LOS ANGELES — A lovelorn lunatic jumped Paris Hilton’s boyfriend and professed his life for the hotel heiress, during a wild melee outside a Van Nuys courthouse this afternoon.
The attack happened just before Hilton and boyfriend Cy Waits testified against Nathan Lee Parada, the alleged knife-wielding intruder who tried to break into her house in August.
As the lovebirds approached courthouse doors, James Rainford — who Hilton later called “the other stalker” — came up to her, took at swing at Waits and then briefly put him in a headlock.
The couple’s bodyguard, Mason Burroughs, tackled Rainford, while a petrified Hilton screamed: “That’s him!”
“That’s the other stalker!” Hilton called out in a panicked voice, as Rainford was slammed to the pavement.
“That’s the guy … who was on the bike … at my house. Oh my God!”
Hilton and Waits made their way inside, while Burroughs and LA cops stayed downstairs to handle the assailant.
The balding middle-aged man, wearing a white shirt, cargo pants and sunglasses identified himself as Hilton’s hubby-to-be.
“I’m going to marry her,” the delusional Rainford told The Post as cops hauled him away. “I got permission from her father!”
Rainford is the same man was arrested in October 2010 for cycling past a security gate, and up to Hilton’s front door before he was stopped.
This afternoon, Rainford was quickly subdued by Paris’ hired muscle, who put his knee on the attacker’s head.
“He was struggling and yammering about getting an autograph from Paris,” said the burly Burrough, who was not hurt in the take down.
Charges against Rainford for the October incident were dropped, according to his mom Teresa Epperson, who believed her son would have taken the hint to steer clear of Hilton.
She admitted that her 36-year-old son struggles to stay employed and has been homeless for more than a year.
“He has an infatuation with Paris Hilton,” the heartbroken Epperson told The Post tonight.”My son has a mental illness and no one will help him.”
Within minutes of yesterday’s attack, Hilton Tweeted to her mom Kathy Hilton: “Omg … That other psycho intruder just punched Cy in the back of the head as we were walking into the court house. So scary!”
Hilton ended the Tweet with a frowning face emoticon.
The shaken Hilton composed herself and testified against Parada. The alleged intruder was arrested after Waits pulled a gun on him.
“I saw him [Parada] looking through the window smiling at me,” Hilton told jurors. “I was scared.”
Deputy DA Kaveh Faturechi asked Hilton to describe the noise she heard as Parada allegedly tried to break in.
Hilton removed a huge ring off her right hand, pounded on the witness stand three times and said, “but louder.”
Waits also took the witness stand and fingered Parada as the man who wielded two knives in the backyard of Hilton’s home. Waits testified that he went out a side door to confront Parada from behind.
“When he turned around, he faced me, he had a knife in each hand,” said Waits, who stood up with clinched fists at his sides to simulate Parada’s body language the morning of Aug. 24.
“And that’s when I pulled my weapon.”
Parada was surprised Hilton’s boyfriend was armed, according to Waits.
“I drew the gun and I told him to drop the knives and the guy said, ‘Is that a weapon?’ ” Waits testified.
Hilton’s boy toy told jurors he responded: “ ‘ ‘F-ck yeah it’s a weapon, drop the knives!’ ”
Even though Parada complied, Hilton was still freaking out.
“I was screaming for Paris, I told her to call the police,” Waits testified.
“She was frantic. She couldn’t [immediately] find the phone.”
After love birds both testified, Hilton said she was glad their day in court was over.
“So creepy seeing that guy in court today, it sent shivers down my spine,” Hilton wrote on her Twitter page.
“Now on my way to [the Union Rescue Mission] to make Mother’s Day cards with the kids.”
Violent antics outside the Van Nuys courthouse are nothing new.
In 2003, a man furious about losing a court battle over money with his sister sought Wild West-style justice outside the same courthouse by going after her lawyer with a gun in a bizarre showdown that aired on national TV.
Attorney Jerry Curry dropped to his knees and begged for his life as William Strier, 64, whipped out a revolver and started firing wildly from just inches away.
His pleas for mercy ignored, Curry, 53, jumped up, used his briefcase as a shield and darted behind a tree, dodging desperately from side to side to avoid the continuing barrage.
Strier was found guilty of attempted murder in 2006.