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8:05 AM PT -- D.C. law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops believe Gupta was high on a drug called K2, which was laced with PCP.

We're told responding officers saw signs Gupta was hallucinating -- he also did not respond to their commands to roll over as they tried to extinguish him.

K2 is a synthetic THC, composed almost entirely of chemicals, which is banned in the U.S. There have been widespread incidents of people getting violent and delusional on K2.

5/30 5:05 AM PT -- The man died from his injuries Wednesday night in the hospital.

Authorities identified him as Arnav Gupta of Bethesda, MD. He was 33 years old and his family had reported him missing on Wednesday morning.

It's still unclear if Gupta had any specific motive ... however, cops in Maryland had said in a media release early Wednesday -- prior to his self-immolation -- that they were "concerned for Gupta's physical and emotional welfare."

12:09 PM PT -- According to the emergency dispatch audio -- obtained by TMZ -- the man suffered burns on 85% of his body. There was also a suspicious package on fire near the man which was extinguished.

11:35 AM PT -- A law enforcement source tells us the man was transported to the hospital with "life threatening" injuries.

A man set himself ablaze in a park near the White House and was only saved -- for the moment -- by cops who quickly surrounded and extinguished him.

The unidentified suspect was taken down by cops Wednesday afternoon in D.C. and he was fully engulfed in flames. It appears he might have had some sort of protective suit on because he was not collapsing as he strolled across the lawn with the Washington Monument in the background ... and less than a mile from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

You can see cops rushed in with extinguishers, and law enforcement tells us he was immediately taken into custody and rushed to a hospital. More than 70 officers swarmed the area from multiple agencies. Although several tourists were in the area ... no one else was injured.

The Secret Service is aware of the incident, saying some of their personnel are on the scene.

It is unclear what the man's condition is right now.

Story developing ...

Kanye West described in vivid detail what it's like to have a bipolar episode, and he grouses people just don't get it ... and actually made it way worse for him.

Ye opened up about his mental health struggles to David Letterman for his Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' -- and we got hold of the footage where he tries to get people to imagine a sprained ankle and then transfer that concept to a sprained brain.

Listen to Kanye ... it's a revelation when you think of a people bearing down on a sprained ankle, causing pain and exacerbating the injury. Now, think of doctors and society doing the same sort of thing to a cerebrum.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye had what seemed like a nervous breakdown back in 2016, which turned out to be a bipolar episode. He was handcuffed to a hospital bed and left alone, which -- as he explains in this clip -- only made things worse.

He says he's opening up about all this to start a conversation about the way we treat bipolar disorder ... and has been applauded for his efforts in speaking about it so candidly.

The entire season -- which also includes interviews with Ellen DeGeneres and Melinda Gates -- drops Friday on Netflix and we're told through it all, Kanye is for the most part very cogent and clear.

Cher insists she's not apologizing for tweeting President Trump should end up being someone's prison "toy boy" -- but she's definitely apologizing for making a joke of prison rape.

Cher went on a tirade late Wednesday night, posting her thoughts about Trump and impeachment. She tweeted, "I Would *love* 2 See trump Impeached,Brought 2 Trial, *locked* Up In *prison* & Toy Boy Big Bubba!!"

She added, "I WANT WHAT'S BEST 4 DEMOCRATS AND DEMOCRACY" -- but hours later deleted the tweet. Early Thursday morning she issued an apology that started with, "This is NOT Apology."

Even though she's chalking it up to a "Cher wtf Moment" ... it seems pretty clear she's apologizing for crossing a line.

Her initial Trump tirade came on the heels of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's news conference Wednesday when he said charging Trump with a crime was not an option because federal rules prohibit charging a sitting President. Still, Mueller said, "If we had had the confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."

She also put Trump on blast following a report the White House and Navy exchanged emails about keeping the USS McCain out of Trump's sight during his visit to Japan. Cher accused Trump of having hero envy.

The wife of Oscar-nominated actor Demian Bichir was sleeping only 2 hours a night and detoxing off anxiety meds before she took her own life ... according to her autopsy report.

Model Stefanie Sherk was discovered by her husband April 12 at the bottom of their pool in Sherman Oaks, CA with weights strapped to her back and ankles, and despite efforts to resuscitate her ... she never regained consciousness and died at the hospital 8 days later.

