Lindsey Buckingham attacked in Santa Monica
Police identify suspect after unknown substance thrown, prior restraining order filings describe years of alleged harassment
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Lindsey Buckingham press image
standard.co.uk
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 03: Singer Stevie Nicks (L) and musician Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform at The Staples Center on July 3, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
MUSIC Fleetwood Mac – please can we have a pic of them now, not from back in the day?
The Seventies giants released their first new material in a decade this year – just four tracks but enough to whet the appetite for the real attraction, another arena tour. September 24-27, O2 Arena, SE10 (0844 824 4824, the02.co.uk)
standard.co.uk
Lindsey Buckingham was attacked outside a building in Santa Monica after a woman approached him and threw an “unknown substance” before fleeing, police said. The Evening Standard reports that officers from Santa Monica and Los Angeles police departments are investigating and have identified a suspect, but had made no arrest as of Wednesday afternoon; Buckingham was not injured.
The allegation is familiar territory for celebrities because the cost of disruption is low and the target is predictable. A public figure’s movements can be inferred from routine—venues, studios, known residences—and a single person can turn that predictability into repeated contact attempts that would be unusual in ordinary life. Police told NBC Los Angeles, cited by the Standard, that Buckingham is understood to be familiar with the woman from previous incidents, and investigators believe she may have tracked his movements in advance.
Court filings described in the Standard sketch the longer pattern that often precedes a physical confrontation. In 2024 Buckingham sought a permanent restraining order, saying he feared for his life because a woman had allegedly harassed his family since 2021. A temporary order required her to remain at least 100 yards away from Buckingham, his wife Kristen and their son William. The filings said she obtained Kristen Buckingham’s phone number and repeatedly called—sometimes dozens of times a day—leaving lengthy messages that included threats and claims she was his daughter. Buckingham said she demanded money and blamed him for facial deformities she said she suffered as a child.
Police had warned the woman to stop contacting the family in 2022, the Standard reports, but Buckingham alleged the behaviour resumed in 2024, including a collage left at his home with images of the woman’s face and an appearance at one of his Los Angeles properties. The latest incident—an unidentified substance thrown at the entrance of a building—sits in the grey zone between nuisance and violence: enough to trigger an investigation, but not necessarily enough to stop the next approach.
Authorities have not said whether Wednesday’s incident is connected to the earlier restraining-order case. Buckingham’s representatives were contacted for comment, the Standard said.
The suspect has been identified, police said, and Buckingham walked away uninjured.