TMZ.com Home

Despite nearly a full week of chaos, looting and vandalism in L.A. ... one thing has remained untouched in the city -- street art dedicated to remembering Kobe Bryant.

The city Mamba played in for 20 years has been turned upside down in the wake of George Floyd's death ... with protests turning aggressive and violent in several neighborhoods.

In fact, areas just miles from Staples Center have been devastated ... with shops and stores being smashed, burned and sprayed with graffiti.

But, as looters and agitators tore through parts of town ... they carefully passed over tagging and destroying Kobe murals -- and the former NBA star's wife sure appreciated the gesture.

Vanessa Bryant shared pictures of untouched Kobe and Gianna murals on her social media page Monday night ... most with heart emojis and captions expressing gratitude.

Of course, all the art was put up in the days after Kobe and Gianna's tragic deaths in late January ... and it's successfully stayed in place since.

Social media users have issued threats of violence for any kind of Kobe art tampering in the future ... with one Twitter user even writing, "tagging over a Kobe mural is asking to catch a 6pc w a side."

The girl who captured George Floyd's killing by Minneapolis PD officers on video is getting through the trauma of the ordeal thanks to therapy and a change of scenery, while remaining an important part of the case ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... 17-year-old Darnella Frazier says she's utterly traumatized after recording the incident in which officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to suffocate George, largely because she's been the target of unfair criticism and backlash since the video got released.

She's also been facing a media frenzy -- dealing with reporters and an onslaught of attention -- and, of course, there's the trauma of just witnessing George's death firsthand.

Darnella's attorney, Seth B. Cobin, tells us that she and her family are no longer staying at her house in South Minneapolis, which is literally around the corner from the scene where Floyd was brutally killed.

We're told the family decided to relocate to an undisclosed spot -- police were not involved -- to remove themselves from the constant attention and strangers coming to their door.

Darnella's neighborhood has understandably become a flashpoint for Minneapolis protests, so the family felt it was best to get away from that for now.

Cobin tells us Darnella's also begun seeing a therapist who specializes in trauma, and it's working for her. Otherwise, she's keeping her mind busy with her school work.

As for her role in Floyd's murder case ... Darnella -- along with her mother and Attorney Cobin -- met with investigators from the FBI Civil Rights Divison and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Saturday to give them her statement.

Cobin says it was a very important step for them to speak to the main witness, and Darnella is doing her part. Cobin says, "It's not an easy story to tell. You're going back to that place in your head and that's not an easy way to go back. It was emotional for her to recount her story, and for all of us to hear it."

Darnella's phone was taken to a crime lab so they can extract the original video and use it as evidence in Chauvin's trial. We're told investigators are trying to get in touch with other witnesses seen or heard in her video, as well.

UFC star Jon Jones rounded up a crew and hit the streets Monday night -- swearing once again to protect the City of Albuquerque from violent looters and vandals ... and here's the video.

"I called upon some of the men of Albuquerque, New Mexico and quite a few showed up," Jones said in front of a group of 21 people.

Remember, Jones was out on Sunday night, too -- and forcibly snatched a spray can from a young man during the chaos on the streets.

So on Monday, Jones felt compelled to return to action -- and issued this warning to anyone looking to cause trouble in his city.

"We are fathers, we are brothers, are business owners, we are members of this community and we don't want to see you spray painting for no reason. We don't want to see you guys throwing rocks through windows for no reason. We don't want to see you guys breaking down hard-earned businesses for no reason."

"Tonight we're gonna try and stop as many of you as we can."

Jones explained, "We come in peace. We're going to use our voices, our numbers and were going to be the difference."

Jones says the night was a success -- they only encountered one group of looters -- and Jon says they worked with police to stop them.

Jones praised the peaceful protesters in the city who weren't causing trouble.

Later in the evening, Jon led a prayer circle with several APD officers -- and it's pretty moving to watch.

The riots and lootings triggered by George Floyd's brutal killing have many citizens in L.A. panicking and rushing to stock up on protection for themselves and their businesses.

Gun and ammo stores had lines wrapped around the block at several locations in the area ... and we're told many shops are even getting close to selling out of product.

