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It took a total of FIVE cops to subdue Ben Gordon during his arrest outside a Connecticut juice shop on Tuesday morning ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the clip, you can see three officers were trying to get Gordon onto the ground after he had allegedly threatened employees with a knife inside of the Stamford store moments earlier -- but they struggled to wrestle him to the pavement.

The footage shows they were eventually able to push him into a storefront sign -- causing him to fall -- but they still couldn't get cuffs on him.

Finally, two other officers raced in -- and Gordon was ultimately taken under control.

As we reported, cops say after they placed the former NBA star into custody ... they found a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They also say they found a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his bag as well.

Gordon was arrested ... and booked on several charges. Following a mental health evaluation at a local hospital, he was released on $10,000 bond.

Court records show the 40-year-old has since been hit with eight total criminal charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

Gordon briefly addressed his latest run-in with the law during an Instagram Live session on Thursday ... sharing his side of the incident.

The 3 men convicted of murdering XXXTentacion just learned their fate ... with the judge sentencing them to life in prison.

The men -- Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams -- were previously found guilty of murder in the fatal 2018 shooting.

Robert Allen, the fourth man arrested for the murder, pled guilty to second-degree murder ... he has not yet been sentenced

Remember ... XXX was just 20 years old when he was shot and killed in June 2018 at a South Florida motorcycle dealership, in what prosecutors say was a robbery. The killers were accused of shooting the rapper as he sat in his vehicle, then running off with a Louis Vuitton bag and $50,000 in cash.

A Florida jury also convicted the three men of armed robbery ... with the verdict coming down last month, following 8 days of deliberations.

During the trial, prosecutors linked XXXTentacion's killers to the slaying through surveillance video from inside and outside Riva Motorsports, plus cell phone videos the men recorded showing them flashing $100 bills shortly after the shooting.

XXX's death shocked the rap community, and to this day tons of fans still mourn his loss.

Kanye West's private Christian school only feeds students one thing for lunch, sushi, and they apparently have to eat it on the floor without tables or chairs ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Ye and his Donda Academy are being sued by two Black women who say they were fired from teaching positions at the school for two reasons -- retaliation for sounding the alarm on alleged education, health and safety code violations -- and for their race.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the women say they were the only Black teachers employed by Donda Academy when they were hired full-time earlier this year ... and they say it didn't take long for them to notice numerous health and safety violations, unlawful educational practices and extremely unusual rules at Kanye's school.

Among the alleged issues ... the women say the only lunch option available for students is sushi, every single day, and students are not allowed to bring any outside food or drink, except for water. The suit claims Kanye spends $10,000 a week on sushi.

What's more, the teachers claim Kanye did not allow crossword puzzles or coloring sheets at Donda Academy, classes could not take place on the second floor because Kanye is "afraid of stairs," and Ye didn't want children using forks or utensils.

The suit alleges Kanye did not allow artwork to be hung on walls, and no one was allowed to wear jewelry ... simply because he "did not like jewelry."

The teachers even claim Kanye didn't allow chairs, forcing children to sit on foam cushions or stand, while teachers were relegated to standing or using a stool.

Donda Academy, the suit says, required everyone to wear all black from head-to-toe ... and Nike and Adidas brands were forbidden.

The teachers claim the school doors were physically locked from the outside during the school day, and students weren't allowed to go outside until they went home ... with the entire school, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, taking lunch and recess at the same time indoors.

The suit claims Donda Academy didn't have a janitor or a school nurse ... and there were no trashcans outside classrooms or in the kitchen. Meanwhile, they say student medications were stored in a closet with other expired medications just scattered around unsecured.

And, get this ... the teachers claim there are no lesson plans or proper disciplinary procedures in place, resulting in students going undisciplined for multiple instances of bullying and physical assaults against peers and teachers.

The teachers claim when they tried to run the alleged issues up the flagpole, they were threatened not to reach out to Kanye.

The women say they were ultimately fired ... and they're blaming their termination on retaliation and racial discrimination. They also claim their paychecks were often short up to $2,700 per pay period ... so they're suing Kanye and Donda Academy for money.

We reached out to Kanye's camp ... so far no word back.

Ben Gordon has been arrested again ... TMZ Sports has confirmed this time he was taken into custody on Tuesday after he allegedly threatened juice shop employees with a knife.

Cops in Stamford, Conn. tell us ... they got a call at around 9:15 AM that the former NBA star was inside of a downtown-area Juice Kings acting aggressively and bizarrely while wielding a blade.

Authorities say officers arrived on the scene quickly ... and were able to coax the 40-year-old out of the establishment without incident.

