Seacrest stalker with knife arrested at E! offices

A knife-wielding man suspected of stalking "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest was stopped by security guards yesterday at the offices of E! entertainment television and turned over to police, the cable network reported on its website.

Detective Gus Villanueva of the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Reuters that police detained a man at the E! building, where Seacrest also works, but he gave no further details and said the man had not been formally arrested.

E! Online identified the man as Chidi Uzomah, a former insurance broker who the network said was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years probation for attacking a member of Seacrest's security detail at a charity event last month.

When Uzomah showed up at E!'s Los Angeles offices yesterday, security guards there recognized him from photos of him they had collected since the previous scuffle and they detained him, the E! website said.

"An interesting day here at E!," Seacrest was quoted as saying of the latest incident. "My sincerest thanks to the LAPD, who helped us out here at the building today."

In addition to emceeing the top-rated US television program, "American Idol," on the Fox network, Seacrest hosts "E! News" and a radio show whose studio is located at E! in Los Angeles.