NYC Protest Cops Remove Protester's Mask and Pepper Spray Him

Published | Updated
053120_cops_pulling_mask_4792847 :: 0_3us45vlt :: 0_inznkokb
DEFENSELESS ATTACK

Check out this shocking moment, when an NYPD officer runs up to a man with his hands up in the air, yanks his mask down and then pepper sprays him.

It happened Saturday during a protest in the streets of New York City.

The person who posted the video on Twitter, wrote, "I am heartbroken and disgusted to see one of my family members a young black man w/his hands up peacefully protesting and an NYPD officer pulls down his mask and pepper sprays him."

The man's mother posted this on follow-up on Twitter, saying both of her sons were pepper sprayed, and all they were doing were protesting the brutal killing of George Floyd.

New York City, along with Minneapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles and other cities were powder kegs of violence Saturday, with widespread looting.

L.A. Looting Video Shows Close-Up View of Vandals

Published
THE ANARCHY CONTINUES...

It looks like a segment from the TV show "Supermarket Sweep" ... as scores of looters tear through a store on a famous Beverly Hills street.

It's a ground view of looting where you can really see what these folks are doing inside the store, and it's all about stealing merchandise.

Looters ignored the 8 PM curfew Saturday night as they amped up what was going on during daylight hours. Check out the video of looters pilfering all they could carry at the Alexander McQueen store on Rodeo Drive.

Looters Stealing Shoes
GETTIN' THEIR KICKS

They also set fires to multiple businesses in L.A., especially in the Fairfax District and Melrose Ave., trashing store after store. Many of the stores were mom and pop, so the likelihood that they can stay in business with the vandalism combined with the impact of the coronavirus ranges from slim to none.

Some of the other stores that were looted ... Apple Store and Nordstrom.

The National Guard was called in last Saturday night, fortified by 10,000 officers. The last time the Guard was sent to patrol the streets of L.A. was during the 1992 riots following the Rodney King cop verdicts.

Faith Evans Busted for Domestic Violence Allegedly Attacked Stevie J

Published | Updated

Faith Evans has found herself in some legal trouble ... 'cause we've learned the singer was arrested after allegedly attacking Stevie J.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Faith was arrested earlier this week at around 1 AM after cops got called to their L.A.-area home. We're told Faith and Stevie got into a heated argument, and at some point, it turned violent.

Our sources say when cops showed up they noticed visible marks and scratches on Stevie's face. It's unclear what triggered the argument. But, in any event ... cops arrested Faith and booked her for felony domestic violence. Faith bonded out later that day.

070819_faith_evans_stevie_j_kal_v2 July 2019
NO TROUBLE IN PARADISE

The arrest comes nearly a year after the couple desperately tried to downplay rumors their marriage was in trouble. As we first reported ... there was palpable tension after our camera guy got the couple leaving the Essence Festival in New Orleans.

Our guy asked them if there's trouble in paradise after Faith and Stevie unfollowed each other on social media ... not to mention Stevie's cryptic string of tweets from, "Drunk people always speak their truth," and "Ones insecurities can damage them" to "All that glitters ain't gold" and "Cherish what you love just know nothing will last forever."

We've reached out to Faith and Stevie for comment, so far ... no word back.

Baker Mayfield Cuts Rug In Wedding Dance Circle ... Channels OU Days!!!

Published | Updated
Baker Mayfield
WEDDING MOVES

Baker Mayfield threw it all the way back to 2015 at a wedding last week... busting a move in a dance circle just like when he was a young QB hittin' the Whip at Oklahoma!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Baker attended his cousin's wedding in Simpsonville, S.C. on May 25 -- and he couldn't help but cut a rug when the spotlight was on the dance floor.

Check out video we obtained from the evening ... Mayfield KILLED it -- dancing along to YeahThatDJ's set at the lively function.

There was some gyrating, some fancy footwork and even a little floss. Good times!

If this all looks familiar ... it's 'cause it is -- remember, back in 2015, the nation was first enthralled by Mayfield's moves in a viral video of him in a Sooner dance circle.

Fun to watch Baker dance ... but more importantly, CONGRATS TO THE HAPPY COUPLE!!

Rick Ross Alleged Baby Mama Asks ... Take COVID-19 Test If You Wanna See the Kids!!!

Published | Updated

Rick Ross needs to hustle over to a COVID-19 testing center if he wants to visit his kids ... so claims his alleged baby mama.

