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Nicolas Cage Taunted Police: 'Why Don't You Just Arrest Me?'

NEW ORLEANS – The erratic actor Nicolas Cage was arrested early Saturday in New Orleans after he loudly argued with his wife – and then taunted police, according to reports.

Cage was charged with one count of domestic abuse and one count of disturbing the peace, according to the gossip website TMZ.com.

Cage and Alice Kim, the actor’s third wife, were on a French Quarter street corner fighting when they were spotted by a cab driver. The driver called police and told investigators that the actor shoved Kim, according to TMZ.

After cops told Cage to go home, the actor allegedly yelled at them “Why don’t you just arrest me?” according to the website.

Moments later, the officers did.

Mug shot of Nicolas Cage

TMZ ran a photo reportedly of the actor’s mugshot, which shows Cage with his hair askew and his eyes closed.

Cage, 47, married Kim, a former waitress, in 2004. They have a 5-year-old son named Kal-El, Superman’s birth name.

Kim denies that Cage shoved her and does not want her husband charged, TMZ reported. Cage is still in custody and is waiting for a bail hearing.

Cage had previously been married to the actress Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the legendary singer. Cage and Presley filed for divorce in 2002 after only 108 days of marriage.

The quirky actor, known for his halting delivery and unusual choice of roles, has commanded more than $20 million a movie, yet has teetered near bankruptcy for years.

Banks foreclosed on several of his homes, and he was forced to sell both a castle he owned in Germany and a $7 million private island in the Bahamas.

Two of his troubled properties – including one mansion dubbed “The Most Haunted House in America” – were in New Orleans, where Cage has filmed several movies. It was not clear why he was in Louisiana at the time of his arrest.

Cage most recently starred in “Season of the Witch” and “Drive Angry,” two flops at the box office.

Though he once received critical acclaim – and an Academy Award – for edgy films like “Leaving Las Vegas,” most of his recent career choices have tended toward mainstream fare like the “National Treasure” series and several comic book adaptations like “Ghost Rider.”