David Schwartz, owner of Burbank Ammo & Guns, tells TMZ ... foot traffic at his shop was nonstop over the weekend and Monday. He says the majority of customers own homes or private businesses and were looking for something to use to protect their property and products.

Schwartz says glocks and 12-gauge home-defense shotguns were the hot sellers, and he's hoping to get more soon from distributors so he can continue to provide for customers.

Schwartz also hired his own security -- armed guards to stand outside the store -- to make sure everyone stays safe ... and to ward off potential looters.

Interestingly, Burbank Ammo wasn't the only business to hire outside muscle for extra security ... far from it. A rep from a large security company in Southern Cal tells us ... it supplied armed guards to various companies and homes throughout L.A. for protection.

The rep says ... "I would tell you all security organizations in the region are seeing an influx of requests for emergency or additional security resources."

Folks who looted the Apple Store at The Grove are in for a rude awakening ... they won't be able to use or pawn the stolen gadgets, thanks to some tech foresight and amateur thievery.

Here's the deal ... while looters probably thought they were getting away with grabbing an expensive toy off the showroom shelves at the Apple Store, they basically ended up with paperweights.

Our sources tell us ... the phones and laptops stolen from the Apple Store are demos, and they come equipped with special programs that prevent the products from being reset to factory settings, rendering them almost useless.

The looters are already figuring it out ... looted phones are displaying messages that read, "This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted."

We're told the looters, who ransacked the popular outdoor shopping mall over the weekend, were unable to break into the Apple Store's highly-secured area, where the goods for sale are kept.

It's good news for Apple ... our sources say the recent looting at Apple Stores across the country, which includes at least two Apple Stores in L.A., is not as bad as it looked at first glance.

Torching police cars and looting stores is NOT what Muhammad Ali would have wanted ... so says his ex-wife, Khalilah, who tells TMZ Sports the boxing legend would be furious with the George Floyd protests turning violent.

Riots have broken out in many cities across the country after what started as peaceful protests following Floyd's death ... with President Trump calling on the National Guard to try to end the chaos.

While Ali says Muhammad would applaud the people making their voices heard ... he wouldn't be okay with those wreaking havoc to make it happen.

"Muhammad would flip his switch," Khalilah -- who was married to Ali from 1967 to 1976 -- tells us. "He would go off on everybody in here."

"I know that Ali would retaliate. He would really go off on people and I would love to see him romp and rave over these people hurting people, and burning up our businesses, and hurting people in the streets and burning up police cars."

"That is uncalled for. Ali would not like that at all."

Khalilah -- who was Ali's adviser for his biggest protest in refusing to fight in the Vietnam War -- praises the many who are doing it the RIGHT way ... and calls for the violence to stop.

"For the real, honest, nonviolent protesters ... keep protesting. Make sure everybody starts learning to vote. Whether you like the system or not, you are the system. So, you can change the world."

As for Floyd's death ... Ali says there is no excuse for officer Derek Chauvin's actions.

Before this backward hat boy was known for his comedic work ethic, he was just another little lad in a white tee growing up in Waterloo, Iowa.

This hilarious kid got his big break when the web series he created with his two best friends got picked up by Comedy Central. This trio's funny office place antics and stoner humor was so popular that the show ran for 7 seasons.

And, now, this tough guy has moved onto pitch-slapping movies where he has starred alongside Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, Zac Efron, and many more.

Someone needs to tell Donald Trump this is how it's done. It's not about firing rubber bullets and teargassing protesters -- like he ordered Monday at the White House -- it's about cops and citizens finding some common ground, which is what happened in WeHo.

An LAPD cop was smack in the middle of a demonstration on the Sunset Strip, with hundreds of demonstrators surrounding him. He used a bullhorn -- not bullets or gas -- to interact with the crowd, and just after someone took a knee, the cop followed suit.

The crowd roared with approval, and the officer then seized the opportunity to say he and the crowd were one, and then he asked them to peacefully disperse before curfew began so everyone would stay safe. He also assured them the police would not interfere with their exit.

The scene was repeated a few miles inland, when the Riverside County Sheriff also took a knee.

