LOS ANGELES, May 7 -- Actor Martin Lawrence was detained by Los Angeles police and then hospitalized Tuesday after he caused a disturbance at a busy San Fernando Valley intersection during an apparent seizure, police said. Lawrence, the acerbic star of the 'Martin' TV series and the current film 'A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,' was seen about 12:30 p.m. walking in traffic on Ventura Boulevard and yelling at passing cars. Officers found a handgun in the actor's pants pocket. He was taken by ambulance to nearby Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center and turned over to his own doctor for medical care. Hospital officials said later that Lawrence had been released but offered no other details. Police said Lawrence apparently was suffering from a seizure brought on by his failure to take prescribed medication. Police investigators will turn over evidence to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, which will decide whether Lawrence will face a weapons charge. A bystander at the intersection Tuesday said that Lawrence put up a fierce struggle against police. 'The police were really forcefully putting their arms around him and trying to hold him down because he was fighting so much and yelling,' the witness said. 'He was like a madman. And I said, 'That's Martin Lawrence.' I couldn't believe it.' Lawrence began his career in stand-up comedy, including several 'Star Search' appearances. His first regular TV role was as a smart- mouthed busboy on the syndicated series 'What's Happening Now!' He hosted 'Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam' for two years, and made his film debut in 1989 in Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing.'
Lawrence's other film credits include 'House Party,' 'House Party II' and 'Boomerang.' In 1994, he released a controversial concert film, 'You So Crazy,' and he starred with Will Smith last year in the box-office hit 'Bad Boys.'
