Crime

An ex-federal prosecutor is weighing in on Diddy's assault video -- and she says while this isn't necessarily a smoking gun in the investigation he's facing, it certainly doesn't help him.

We talked to Katie Cherkasky -- who's had years of experience with these sorts of legal matters -- on "TMZ Live" Friday ... where she declared that the now-viral video, in which Diddy can be seen beating Cassie -- should make him and his camp worried.

Katie says the tape gives credibility to Cassie on multiple fronts -- both in the public eye, but also with the feds who are drilling down into major allegations against Diddy right now.

Donald Trump took a break from his NYC criminal trial and presidential campaign to celebrate a major milestone ... his son Barron's high school graduation.

The former prez and wife, Melania Trump, were in attendance at the graduation ceremony for Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach Friday ... where they watched with pride as their son received his diploma.

Both Donald and his father-in-law, Viktor Knavs, were seen waving at Barron ... who towered above his peers and teachers while wearing a navy blue cap and gown, as well as a red stole.

1:13 PM PT -- A rep for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts tells TMZ ... "This hotel is no longer under IHG management, and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage."

10:56 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there is no record cops can track down as it pertains to this 2016 incident at the InterContinental, so it doesn't appear to have been mentioned to cops in a police report, or otherwise reported to the authorities.

In terms of cops opening a case on this now, LAPD tells TMZ ... For cases before January 2020, it's a 3 year statute of limitations -- and after January 2020, it's 5 years. In other words, there's no chance cops will dive into this specific incident for potential criminal charges at this point, at least as far as the LAPD is concerned.

Diddy brutally beat up his ex-girlfriend Cassie at a hotel in L.A. 8 years ago -- something she detailed in her lawsuit ... and which we're now seeing for the first time on camera.

Kevin Spacey's on the outs in Hollywood ... but, big stars want to bring him in from the cold -- 'cause Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson just shared their support publicly.

In a new article from The Telegraph -- Stone, Neeson and more stars say they want Spacey acting once again, calling him a generous and kind person who deserves to get back to work in mainstream movies and TV shows.

The embattled actor's back in the public discourse because of the documentary “Spacey Unmasked” -- now streaming on Max -- which details more allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor ... all of which he's denied.

The mother of the 9-year-old who was nearly shot while sitting on his couch in a harrowing video says the neighborhood's experienced another shooting since then ... which is wild.

Mary Jane Gonzales came on 'TMZ Live' Thursday to talk about the original incident ... and, she says it's not the only one -- 'cause her son was recently at a friend's down the street from their house when another shooting occurred since the one that went down May 1.

ICYMI ... multiple bullets ripped through the Gonzales family's window in Fort Worth, TX during a drive-by shooting earlier this month -- and, though no one in the house was hit, some kids hanging out in the front were injured.

More bad news for the Chiefs this offseason ... the team's first-round pick, Xavier Worthy, had his car stolen in Kansas City earlier this week.

According to the Kansas City Police Dept., Worthy's ride was reported missing on Monday morning ... after it had been "parked, secured and intact" at the Two Light Apartment complex in K.C. just hours earlier.

Pro Football Talk reported Thursday those close to Worthy believe it was lifted "by a professional group of criminals who 'knew exactly what they were doing.'" No arrests have been made in the case, however.

Diddy's alleged mule, Brendan Paul, struck a good deal in his drug case -- 'cause he ain't gonna be doing any time behind bars ... TMZ has learned.

Brendan's attorney, Brian Bieber, tells us ... "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety."

A rep for the Miami-Dade State Attorney confirms this as well, telling TMZ ... this was a standard offer to a non-violent defendant with no priors -- who was arrested for a possession case instead of a much more serious trafficking case.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is opening up about her nose job -- and in the same breath ... giving everyone a peek into her booger sitch, as well as how she did makeup behind bars.

The convict-turned-reality star -- who returned to social media recently after taking a brief hiatus -- uploaded a Get Ready With Me TikTok where she was doing a beauty tutorial ... and she made it clear her nose wasn't fully healed after her rhinoplasty.

GRB explained she has to be careful doing her makeup post-surgery -- and that's where she got a little TMI with some insights ... including how big her boogers are these days.

Cam Newton just delivered an impassioned speech to Rashee Rice ... warning the Chiefs star that if he doesn't shape up soon -- his time in the NFL could be over in a flash.

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback sent the message loud and clear on his "4th & 1 with Cam Newton" podcast this week ... going off on Rice for around five minutes over the recent decisions that have led to police investigations.

Newton advised the wide receiver to lay as low as possible going forward ... explaining that's the only way he can now guarantee himself the best possibility at a long-term future in the NFL.

Tammy Sytch's recent move to a state prison in Florida ain't exactly off to the best start ... the WWE Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports she's suffering from a "horrible" blood clot in her leg -- and she's furious over the way officials are handling it.

The 51-year-old, who was sentenced to 17 years behind bars back in 2023 for her role in a fatal car crash, says just after she was relocated to Lowell Correctional Institution in Marion County earlier this year ... she noticed something wrong with her left leg.

She said she began to experience severe swelling from the top of her knee all the way down to her toes, and immediately sought out medical attention.

Lil Baby's planned music video in Atlanta sounded like a war zone after flurries of shots were fired in the area -- and TMZ Hip Hop's obtained video of the ear-shattering scene!!!

The video unfolds with dozens of staffers and people setting up filming equipment Tuesday afternoon when the shooting began from what sounds like a semi-automatic weapon firing relentlessly for about 6 seconds.

Naturally, the cameraman ducks for cover and the video gets shaky as he points the lens toward the ground, but the background conversation fills in a bit of the story's blanks.

A 9-year-old boy in Texas had to dodge bullets from the comfort of his own home -- which can be seen in distressing new footage ... and it's a miracle he made it out alive.

Check out this home surveillance video that was captured earlier this month in Fort Worth -- where a drive-by shooting occurred right outside ... sending 4 bullets flying into the apartment as the kid chills on his couch.

In a flash, his home is under fire ... and you can see the boy dive onto the armrest quickly before bolting to his mom's room. He had great instincts to get low and was able to avoid being hit.

A masked man shot at a NYC taxi driver after he apparently couldn't pay his fare in full -- and now the cabbie's own ilk is telling its workforce how to avoid this situation.

In the footage -- filmed from inside driver Eufelix Jiminian's cab earlier this month -- the passenger jumps out of the moving vehicle after complaining about the bill ... and him seemingly not being able to cash out. Eventually, he opens fire on the cab as it drives away.

It's a little bizarre how this whole thing unfolds. First, Jiminian picks him up off the street -- even though he's clearly wearing a mask from the get-go -- and eventually the dude in the back says he needs to go back to where he was to get his wallet.

Albany State University volleyball player Mariam Creighton was tragically killed in a nightclub shooting in Atlanta over the weekend. She was only 21 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department said the incident happened around 2:28 AM on Sunday ... when officers responded to shots fired at the Elleven45 establishment.

Responders found six people shot ... two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene -- Creighton and 20-year-old Nakyris Ridley.

Steve Buscemi was captured on video casually walking on the street moments before he was randomly sucker punched by a hulking assailant in NYC.

On Monday, CBS News published footage of the actor strolling down Third Avenue in Manhattan last Wednesday as he was fidgeting with his cell phone.

Suddenly, Buscemi peered up at a passerby and seemingly said something to the woman. Then he proceeded across the street, where -- off-camera -- he was punched in the head by his attacker for no apparent reason.