A photographer who called 911 to report Heather Locklear allegedly driving erratically runs a paparazzi agency and profited from images she took of the actress’s subsequent arrest, the woman’s attorney said Wednesday.
But Nicholas Tepper, who represents photographer Jill Ishkanian, said in a written statement Wednesday that her phone call to authorities was motivated by "civic duty" and a concern for Locklear’s safety.
He also defended Ishkanian’s right to then take photos of the arrest.
"The fact she witnessed Ms. Locklear’s erratic driving and reported it to the police did not mean she was disqualified from reporting the story, which she in fact did," Tepper wrote.
He said Ishkanian then sold the photos to celebrity gossip site TMZ for $27,000 – but did it through a third party, KM Press Group, because her standing in the industry has been damaged by a lawsuit against her former employer, US Weekly.
In its postings this week, TMZ questioned whether Ishkanian was "up to no good" and claimed she alerted fellow paparazzi to Locklear’s impending arrest. TMZ head Harvey Levin said Wednesday that the owner of KM Press Group has repeatedly told him that one of the agency’s photographers snapped the photos and that Ishkanian called to tip him off to Locklear’s arrest.
Tepper said Ishkanian had been visiting family and friends in the Montecito area when she spotted Locklear’s car driving erratically Saturday afternoon, called 911 and was advised by a CHP dispatcher to stop following the car.