Briana Singleton filed legal docs in Fayette County, Georgia requesting an emergency hearing to have the rapper -- real name William Leonard Roberts II -- take a COVID-19 test. She wants to know he tested negative before he can visit their 2 infant children ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ.

Singleton claims, even though Ross hasn't been cooperative on the DNA testing, the rapper has made efforts to care for them -- like buying her a Mercedes SUV after their first child was born -- before they broke up around New Years.

Singleton claims RR has stonewalled it on the issue of paternity several times, but claims it hasn't stopped him from depositing money into her bank account to care for the kids. What's more ... she claims she's also pregnant with his third child, due in September.

As for visiting the kids ... Singleton claims the rapper hasn't seen them in nearly 6 months, but earlier this month he expressed interest. Singleton says she's down ... but still maintains Rick hasn't been responsibly quarantining during the pandemic.

She points to videos he's posted on social media, showing him traveling outside of Georgia, and also claims she has concerns about Ross' "constant use of marijuana." It's plain and simple ... she's open to parenting time for Ross but wants the court to ensure “certain health, safety, and precautionary provisions” are in place to protect the children.

We've reached out to Rick Ross for comment, so far ... no word back.

Joe Exotic 'Tiger King' Comic ... Check Out Origin Story!!!

Published | Updated

Joe Exotic's meteoric rise from farm boy to 'Tiger King' fame is all laid out in an upcoming comic book ... and TMZ has the first look at Joe's origin story and its special edition cover.

TMZ obtained a couple pages from Michael Frizell and TidalWave Production's new project, "Infamous Tiger King," which hits the shelves at the end of June, and it's pretty wild.

The graphic novel (AKA serious comic book) picks up where 'Tiger King' left off, with Joe behind bars and Jeff Lowe running the zoo ... and it depicts Joe as a larger-than-life character as it dives into his crazy journey from rural Kansas to pop culture icon.

Joe's nemesis, big cat animal rescuer Carole Baskin, even graces one of the covers alongside him ... and another features a tiger wearing a crown and Joe's signature earrings.

Those are pretty cool, but click through the gallery to view the never-before-seen special edition cover, an homage to an old Spider-Man comic book.

Michael Jordan Custom Game-Worn Air Jordans Hit Auction ... Could Fetch $500k

Published

Michael Jordan wore a special pair of modified Air Jordan 1s to support his left foot after a freak injury during his 2nd NBA season -- and now, those game-worn kicks are hitting the auction block.

... and they're expected to fetch around $500,000!!!

Remember, MJ broke his left foot during the 3rd game of the 1985-86 season for the Chicago Bulls ... an injury that sidelined him for 6 weeks and almost ended his career.

When he returned, Nike whipped up a special version of the AJ1s -- with an extra strap to provide stability for MJ's left foot.

The specially modified version of the shoes were never offered on the open market -- they were just offered to MJ.

This particular pair was worn by Jordan on March 29th, 1986 -- according to "Gotta Have Rock And Roll" auction ... a game in which MJ scored 24 points in 23 minutes against the Knicks

The auction company says ... after the game, Jordan met with a young fan and gave him the shoes. He even autographed 'em.

Now, that fan is ready to part ways after 34 years ... and with the success of "The Last Dance," the timing is probably perfect.

By the way, the shoes are different sizes -- the left is a size 13 and the right is size 13.5.

The auction is set to go down July 22-31 ... hope you saved up!

Brooke Shields Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Published

Brooke Shields' beauty is never blue!

Here is a 14-year-old version of the stunning star at an event in New York City back in 1979 (left). This was just one year after her leading role in Louis Malle's film, "Pretty Baby".

And, 41 years later ... Brooke -- who is spending this weekend celebrating her 55th birthday and shared this eye-popping bikini selfies on IG earlier this week -- was last spotted attending a show in New York City earlier this year (right).

From the '80s classic "The Blue Lagoon" to shows like "Suddenly Susan", "Lipstick Jungle", and "The Middle" ... this famous face has been something to admire for 4 decades!

Shields your eyes!

The question is ...

SLC Protests Man Uses Hunting Bow on Crowd ... Gets Swarmed, Car Burned

Published | Updated

A rogue vigilante started firing arrows at protesters in Utah this weekend -- and it cost him (and his car) dearly almost instantly.

