SPEARS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE
January 04, 2008 Paramedics arrived on the scene and rolled a gurney into Britney Spears' house more than three hours after police arrived there Thursday night.
Officer April Harding confirmed to CelebTV.com, "LAPD was called to residence [Spears'] at around 8 p.m. to investigate a child custody dispute."
PageSix.com reports the singer was "hysterical" and wanted to keep her kids for the night.
The pop star has since been taken to a local hospital on a "medical hold," which is basically a mental evaluation, as first reported by TMZ.
Authorities determined Spears was "under the influence of an unknown substance."
Police were called to Spears' house after the singer refused to return her two boys, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, to her ex-husband Kevin Federline's custody as scheduled.
At 10 p.m., authorities were still at the singer's house. Six police
cars, an ambulance and a fire truck were spotted outside the gates at Spears' home. Five media helicopters hovered nearby.
Just before midnight, CelebTV.com reporters witnessed three ambulances, followed by more than a dozen L.A. police squad cars exiting the gated community with photographers in hot pursuit.
According to Perez Hilton, who first reported the presence of police at Spears' residence, Kevin Federline showed up at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his ex-wife reportedly has been taken, to check on her.
Federline has had temporary full physical custody of the couple's boys since October, with limited visitation for Spears.
Earlier on Thursday, Spears appeared for a deposition in her ongoing custody dispute, where she spent just 14 minutes answering questions, according to Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan.
Spears called in sick for a Dec. 12 court-ordered deposition, but was photographed that day driving with a friend. She also didn't show up for a session Wednesday, Kaplan said.
"She was cooperative," Kaplan added after Thursday's deposition. "There has been no change in anything. It will be continued to another date, which I will not say at this time."
As first reported by CelebTV.com, Spears' attorneys from the firm Trope and Trope filed a court motion Wednesday asking to be relieved as her counsel due to a "breakdown" in communication with their troubled client.
A hearing in the matter is set for Feb. 4, but the firm currently still represents Spears.