They say, however, the ex-Chicago Bulls guard became aggressive when they attempted to pat him down outside. They claim it then took several officers to subdue him and put him in cuffs.

Cops say an ensuing search of his person showed he had a folding knife clipped to his front pants pocket. They say when they searched his bag, he also had a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his possession.

Gordon was arrested and transported to a local police station ... but according to cops, he began acting so aggressively and so bizarrely, he was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Gordon was released back to cops a short time later, but authorities say he continued to act erratically. They claim a behavioral unit and some of Gordon's family and friends were ultimately able to calm him down -- and he was then processed.

Gordon was booked on several charges -- including three felony counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. Cops say his family posted his $10,000 bond, and he was released at around 7 PM.

He's due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.

Lance Reddick's cause of death has been revealed as heart disease ... according to the late actor's death certificate.

The document, obtained by TMZ, lists Reddick's immediate cause of death as Ischemic Heart Disease as well as Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease. The death cert also states Reddick was to be cremated.

TMZ broke the story ... Reddick, best known for his role in "The Wire" and the 'John Wick' movie franchise, was found dead at his Studio City home on March 17. At the time, law enforcement sources said his death appeared to be of natural causes.

We know Lance's wife, Stephanie, was the one who dialed 911 after finding him collapsed in the backyard.

Just before he died, Lance was doing a press tour for the "John Wick: Chapter 4" film ... and he even had an appearance scheduled on Kelly Clarkson's show for the week after he passed away.

Lance posted a selfie video just days before his sudden death at home with his pups, raising questions as to why he wasn't attending the 'Wick 4' premiere in New York City.

Lance's castmates honored him by wearing blue ribbons to the movie's premiere in Los Angeles, and Keanu Reeves shared some touching words about his friend.

Outside of 'John Wick,' Lance was also famous for his work in HBO's "The Wire" where he played Baltimore Police Department officer Cedrick Daniels in all 5 seasons of the show.

Throughout his career he racked up a ton of credits including shows like "Fringe," "Bosch," "Oz" and "Lost" ... he also appeared in films such as "Angel Has Fallen" and "Godzilla Vs. Kong."

Lance was 60.

LSU will not let a small squabble between its star player and Jill Biden get in the way of a championship party at the White House ... the school just revealed it'd "certainly" accept an invitation despite the tiff.

In fact, according to a university spokesperson, the Tigers would be "excited" to continue the celebration of their women's NCAA tournament title at 1600 Penn Ave. later this year.

Of course, many were wondering if the team would, indeed, go ... after LSU forward Angel Reese said she was peeved over the way Biden invited both the Tigers and Iowa following their championship game on Sunday night.

Reese said on "I Am Athlete" this week that "if the roles were reversed, they wouldn’t be the same. If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House."

She then insinuated she'd prefer it if she could go party with the Obamas instead." They can have that spotlight," she said of the Hawkeyes. "We'll go to the Obamas'. We'll go see Michelle. We'll see Barack."

Biden had attempted to walk back the double invite, with her press secretary saying Tuesday Biden's comments "were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House."

But, in response, Reese said, "I don't accept the apology because you said what you said .. You can't go back on certain things that you say."

Mötley Crüe co-founder Mick Mars IS going away mad ... as they're in the middle of a farewell tour, without Mick, he's suing his ex-band -- claiming they kicked him out and ripped him off, financially.

The band's lead guitarist announced last fall he wouldn't be joining the Crüe on the road, because he's suffering from a debilitating arthritic disease called ankylosing spondylitis -- but in his lawsuit he says he made it clear he could still record with the band or do limited performances ... he just couldn't handle a full tour with his condition.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Mick says the band cut his percentage of profits from 25 percent to 5 percent ... after he announced he was stepping back from touring. Furthermore, he claims the band's lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn't feel they owed him anything at all.

Mick claims there was a full band meeting and they decided to "unilaterally" remove him from Mötley Crüe.

Some of this is definitely personal for Mick. In the suit -- filed by his attorney Ed McPherson -- Mick repeatedly accused bassist Nikki Sixx of "gaslighting" him about his guitar skills diminishing.

Mick says that's rich coming from Nikki, because he claims Nikki didn't "play a single note on bass" during a recent tour -- and instead, Nikki's parts were pre-recorded.

Police fatally shot a teenager in a stolen car in Washington D.C. ... and the horrific incident was all caught on video.

Check out the body cam footage, released by the U.S. Park Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police, showing officers entering the vehicle parked on a residential street after they responded to a call of a stolen car.

