The trouble began Monday evening, when she and confidante-manager-hanger-on Sam Lutfi went for a short drive around Beverly Hills, Calif. When they returned to her home, she jumped out of the white Mercedes near the guard gate. Ms. Spears, clutching her Yorkie puppy London, wandered around with tears in her eyes and plopped down on the curb. Meanwhile, a crowd of photographers snapped away.

She then downplayed the incident, saying, “I’m fine. I’m … having a nice time with my dog.”

Later, Brit’s paparazzi pal-with-benefits Adnan Ghalib showed up at the gate, but was turned away. He proceeded to show fellow shooters a series of text messages, one in which Mr. Lufti allegedly referred to Mr. Ghalib as a “manic trigger” for Ms. Spears.

Los Angeles police eventually arrived in search of trespassers. They ticketed paparazzi that were illegally parked. (Thanks to TMZ.com)