The scene was filmed Saturday in Salt Lake City, where protests and riots are in full swing right now ... as they are in many other parts of the country. Apparently, a group of protesters had blocked off the road somewhere there in town, and one man had had enough.

He emerged from his vehicle with a hunting bow he had on him and supposedly starting brandishing it toward the crowd ... seemingly threatening to shoot arrows at people. One woman had a brief convo with the guy, asking if he's serious ... and if he considers himself American. He says he does, and then appears to start actually firing at some folks.

It looks like one person might've been hit as they fell to the ground, and when the man turned and tried shooting at some more people ... he got bum-rushed with a BUNCH of bodies, who proceeded to beat his ass and take him to the ground.

That's not where the story ends though for this sap -- according to the woman who shot this, SLC PD retreated and allowed protesters to light the guy's car on fire -- which was captured on video as well. According to her, the guy was taken into custody in the end.

That's just the latest and craziest thing happening right now around these United States -- just as harrowing of a scene was unfolding in NYC too ... where it looks like a police car drove into a crowd of protesters who were behind a barricade.

Doesn't seem things ended too well for that vehicle either ... as people immediately started piling on and attempted to destroy the thing.

Wild times, indeed.

George Floyd New Vid Angle Shows ... Struggle Inside Cop Car

Published | Updated

George Floyd appeared to be getting roughed up in the back of a police car shortly before he was pinned and killed -- and a new angle shows one cop was definitely standing watch.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

The new surveillance footage -- obtained by activist Shaun King -- shows what happened after George was led away by Minneapolis police after he was cuffed and detained from across the street. This seems to show what happened right before George was taken out of the car and forced to endure the weight of 3 grown men on top of him ... which ended with Derek Chauvin as the last man kneeling on his neck, costing him his life.

Now, we see that something hectic was happening in the back of the SUV officers had Floyd in -- it looks like two officers on the street side had their door open, as did one officer along the sidewalk ... and they were all moving about frantically, which appears to indicate some type of physical altercation taking place. The 4th officer stands watch nearby.

Eventually, they get George out of the car -- and, well, we've all seen what happened next. What's crazy about this is that the one guy who was assigned as lookout clearly sees the surveillance camera that caught all this ... as he looks directly at it for a brief second.

He's also got his head on a swivel, making sure no one else is around or videotaping.

Minneapolis Police 5/25/20
EXCESSIVE FORCE

As you know by now ... all four cops here lost their jobs, and one of them has been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter. These two newest videos showing what role the other officers played leading up to George's final breaths are quite revealing though.

Unclear what, if anything, they might lead to ... but if prosecutors and officials haven't seen this footage by now, they might wanna take a hard look.

Chicago Protests Cops Dragged, Tossed by Protesters

Published
Cops Dragged in Chicago
DRAGGED THROUGH THE STREETS

It's clear now that protesters are NOT afraid of physically clashing with police, and it's also clear ... cops don't always have the upper hand, like these two Chicago PD officers here.

Check out this chaotic scene that was captured and posted Saturday out in the Windy City, where a couple of cops got into it with a swarm of protesters that had gathered around them following some sort of physical altercation with at least one of them.

That led to pretty much everyone else standing by to get in on the fracas by yanking the two officers off and away from the guy they appeared to be detaining. Literally ... they full-on stripped them back, and then DRAGGED one of the cops for a good 7 or 8 feet.

BTW, the cop that got dragged appeared to be a woman. What's even crazier is that it was other protesters that jumped in to finally break it up and actually form a protective circle around the 2 policemen. Good thing they did too -- those folks looked ready to pounce.

Chicago's just one of the latest cities to undergo these violent clashes -- they're happening in just about every major city in the country right now ... and it ain't even fully dark yet.

George Floyd Alleged Murderer Chauvin on Suicide Watch ... Effectively, 15 Min. Checks

Published | Updated

Derek Chauvin, accused murderer of George Floyd, has a camera focused on him round-the-clock, and cops check on his cell regularly -- all the hallmarks of a suicide watch.

A source at Ramsey County Jail in St. Paul, MN -- where Chauvin is detained -- tells TMZ, he was brought in late afternoon Friday, and didn't make eye contact with anyone upon his arrival ... before beginning the check-in process.

We're told Chauvin was put through an unclothed body search to look for any hidden contraband. Then, he put on a jail uniform and they led him off to a single cell in a special wing of the facility for high-profile cases.

