to do was community service. Now that’s a good lawyer. He was real pleasant, and didn’t charge me that much money. I would have paid him way more than what he charged me to stay the fuck out of prison. But I’ve always had really good lawyers. So I don’t have the bad experience with them that other people do.”

The Decision to Step Away from Music

Slick’s struggles and eventual sobriety influenced her decision to leave the stage before the end of the 1990s. In 1998, she told The New York Times, “You either evolve or you don’t. I don’t like old people on a rock-and-roll stage. I think they look pathetic, me included. And the fact that I represent an era means I can’t just go out there and do all new stuff. They would all say, ‘Sing “White Rabbit,”’ and I’d say no? That’s rude. But can you see me singing ‘Feed Your Head’ as a practicing nonalcoholic? It doesn’t make sense now.”