According to L.A. County Coroner ... Sherk was 2 days into detoxing from Xanax at the time of her death but was also suffering crippling insomnia due to her sleep aid, Lunesta, which had lost its efficacy.

The Coroner says she also had a history of depression and experienced "recent suicidal ideations."

Sherk's depression got worse at the end of 2018 following the deaths of her grandmother and her dog. She reportedly called a friend just 9 days before her suicide and described how she wanted to kill herself ... but the friend talked her out of it and notified the family.

The Coroner's report ultimately revealed Sherk's cause of death was "the result of the effect of lack of oxygen, mainly on the brain, produced by a purposeful drowning episode."

Days after Sherk's death, Bichir wrote ... "It is with inconceivable pain that I announce that on April 20, 2019, our dearest Stefanie Sherk, my beloved and loving wife, passed away peacefully. It has been the saddest and toughest time of our lives and we don’t know how much time it will take for us to overcome this pain. Stefanie’s beautiful, angelical and talented presence will be immensely missed.”

5/31/19 -- Two other former UCLA players -- OL Zach Bateman and OL Poasi Moala -- have joined Lopez's lawsuit against the school and Mora.

"Each of these young men suffered serious, but significantly different injuries, while they were teammates at UCLA," said their attorney, Pamela Tahim Thakur.

"While the lawsuits involve many of the same facts, each case is distinct in its own way. But what they all have in common is the pattern of brutality and intentional disregard for player health and safey by Coach Mora and his staff at UCLA."

10:30 AM PT -- A spokesperson for UCLA Athletics released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, “While we cannot comment on the specific details of a pending lawsuit, we want to make it clear that the health and safety of our student-athletes is UCLA’s top priority."

"We strongly deny and will defend ourselves against the allegations made in the lawsuit. We handle every injury with the highest standard of care, and take potential head injuries very seriously. As one of the world’s leading research institutions, and a partner in the largest-ever concussion research study conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense and NCAA, we believe our concussion protocol is among the strongest in the country."

"Our team physicians and sports medicine staff work hand-in-hand on diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, and they are the only individuals who determine when a student-athlete is cleared to participate in their sport; coaches are not involved in these decisions.”

Former UCLA coach Jim Mora's practices were so rigorous -- and his concussion protocol was so flimsy -- an ex-OL tried to kill himself ... so claims one of Mora's former top recruits in a new lawsuit.

John Lopez -- a 6' 5", 305-pound offensive lineman -- says repeated concussions he suffered during Mora's practices led to his suicide attempt back in 2016.

Lopez claims after being recruited by Mora to UCLA ... he almost immediately suffered his first-ever concussion at the Bruins' August 2013 training camp in San Bernardino.

Lopez says Mora and his staff didn't take the proper steps to safely return him back to the field ... and rushed him back into practice.

In fact, Lopez says he was ridiculed for being injured ... and alleges one of Mora's coaches even made up a special drill where other players were encouraged to "f*ck him up!"

Lopez says the following year -- at the start of his sophomore season -- at UCLA's August 2014 training camp in San Bernardino ... he suffered a second concussion in an on-field drill.

John claims he was rushed back to the field once again ... and says the drills he was put through in his return were "unnecessarily brutal."

Lopez says a year later -- in December 2015 of his junior season -- he suffered yet another head injury ... and his post-concussion symptoms were so bad, he was forced to medically retire from the team.

But, John says the damage the brain injuries did were already crippling ... saying he suffered from short-term memory loss, depression and "drastic changes in his demeanor."

Lopez says it all came to a head in the fall of 2016 ... when he attempted to kill himself by overdosing on a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Lopez says he was able to inform family members and friends of his suicide attempt ... and they were able to save his life at the emergency center at UCLA's medical center shortly after.

John is now suing Mora, members of his staff, UCLA and the NCAA ... claiming they didn't do enough to protect him both before he suffered concussions and afterward.

Lopez is now seeking more than $15 MILLION ... saying the trauma he suffered during his time at UCLA is preventing him from finishing school and is causing him emotional pain, suffering and distress.

