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The police chief says there is no bodycam footage and the officer should have been wearing a face covering due to the pandemic, and he's extending an invitation to sit down personally with the man to hash things out.

A Black man was yanked from his family and put in handcuffs in a mall because he matched the description of an alleged credit card fraudster ... but cops had the wrong guy.

This happened Saturday at the Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, where the guy in question was in the food court with his family when, suddenly, a cop comes up behind him and slaps on cuffs -- seemingly without any explanation other than to say he wants to talk outside.

The man and his wife, who recorded the encounter, were understandably pissed as cops walked him out of the mall in front of several other people -- it amounted to a humiliating perp walk for the man ... who, again, was NOT the guy cops wanted.

Eventually, the officer releases the man ... who's irate. His wife stuck around for an explanation, and it's this -- VBPD got a call about a Black man with dreads wearing all black using stolen credit cards ... who was accompanied by a child wearing red. The real suspect was also driving a black truck, which the wife repeatedly notes they do not own.

Interestingly enough, while the cop explains all this ... the wife pans the camera to her right and sees cops talking to another party with that same matching description. Long story short, the cop here jumped the gun and did apologize.

Too little too late though ... the family is outraged, as they say the whole situation was handled incorrectly -- cops didn't ask questions or assume innocence, and instead treated him as the culprit immediately. As the pissed of man repeatedly yelled at the cops ... this is why people are protesting for Black Lives Matter.

VBPD says it understands the family's anger, and is looking into the incident to see if the officer's actions were warranted -- but also points out he was respectful throughout the incident.

Bill Bellamy says flying during a pandemic is inevitable ... he just wishes there was more accountability all around to help prevent what sadly went down on United Flight 591.

We got Bill out at LAX on Monday afternoon and talked to him about the man who died on a flight from Orlando to Los Angeles. It's a terrible situation for sure, but Bill says there are a few "security blankets" the airlines could implement to ease passenger's fears.

He tells our photog it would help if, for starters, people adhered to the honor system. Meaning, don't lie! If ya don't feel well, don't fly. But, he adds ... airlines need to get serious about COVID screenings, such as temperature checks.

As we reported ... United Flight 591 made an emergency landing in New Orleans but not before medics performed CPR. The man was later transported to a hospital where he died.

Bill says people who feel sick and board flights put the very same people who are trying to save their lives at risk.

Scott Disick's in the market for some very expensive homes ... and he dragged his girlfriend along for what could turn out to be a family real estate investment.

Our sources tell us Disick and his new GF, 19-year-old Amelia Hamlin, went and toured a massive estate in L.A. last week ... the place comes with a whopping $115 million price tag.

Here's what that kinda price tag gets you at the Owlwood Estate ... 9 bedrooms and 12,201-square-feet on a 10-acre plot in Holmby Hills. The place is decked out with a library, sunroom, full tennis court, Olympic size pool and a pool house ... and its former residents include Tony Curtis, plus Sonny and Cher. Daily Mail first reported the pair's extravagant house hunt.

We're also told Scott and Amelia -- daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin -- checked out a $65 million home, also in Holmby Hills, which boasts 9 bedrooms and 30,000-square-feet of pure luxury. Agent Tomer Fridman showed them the property.

The $65 mil mansion looks like an art gallery ... and it also comes with a 3-story guesthouse, cinema, outdoor ballroom and an entertainment complex.

Again, Scott may not be looking to buy on his own ... it's possible some of his family members might want in on a property too, if they determine it's a good investment.

Ahmaud Arbery's mom will spend Christmas Day like she has for years ... devoted to her son, Ahmaud Arbery ... only this time, her connection is a visit to his gravesite.

Wanda Cooper Jones tells TMZ ... the family plans to visit Ahmaud's resting place right outside Waynesboro, GA and pay their respects to him on Christmas Day. But first, Wanda says the family -- including folks from out of state -- will get together at her mom's house in Waynesboro to reminisce about the good times they shared with Ahmaud.

She says this Christmas, no doubt, will feel different and sadder without Ahmaud. She says, "It's going to be hard. I'm trying to prepare myself in the best way by continuing to attend events in his honor, but it's just going to be hard that day."