Here is the $88,500 check that Floyd Mayweather is sending to the Fort Bend Memorial funeral home ... to cover the costs of George Floyd's funeral services.

A rep for Mayweather tells us George Floyd's family has accepted FM's offer to pay for the funeral services.

Floyd Mayweather has offered to pay for George Floyd's funeral services ... with the boxing superstar personally vowing to help Floyd's family grieve their loss.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Mayweather is offering to finance all 4 services for Floyd in Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte and another location to be named at a later date.

We're told Mayweather felt it was the right thing to do after learning Anzel Jennings -- CEO of the TMT music label -- grew up with George.

Mayweather's people added ... Floyd is just doing what he feels is right in his heart.

It's unclear if George Floyd's family has accepted Mayweather's offer.

Hollywood Unlocked first reported the story.

President Trump says he is the President of law and order, and that's why he's deploying thousands of military troops to shut down rioters and looters ... across the country, if necessary -- but his first action was to have military and police pepper spray and shoot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters.

The President said justice will be served for George Floyd and his family, but in the meantime ... he will not allow the "angry mob" to drown out the peaceful protesters. He said the looting was mostly victimizing peace-loving citizens "in our poorest communities."

Speaking from the White House grounds, he vowed to fight to keep those citizens safe, and then said he is "Your President of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters." Trump then called out local law enforcement for not protecting citizens and small businesses.

As a result, POTUS said he was making a move to shut down "domestic terror," and if Mayors and Governors don't "dominate" the streets, he would step in for them. He said he is mobilizing "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers" to stop the "wanton destruction of property."  Here's the problem -- Trump's wrong on the law.  He does NOT have authority to send in troops UNLESS THE GOVERNORS ASK HIM.  Governor Cuomo, for one, has already said, "Thanks but no thanks."

Just over 4 minutes into the President's speech ... rubber bullets and pepper spray were being fired on a group of protesters across the street at Lafayette Park -- it almost seemed like a scripted made-for-TV moment.  It was also an outrageous overreach, because these were not rioters or vandals ... they were peaceful demonstrators who were showing their disdain for the brutal killing of black men at the foot of the symbol of government.  And for that they were shot at and gassed.

George Floyd had fentanyl in his system when he was killed, and died from a  heart attack ... according to the medical examiner.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner released its toxicology findings and say George died from cardiopulmonary arrest ... which complicated law enforcement's subdual, restraint and neck compression of him. That is critical, but the report also says this under "how the injury occurred" -- it says George experienced "a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by law enforcement."

In other words ... he suffered a heart attack while they were arresting him, and that complicated their efforts to subdue him.

The report says George had fentanyl in his system, and they also found signs of recent methamphetamine use. It also says his manner of death is homicide.

The results were released just hours after the Floyd family's independent autopsy showed he died from "mechanical asphyxia" ... due to Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck, and another officer on his back.

Baden said George Floyd was dead 4 to 5 minutes into the time Chauvin and the other officers had him pinned -- and yet, Chauvin kept his knee there for another 4 minutes-plus.

Dr. Michael Baden -- a famous forensic doctor who has been involved in the O.J. Simpson case, the Jeffrey Epstein case and many others -- concluded compression pressure on Floyd was the direct cause of death. The medical examiner concluded it was a combination of asphyxia, underlying medical conditions including hypertension and possible drugs or alcohol.

Dr. Baden said there was one cause of death, and you don't really have to go beyond the video to understand. He said Floyd was unresponsive 4 minutes in, yet the cop kept his knee there for nearly 5 minutes longer. Baden says Floyd was in good health and no medical condition contributed to his death.

Dr. Baden said Floyd was deprived of his blood flow to the brain. He also says Floyd couldn't breathe ... something he repeatedly said as he was dying. Baden scoffed at cops who say if you can talk you can breathe. He says simply not the case.

This is a hugely significant development. Anyone charged in this case will almost certainly glom on to the M.E.'s findings and argue the knee didn't cause Floyd's death ... that it was hypertension or something else. Baden says BS ... it was Chauvin's knee to Floyd's neck, and the weight of the officer on his back that caused Floyd's death.