For now, our source says Chauvin is in isolation and being watched constantly. There's a camera in his cell watching him 24/7, as well as guards monitoring the feed 24/7. On top of that, he's getting checked on in-person every 15 minutes.

While our source wouldn't use the term suicide watch to characterize Chauvin's circumstances -- other law enforcement sources tell us, yes, that's effectively what's happening at the jail.

That's not to say officers there believe Chauvin is suicidal, per se -- we're told the 15-minute checks are standard for that section of the jail ... but in the same breath, our sources say they want to make sure nothing happens to him while he's in custody.

Our source says Chauvin will be in his cell 23 hours a day -- with one hour of rec time in an enclosed area. He has access to books, pencils and paper -- not much else. He's also got a bed bolted to the floor with a pillow sewn to it.

Minneapolis Police 5/25/20
EXCESSIVE FORCE

We're told, as of Friday, the jail staff was unaware of any threats against Chauvin's life. He faces 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter charges for kneeling on George's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

A spokesperson for the Ramsey County Jail declined to comment.

Machine Gun Kelly & More Stars Hit the Streets ... To Protest George Floyd's Death

Published
053020_machine_gun_kelly_kal_v2
TAKING TO THE STREETS
UPDATE

3:59 PM PT -- There are even more celebs than we initially thought out in L.A. protesting the death of George Floyd -- including, but not limited to, Emily Ratajkowski and Halsey.

UPDATE

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

UPDATE

Em posted some shots she took from the hectic scene Saturday -- and Halsey's still streaming live on Instagram right now. Not only that, but a new curfew has been put into place in Los Angeles by none other than the Mayor himself, Eric Garcetti.

UPDATE
UPDATE

He says, "We will always protect free speech and Angelenos’ right to live without fear of violence or vandalism. To increase safety for demonstrators, law enforcement and all citizens of Los Angeles, we are putting a curfew in place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m."

Machine Gun Kelly is one of a handful of famous faces on the ground in Los Angeles protesting George Floyd's death ... and he's making his voice be heard loud and clear.

MGK was spotted marching with a bunch of other L.A. normies who took to the streets Saturday as part of the latest rounds of protests decrying George's killing. Kelly had a mask on, but you could easily tell it was him. We'd recognize those tats anywhere.

LA Protest
L.A. PROTESTS HEAT UP

He had a sign with him that read, "Silence is Betrayal." Looks like fellow rappers/pop stars, Mod Sun and Yungblud, were with him too. No sign of Megan Fox, though. In any case, it certainly proved to be a rowdy affair ... someone set a cop car on fire at one point.

Kelly's presence probably shouldn't too much of a surprise. He posted a heartfelt message on the situation Friday, making it very clear where he stood on this.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

MGK wrote, "If you look like me and you have racism in your heart, and on your mind, and coming out your mouth, f*** you. I'm ashamed of you. If you enjoy my music or you like my movies, I don't want you watching, I don't want your business. F*** you. I don't want nothing that's a part of the evil agenda...step up and speak out for our fellow people going through all this hell right now."

BTW ... halfway across the country, there was another celeb sighting ... J. Cole! The MC was spotted joining a protest in downtown Fayetteville, NC -- his original stomping grounds.

Good on them.

Originally Published -- 3:47 PM PT

U.S. Riots Luxury Stores in D.C., L.A. Board Up ... Anticipate Looting

Published
UPDATE

2:55 PM PT -- The city of Bev Hills just announced they have closed Rodeo Drive.

UPDATE

As more riots break out into straight-up looting across the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd's death ... high fashion luxury stores are preparing for the worst as well.

A bunch of top-shelf retail giants out in D.C. scrambled Saturday to have their windows and doors boarded up, once again, on the heels of massive looting that's been taking place in several cities ... where some protesters are starting to hit up and bust through the priciest shops to take what they can amid all the chaos. Case in point, Dior and Gucci out in ATL.

Someone captured video of some guys trying to break through Gucci's windows at Phipps Plaza about a day or so ago, and not too far away ... a Dior store had been ransacked and cleaned out. Reports of looting going down at the ritzy Lenox Square mall surfaced as well.

In light of all that craziness, it would seem managers heading up this strip of high fashion retail in the middle of CityCenterDC got the memo ... and hired construction crews to start barricading their shops. It's crazy -- some of these guys said they'd just gotten done taking the wood panels down at a lot of these stores ('cause of D.C. being allowed to open up again) but were called shortly thereafter and told to board these places back up once more.

