Miami-Dade deputies used crisis-intervention techniques before safely taking the celebrity blogger to a hospital, as his former attorney called for \u201ckindness and compassion\u201d<\/p>\n
Celebrity blogger and media personality Perez Hilton was hospitalized Tuesday night after horrified and concerned viewers called authorities about a disturbing TikTok livestream. Shockingly, the stream appeared to show the influencer harming himself with a knife inside his Miami-area home.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The Miami-Dade Sheriff\u2019s Office (MDSO) said it received multiple calls about someone livestreaming acts of self-harm on social media. Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a home in his neighborhood, where authorities determined the person was alone inside.<\/p>\n Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., was later safely removed from the home and taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. The sheriff\u2019s Crisis Response Unit and licensed mental-health professionals were also present at the hospital to provide help and resources. <\/p>\n Lavandeira reportedly lives with his mother and three children, but it has not been publicly confirmed if they were all home.<\/p>\n Graphic and disturbing clips from the livestream circulated on social media after the broadcast ended. The footage appeared to show Hilton in distress at times (other moments, he was moaning) and covered in blood, but clips of the footage have since been removed from multiple platforms. It\u2019s unclear if some of the blood was fake. His TikTok account was reportedly suspended shortly afterward.<\/p>\n MDSO said deputies deliberately slowed down their response and relied on crisis-intervention techniques after determining there was no immediate threat to anyone else, per their official statement (which did not name Lavandeira).<\/p>\n Scroll to continue reading<\/p>\n \u201cIn many incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or actively harming themselves, deputies prioritize de-escalation by creating time, distance, and opportunities for communication,\u201d the sheriff\u2019s office said in a statement.<\/p>\n Officials explained that when no one else is in immediate danger, moving slowly and communicating with the person can reduce the chance of a violent confrontation and protect the individual, responding deputies and the public. Los Angeles has requested more information from the MDSO and awaiting a response.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The sheriff\u2019s office initially did not publicly identify the person involved. Neighbors told NBC6<\/a> that the man inside the home was Hilton, and subsequent reporting confirmed that he was the person transported to the hospital in an ambulance. No additional information about his condition was immediately released.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Attorney Bryan Freedman, who has represented Mario Lavendeira over the years, tells Los Angeles, \u201cI, like many others, feel very concerned for Mario\u2019s health and I am trying to confirm that he is receiving the care that he needs to fully address the causes and conditions which led to this incident. It feels like a moment that deserves kindness and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n