We've reached out to UCLA for comment -- so far, no word back.

R. Kelly's accusers are giving testimony to a federal grand jury ... alleging the disgraced singer went to great lengths to traffic underage girls for his sexual desires.

Sources directly connected to the case tell TMZ ... numerous witnesses testified before the grand jury Wednesday, claiming Kelly's team secured travel at the singer's direction to move them across state lines for sexual purposes while they were underage.

And, we're told, the grand jury is also hearing testimony that could lead to obstruction of justice indictments. One of the alleged victims testified Kelly's team paid off witnesses to NOT testify in the 2008 trial ... where Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges.

One of the families supposedly paid off by Kelly was the family of the alleged victim in the 2008 trial ... his goddaughter. Prosecutors claimed the girl in a sex tape that was submitted into evidence was the goddaughter, but apparently, the jury wasn't convinced ... in no small part because she didn't testify.

The grand jury is keying into allegations Kelly and his team attempted to impact the outcome of the 2008 trial through witness intimidation and threats of bodily harm.

The grand jury testimony also revealed that witnesses in the 2008 case were allegedly sent on vacation when the trial was underway so they wouldn't be available to testify. The witnesses say Kelly's team secured the 2008 witnesses' travel.

As we've reported ... prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois are building a case against Kelly, which is separate from 2 other probes currently underway in New York.

We've reached out to a spokesperson for the Northern District of Illinois, who declined comment.

"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" star Tituss Burgess is passionately supporting Netflix for speaking out against Georgia's abortion bill and says his stance ain't about toeing the company line.

We got the actor leaving LAX and asked what he made of Netflix saying it will seriously consider moving its productions out of GA if that state's controversial "heartbeat" law takes effect next year.

It's the first major studio to speak out so strongly, and Tituss -- who reminded us he's a Georgia native -- is fully on board with the honchos.

He says folks back home, especially the "bunch of old white men" in the legislature, need to know they can't take control of women's bodies ... and he thinks Hollywood can apply financial pressure.

The legislation, which the governor already signed into law, would ban abortion after six weeks -- and is set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

Tons of production companies shoot in GA and get huge tax breaks for it. So far, Netflix and Disney are the only major studios to threaten to pull out in 2020.

Demaryius Thomas says his violent car crash earlier this year scared the hell of him ... telling TMZ Sports he could have DIED after he flipped his SUV in Denver back in February.

"I could have been gone," the NFL star receiver says.

As we previously reported ... Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

A witness says he saw Thomas' car flip several times in the air ... and the pics we obtained from the accident show the gnarly scene.

Thomas says it was a pretty traumatic experience for him ... and tells us he's not only thankful he can still play football -- he's happy to just be a functioning human being.

"I wake up every morning and thank the lord above," Thomas says ... "And, just thankful for just not even just being able to do what I do -- being able to talk, walk, eat, all those things that we forget about on a daily basis."

Thomas -- who signed with the Patriots just a few weeks after the wreck -- is clearly taking advantage of the second chance ... he helped give kids free haircuts and braids at his "Summer Break" event over the weekend.

Before this comedian had the country in stitches on her late-night talk show on E! ... this little car-loving blondie got her start performing stand-up in Los Angeles. She ultimately found a home on TV, and was recently named as one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world, thanks to a unique sense of humor.

Comedy isn't the only place where she excels. She's also written 5 books that landed on the New York Times Best Seller List, 4 of which reached the top spot. She's also created a widely-popular 4-part Netflix docuseries.

Mally Mall is no longer under investigation for allegedly raping a Texas woman -- prosecutors are dropping the case ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the L.A. County District Attorney is declining to file charges against the hip-hop producer. The alleged victim had accused him of rape, but prosecutors say an extensive investigation by LAPD turned up insufficient evidence.

The D.A.'s Office says the woman claimed Mally offered to fly her in from Texas back in January to help her produce fitness training videos. She accepted, and according to prosecutors, she claimed Mally plied her with booze on 2 occasions and forcibly raped her.

Sources close to Mally told us he was partying with the woman the entire weekend, and everything was consensual. They added the woman was never in a rush to leave Mally's mansion. Mally also claimed his accuser was trying to extort him.

