Nicolas Cage arrested for domestic abuse

[Richard Cranium]

Nicolas Cage was arrested in Louisiana early Saturday morning, following an altercation with his wife of six years, Alice.

The incident that led to the arrest was a rather public one: According to TMZ sources, the Oscar winner was "very drunk" on a New Orleans street when a taxi driver allegedly witnessed the couple quarreling loudly. The cabbie reportedly called the police when Cage pushed his wife.

Cage is said to have taunted cops into taking him into custody, repeatedly refusing their request to quietly go home and asking, "Why don't you just arrest me?" The officers ultimately obliged, charging Cage with disturbing the peace and domestic violence.

He remains in custody awaiting a bail hearing; his wife is reportedly denying any physical violence occurred, and expressing no wish to press charges.

With Alice, the actor is raising a son named Kal-El, born in 2005. Cage, who lost his father in 2009, was previously married to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley.

Cage has a history of public outbursts, including a blow-up last year (caught on tape) on the Romanian set of a movie, and a bar fight in New Orleans last month.

Nobody would dispute that Cage has been battling his fair share of demons recently, including major financial woes. The IRS has alleged for years that he owed millions in income and property tax, while the mother of Cage's firstborn son sued him in 2009 for more than $13 million. That same year, Cage filed a $20 million negligence and fraud suit against his business manager, Samuel Levin -- who then accused Cage of ignoring his pleas to stop living beyond his means. Levin said in a countersuit that Cage was repeatedly advised to curtail his spending, but instead ended up purchasing yachts, Rolls Royces, a Gulfstream jet and 15 homes.