Dalaneo Martin, 17, was asleep behind the wheel when one of the cops woke him up to try to arrest him.

In his panic, Martin sped away with the officer in the back seat, pointing his gun at the teen.

The cop ordered Martin to stop the car and let him out, but Martin kept driving. Finally, the officer warned, "Stop or I’ll shoot you!" before squeezing the trigger several times.

Martin cried out in agony as he was shot. The car then crashed into a nearby house.

Cops administered first aid to Martin, but they couldn't save him. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officer who fired the shots and a second cop were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital.

Jeremy Renner's incredible recovery has him in high spirits, but just after his horrific snowplow accident, he worried he would live his life as a shell of a human being.

Jeremy tells his emotional story of coming back from the edge of life to a point where he is mobile again ... with the help of a walker.

He worried in the days following the accident he would live the rest of his life as a brain and a spine, but not much else.

The "Avengers" star teared up as he spoke with Diane Sawyer about the pain he suffered and how he felt so sorry that his family was suffering as well. Jeremy was on the verge of tears as he told Diane he told his family he was sorry in sign language.

He looks amazing ... it defies what he went through. Jeremy is looking forward and says he refuses to be haunted by the accident that almost took his life.

He still has a ways to go, but all signs point to a return to normal life, which has gotta include acting.

Tom Sandoval's affair with Raquel Leviss has moved into the "love" category ... at least, according to his friend and business partner Tom Schwartz, who's spilling a TON of tea about the Scandoval.

Schwartz finally opened up about the messy relationship drama Wednesday night on "Watch What Happens Live" ... telling Andy Cohen he knew the 2 hooked up way back in August, but thought it was a one-time thing.

That is, until January when Sandoval dropped the L-bomb on Schwartz.

He says his buddy admitted he was in love with Raquel -- something Schwartz was mostly shocked by, but not completely ... adding their "emotional affair" was sort of an "open secret."

Fans have been wondering why Schwartz didn't fill in his friend Ariana Madix about the sneaking around, and he answers that question, too -- putting the blame squarely on Sandoval.

TMZ broke the story, Sandoval and Ariana split last month after she found explicit messages on his phone, and it's been a whirlwind of drama ever since.

The "Vanderpump Rules" cast filmed a reunion where we're told things got heated ... and fans everywhere are dying to see it all unfold.

As we reported, Schwartz was pretty quiet for a while but spoke out for the first time last month ... remaining firmly on the fence in the fallout between his friends.

Sandoval shared some of his thoughts last week, BTW.

He kept things pretty vague, but noted his businesses with Schwartz have definitely taken a hit in response to the scandal.

John Leguizamo is again crying foul over "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" -- complaining about the lack of diversity in the cast.

The actor was in NYC Wednesday -- the same day the new animated film hit theaters -- and we got him to sound off on whether he'd changed his opinion from last year ... namely, whether he'd be watching the new adaptation of everyone's favorite video game character.

As it turns out, John hasn't budged on his original position ... dude's definitely not catching it, and he's still pissed there weren't any Latinos to be cast.

In between photos he was taking with fans on the street, John reiterated what he's been going on about since the fall ... basically, he feels like Nintendo and the studio heads behind 'SMBM' took a step backward by getting Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario/Luigi -- neither of whom technically have Italian roots ... unlike their made-up characters.

You'll recall ... Bob Hoskins and John played the roles, respectively, in the live-action version.

JL says he wanted to see a Hispanic actor in the lineup again, and is sour that nobody from Latin America got a shot. It's unclear if John is advocating for true/accurate casting -- for which there's been a big push -- or if he just wants to see more Latin representation.

Rihanna's got her pregnancy glow working again ... and it's clear she's looking forward to baby #2, because she's absolutely gushing about being a mom!

A$AP Rocky and his bae took their baby boy out Wednesday night in Santa Monica for dinner at their fave spot, Giorgio Baldi -- gotta start 'em early -- and it looks like he was loving it.

The 10-month-old -- whose name we still don't know -- was cheesin' for cameras as Rihanna walked out with him in her arms for the big family affair ... RiRi's mom, Monica, was there too.

There's no doubt motherhood looks good on the singer ... she was stunning in a Wu-Tang jersey, serious bling and shades, and even talked about her mommy lifestyle.

A photog outside the restaurant asked her how motherhood's changed her life, and she didn't hesitate ... immediately saying, "Motherhood is the bomb! It's the greatest."

BTW, being a mom might be the only thing Rihanna loves more than Giorgio Baldi. She's usually there at least a couple times a week -- plus take-out -- and that was before pregnancy cravings!