Floyd's family attorney, Ben Crump, and the family have always believed what Baden found, saying they "reject the notion from the Minneapolis Medical Examiner that the knee from the police officer on George’s neck for almost nine minutes was not the proximate cause of his death."

As we reported, Chauvin's been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter for Floyd's death. According to the charging docs, the fired cop had his knee on George's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds ... including 2 minutes, 53 seconds AFTER George became unresponsive.

Grindr is removing all color lines ... it's scrapping its controversial ethnicity filter, and also pledging to fight racism alongside the Black Lives Matter movement.

The popular gay dating app made the long-awaited move while announcing its support Monday for #BLM and "the hundreds of thousands of queer people of color who log in to our app every day."

Grindr says it will not stay silent or inactive in the fight for equality, and pledged donations to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute and #BLM, while encouraging others to do the same.

The company says it will fight racism on the app through dialogue with the community and a zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech. It says that commitment, combined with feedback from users, is why Grindr decided to ditch the ethnicity filter from future updates.

Grindr currently allows users to pay to avoid matching with people of certain ethnicities, while also filtering potential matches by age, height and weight.

Here's George Floyd's brother delivering a powerful message at the site of his murder ... calling for peace, love, non-violent protest, activism and an end to the riots and looting.

George's younger brother, Terrence, took to the bullhorn Monday and addressed a huge crowd of protesters gathered at the scene of his fatal interaction with Minneapolis police, getting emotional as he decried the looters and rioters he says are soiling the fight for justice.

Terrence says the riots and lootings happen every time people try to protest and make their point, and he says it sets everything back and overshadows the non-violent demonstrators trying to affect positive change.

As you know ... violent clashes with police and looting have marred protests across the country, with some folks carrying out the brazen acts in broad daylight, and all hell breaking loose under nightfall.

Wearing a face covering with an image of his late brother, Terrence also called for peace and led the crowd in chants calling for the other police officers involved in Floyd's fatal arrest to be arrested and charged.

As we reported ... ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on George's neck for over 8 minutes, has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death. He was effectively on suicide watch and has been moved to a maximum-security prison.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he's absolutely fed up with President Donald Trump ... firing off a flaming-hot statement on POTUS' handling of the recent protests in America.

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer," Pop told The Nation. "To be in his presence, makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes."

He continued ... "I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say 'black lives matter.' That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade schooler."

"Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot."

Of course, POTUS faced backlash after he tweeted of the looting in Minneapolis, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen." He also tweeted, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Pop -- who has been passionately outspoken about his issues with Trump -- makes it clear he has a problem with how the president reacted to the protests turning violent.

"It’s unbelievable," the NBA coach said. "If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But, he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now."

"That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And, that’s all he’s ever been."

But, it's not just Trump who Pop's pissed about ... he says the whole system needs to change.

"In the end, what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come."

Sure enough, this too is now being investigated. We're told LAPD is aware of the video and they're looking into what went down here.

A white woman tagging 'BLM' graffiti on a building was egged on by none other than cops from 8-feet away ... who seemed to be telling her to include the name of George Floyd.

The video was shot in what appears to be downtown Los Angeles, where an LAPD squad car is parked up next to a curb alongside a lady who's going to town with spray paint, tagging "BLM" messaging on the side of a building's windows ... taking up at least 3 panes.

While the person who recorded this was filming from across the street, you can still make out the cops apparently instructing the woman to make sure to include George Floyd's name in her graffiti ... at one point, even seemingly telling her how to spell it correctly.

She heard the message loud and clear, and sure enough ... went ahead and tagged "Floyd" on the window as well. The officers are just standing by and watching the entire time. The person who posted this says they were laughing too, but we can't quite make that out.

In any case, it's an utter disgrace ... regardless of what the context is, which we're sure LAPD brass will be scrambling to reach for now that this is out. Policemen literally encouraging active criminal activity right in front of their faces -- ya can't excuse it.

We've seen "bad actors" screwing with the protests and hijacking the message under the guise of justice -- but this takes it to a new level. Some cops appear to be in on it too.