Beverly Hills Safety
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

Ditto for some shops out in Beverly Hills, including the Gucci location there. Workers were quickly putting up wood boards on their windows as well. Not just that ... they were clearing the sidewalk trash cans, too, which they said was being done as a safety precaution.

Check it out -- sounds like L.A. protesters are coming in hot around the corner. 😬

Originally Published -- 2:03 PM PT

SpaceX, NASA Demo-2 Launches Successfully ... Capsule Now in Orbit

Published | Updated
UPDATE

12:53 PM PT -- Falcon 9 is back on the ground after landing on a remote droneship, with the Crew Dragon capsule flying freely into Earth's orbit now. By all measures, Demo-2 has been a resounding and historical success.

UPDATE
Stage 1 Landing
STICKING THE LANDING
UPDATE

12:27 PM PT -- The Falcon 9 rocket ship is in the AIR and on its way to the ISS, following a successful launch that seemed to go off without a hitch!!! Now, only something like 48 hours (give or take a day) left to go ...

UPDATE
UPDATE

12:14 PM PT -- President Trump has just arrived at the launch.

Elon Musk and co. are officially ready for round 2 of takeoff, just days after calling off their monumental space mission ... and TMZ is streaming the event live.

A couple of NASA astronauts are set to be launched into orbit Saturday via SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and accompanying the Crew Dragon capsule, which will be blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission has been dubbed, Demo-2.

Of course, Saturday's mission was supposed to go down Wednesday -- but it got pushed back due to bad weather ... something the space team there didn't wanna toy with and risk. Now, they're running it back with a predicted 50/50 chance of acceptable conditions.

052720_space_x_exit_kal 5/27/20
POSTPONED LAUNCH

The team is sending these astronauts to the International Space Station -- 250 miles or so above the Earth. This would mark the first spaceflight launched from U.S. soil in just under a decade. The point of the mission is to see if we're able to taxi astronauts to and from the ISS and Earth -- something Elon's rocketship proved to be capable of a few years ago when SpaceX first secured a multi-billion dollar contract with NASA and passed some tests.

SpaceX Explosion 5/29/2020
SpaceX-plosion

Looks like the two American astronauts being sent up there -- Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken -- are already suited up and aboard the spacecraft. SpaceX says all systems are a go (for now) ... and everything seems primed for an actual launch -- barring any unforeseen mishaps (like an explosion at the launchpad or a lightning storm or something).

Originally Published -- 11:53 AM PT

Stay tuned ...

King Louis XVI Distant Heir Très Triste ... Over KY Statue Losing Its Hand!!!

Published

King Louis XVI lost more than his head in Kentucky -- a statue of the guillotined monarch lost its hand too ... and a long lost family member of the guy wants it good as new ASAP.

ICYMI ... a protester in Louisville hopped up on the historical landmark that's smack-dab in the middle of downtown with a massive crowd swarming about, and when he jumped down, he took ol' Louis' right hand with him! Literally, that piece broke clean off at the wrist.

A reporter there said the protester "made off" with the hand. It's unclear if that's entirely accurate or not -- although some of the protesters were reportedly seen passing it around and flaunting it shortly afterward -- but, in any case, the statue is currently hand-less ... and officials seem to have come up empty-handed in locating/replacing it quite yet. 👋🏽

All jokes aside, it would appear the vandalism on King Louis has caught the attention of an actual presumed blood relative of the man himself -- a guy by the name of Louis Alphonse of Bourbon ... whom, as recognized by Legitimist royalists, is the rightful successor to the French crown. Supposedly, he's a senior agnatic descendant of KLXVI ... meaning, he comes straight from the male side of the fam all the way through the 21st century.

LAB said of the defacement, "As the heir of #LouisXVI, and attached to the defense of his memory, I do hope that the damage will be repaired and that the statue will be restored. I already thank the Authorities for the measures they will take for that."

Some people are giving Louis Jr. here s**t for making a big deal about a piece of rock when there are way bigger issues at play right now. Also, people are pointing out that King Louis wasn't necessarily seen as a friend of the people back in the late 1700s -- remember, he got beheaded during the French Revolution when they did away with kings, etc.

In any case ... good look finding your great-great-great-GREEEAAAT grandpappy's hand, Lou.