Red Carpet Arrest at Academy Awards

Nicole Richie wasn't the only person who looked out of place at The Oscars -- cops had to spring into action Sunday when a non-Hollywood type ran onto the red carpet.

It all went down around 1:30 PM PST -- right before the stars began to arrive.

Law enforcement sources say they believe a 28-year-old dude scaled a 6 or 7 foot fence, got on to the red carpet and began "skipping."

We're told he then broke in to a run but cops immediately caught up with him and escorted the dude to the ground.

The man was arrested for trespassing. He's currently being held on $5,000 bail.