We broke the story ... allegations of multiple sexual assaults and human sex trafficking, along with alleged importation of exotic animals, triggered last month's raid on Mally's L.A. home. He was detained while cops searched the house, but was NOT arrested.

During the raid, cops seized a Serval cat and a Cotton-top Tamarin monkey from the home.

We're told, as of now, Mally Mall will not be getting back his exotic pets.

William H. Macy is celebrating his baby girl's high school graduation, but the party's gonna have a little black cloud -- the college admissions scandal that's likely to land her mom, Felicity Huffman, in prison.

William was out Wednesday in WeHo picking up graduation balloons ... most likely for his 18-year-old daughter, Sophia Grace, who's wrapping up this week at Los Angeles High School of the Arts. Of course, Sophia's higher education is directly linked to the scandal.

As we've reported ... Felicity Huffman pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud as well as honest services mail fraud -- all for paying Rick Singer $15k to rig Sophia's SAT test. The feds say she got twice the amount of time as normal to take the test and the proctor corrected answers afterward.

We're guessing college won't be a hot topic at the party.

Macy said earlier this year -- before the federal indictment -- Sophia might take a gap year after she was admitted to a university. Felicity, who'll be sentenced in September, has said Sophia was unaware of the scheme to boost her test results.

Unclear what the college plan is now, but at least Sophia and her folks can celebrate this graduation.

Kodak Black is gonna have to make himself at home in a Florida jail cell, 'cause he's gonna be there at least until September ... according to the judge in the federal case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the judge ruled Wednesday, saying Kodak must remain behind bars until his trial gets underway.

You'll recall, Kodak requested to be let out on bail -- but under strict supervision -- so he could travel to South Carolina and deal with a sexual assault case. The feds, however, said he's too dangerous to be let out at all before trial.

Looks like the judge agreed with prosecutors. The Dept. of Justice says the court deemed the rapper to be a danger to the community. Kodak is scheduled to go on trial in Miami for lying on federal gun applications.

Prosecutors are also linking him to a March shooting, in which firearms he allegedly purchased through those applications were used.

Jenelle Evans is sticking with her man -- despite temporarily losing custody of her children -- but wants to make one thing clear ... she still loves her kids.

Jenelle and her husband, David Eason, were in court Tuesday when a judge ruled they'd lose their kids for the foreseeable future. Evans just released a statement saying, "I love being a mother and David and I will get through this. We are staying strong and united."

It's an interesting statement considering our sources say David's actions are the root of the custody issues ... and the judge was pissed Jenelle kept the kids around him.

In Jenelle's statement to The Hollywood Gossip she continues, "I love my kids so much and I will do anything necessary to get them back and that is all I want everyone to understand."

Evans refused to talk on the specifics of the case for fear of repercussions from the judge.

As we reported ... Eason brutally beat and then shot and killed the family's dog after it nipped at their 2-year-old daughter, Ensley's face. As a result, 9-year-old Jace, 4-year-old Kaiser and Ensley were removed from the home.

Mandy Moore is getting some super cool social media content on her way up Mount Everest, but Sal Masekela says she's also putting herself in danger ... and she might not make it down alive!!!

We got the former X Games host at LAX Wednesday and asked him about the recent deaths at Mt. Everest ... and Sal delivers a dire warning to rich people who are climbing just for the social media snap -- and for Mandy, who just reached Everest's base camp.

This climbing season has already resulted in 11 deaths in the Himalayas, with the latest casualty an American lawyer. The way Sal sees it, even the most elite athletes can succumb to Everest's harsh conditions ... so Mandy's gotta be extra cautious, even though she's being guided by experts.

As far as David Letterman's concerned, fans need to keep the good vibes going Alex Trebek's way -- because he agrees, positivity is helping Alex near remission in his pancreatic cancer battle.

We got Letterman Wednesday in NYC and told him about Alex revealing his tumors have shrunk around 50 percent since beginning chemotherapy.

Dave made it clear, he's cosigning on Alex's assessment that his success isn't all attributed to science -- it's also very much about the flood of well-wishes from fans and friends contributing to an improved condition.

Remember, David's been in Alex's shoes before -- undergoing quintuple heart bypass surgery in 2000, and making a full recovery.