She celebrated her 35th birthday at the hot spot with friends and family, and even dined there right before she gave birth to their son last year

Here's Sammi 'Sweetheart' Giancola filming with her "Jersey Shore" castmates ... the first time we've seen her back together with the group since her surprise return.

Sammi looks right at home in video obtained by TMZ ... getting back on the horse with Vinny, JWoww, Pauly D, Angelina, Deena and The Situation for the upcoming season of 'Family Vacation.'

Folks who were there tell us the cast was shooting scenes Tuesday night at Reggiano's restaurant in Celebration, Florida ... and the only one who seems to be missing was Snooki.

As you see, it appears to be a couple's outing for a birthday party ... complete with cake, candles and significant others -- unclear whose birthday it was.

It's interesting ... Sammi's date is a tattooed hunk with a striking resemblance to her reality TV ex, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.

Remember ... Sammi and Ronnie have an extremely rocky history, and there's speculation she's finally back on the show in large part due to Ronnie moving on from the 'JS' life.

Sammi's return is a huge deal for fans of the MTV show, and it looks like she's happy to be back in the fold.

Here's a close-up look at Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn for the upcoming 'Joker 2' movie ... and this version looks dark and sinister.

Director Todd Phillips shared the in-your-face photo Wednesday on social media, announcing filming has wrapped and it's time for him to hunker down and transform hours of footage into a movie.

Lady Gaga's hair and makeup seem to match up with a scene she filmed earlier this week ... when she was singing and dancing on the very same outdoor Bronx staircase Joaquin Phoenix danced on in the first "Joker" film.

Remember ... we previously saw Lady Gaga in full costume as Harley Quinn last month, but she was sporting a different look than this grimy version.

Before, LG was looking pretty clownish as HQ ... and both versions seem darker than Margot Robbie's take on Harley Quinn, which has been well-received in several different flicks.

Cash App founder Bob Lee's final moments were reportedly caught on video before he collapsed dead from stab wounds on a California street.

Surveillance footage, reviewed by The San Francisco Standard, showed Lee tending to his injuries with one hand while holding his mobile phone with the other hand as he staggered down a desolate city street early Tuesday morning. A trail of blood was left in his wake.

The video also depicted Lee approaching a Toyota Camry with its hazard lights on and raising his shirt to reveal a stab wound to the driver. As Lee asked for help, the motorist sped away.

Moments later, Lee fell to the ground, but he got back up and walked further down the road before collapsing again.

Using his cell phone, Lee called 911 and screamed, "Help! Someone stabbed me!" By the time San Francisco police arrived, Lee was already unconscious and later died at a local hospital.

Police say Lee was stabbed twice in the chest by an unknown assailant, who fled the scene. A motive has not been disclosed.

Heavy hitters in the tech industry were outraged by the murder. Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted at SFDA Brooke Jenkins, asking if she was doing enough to keep repeat violent offenders behind bars.

Block, Inc. Co-founder Jack Dorsey, whose company owns Cash App, said he was heartbroken over Lee's death.

MobileCoin CEO Joshua Goldbard characterized Lee as a “force of nature" in the tech industry.

Lee was the creator of Cash App - a payment service in which users can transfer funds to each other using their mobile phones. Before his death, he was the chief product officer for MobileCoin -- a cryptocurrency start-up.

Jen Shah isn't lettin' prison bars keep her out of showbiz -- she's developing a stage play similar to her 'Housewives' Bravo series, and some of her fellow inmates are all-in too!

Yeah, if you were wondering what the 'RHOSLC' star's been up to at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, TX -- Jen's manager, Chris Giovanni, tells us she's working on a production aptly titled "The Real Housewives of Bryan."

Chris says it's still in the early phases, as Jen's taking time to teach some of her crew how to read and write. Regardless, we're told the script revolves around the real-life housewives residing at FPC Bryan ... but the personalities are cranked up to 11.

Aside from her directorial debut, Jen's been making strong friendships ... even mentoring other ladies and keeping them encouraged during their sentences. Chris says she's been working in the prison's educational department and the library since going in almost two months ago.

We're told she's lost about 15 pounds, and has been working out daily -- she's also not eating much. Shocker, she doesn't find the food all that good.

Chris adds ... Jen hasn't lost touch with her faith. It's currently Ramadan and Jen and about five other ladies in her unit are fasting and praying daily.

TMZ broke the story ... Jen surrendered herself to FPC Bryan in February to begin serving her 6.5-year sentence (which has reportedly been reduced by a year according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ inmate database) after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.