Wanda tells us the family will honor Ahmaud during the family dinner. Wanda's mom is cooking his favorite family recipe: southern butter beans. Wanda says Ahmaud would gobble them up every year -- it was his favorite dish.

A horse pulling a carriage in NYC suddenly went down in a heap this weekend -- but rather than get the animal checked out, the carriage driver kept on truckin'.

This scary incident went down Sunday in Central Park, and eyewitnesses tell NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets) the horse was pulling its carriage with the driver and a couple of passengers in tow ... when it collapsed on a slippery, icy road.

Pretty dangerous sitch for the horse ... but, apparently, the driver (and spokesperson for Carriage Cavalry) got the horse back up on its feet, loaded his passengers back inside and continued on like nothing happened. No vet check for the horse ... according to the witnesses.

The advocacy group, NYCLASS, is pissed and says it's organized a protest Sunday to decry the cruel treatment of the horse. It's been a longstanding issue in NYC -- the care for those horses used to pull so-called hansom cabs for millions of Central Park tourists.

While they're a familiar sight and tradition in Manhattan, many feel it's time to hang up the reins and stop using the horses this way.

If Santa Claus is gonna come to town, successfully, he's gonna have to keep a better eye out for power lines ... and he's damn lucky some mere mortals saved his ass this time.

A man dressed as Saint Nick had to be helped down by firefighters Sunday morning in Sacramento after he somehow got his sleigh powered parachute vehicle snagged in some utility wires ... leaving him awkwardly dangling, helmet still on and all.

As for how this happened, apparently the guy's a local who often gets airborne with his motorized aircraft, and he was trying to do something nice for the kids by handing out candy canes from the sky. Seems one of his reindeer led him astray and straight into this.

Santa wasn't harmed, which is noteworthy as this screw-up could've gone awry in a hurry. Sacramento Metro and CHP responded to the scene, and were able to successfully roll out the hook and ladder to rescue the dude ... shutting off power to about 200 residents in the process. Of course, they also poked some fun at the situation on social media.

The jolly one should count himself lucky -- SMF told local outlets that the way he hit the wires and how he was positioned in his seat didn't allow for an electric current to zap him

Ray J and Princess Love are in the middle of a divorce ... but that's clearly not stopping them from possibly producing a third baby. But, slow your roll ... the process wouldn't be all fun and games.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' stars openly talked about the possibility during the show's four-part special dubbed, 'Secrets Unlocked.' It's set to air on Jan. 4 on VH1. The news, at first, seemed to take Ray J by surprise, but hold your horses ... 'cause it seems Princess Love's thinking this is strictly a business transaction.

Translation: she wants Ray J's swimmers ... and his swimmers only.

This, of course, is interesting considering their divorce drama. As you'll recall ... Princess Love filed for divorce back in May, only to later drop it after they reconciled. Four months later ... Ray J filed divorce papers and far as we know, that case rolls on.

Remember, they have 2 kids together -- daughter Melody and son Epik. They've continued to co-parent together and are clearly cordial enough to have done the VH1 special together.

NYC is getting wild when it comes to COVID-19 ... cops raided a club filled with more than 160 patrons who were not wearing masks, in clear violation of the state's COVID-19 restrictions.

The bust went down at around 2:45 AM Sunday in Queens when NYC Sheriff's deputies entered the joint to find the place packed like sardines. According to cops ... the shoulder-to-shoulder partygoers were entering the building through an alleyway.

Making matters worse ... the building is NOT set up to be a club -- so, on top of violating COVID restrictions, the operators were violating fire safety codes and didn't even have a liquor license.

The Sheriff's Dept says 5 people were charged with multiple offenses ... including violation of emergency orders.

In New York, there's a strict mandate prohibiting indoor and outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people who are not living in the same household.

This is not the first time cops in NYC have had to shut down illegal establishments. Cops busted one last month in Midtown Manhattan where nearly 400 people were partying their asses off.

Shaquille O'Neal says everyone needs to chill about his "booty" comment to Megan Thee Stallion -- saying he was just showing love, not trying to smash.

People went crazy recently over a comment Shaq left while watching Megan Thee Stallion twerk it out during an Instagram Live.

The comment? "Watching that booty."

Yeah ... even his son, Shareef, commented ... saying, "I feel you pops."

So, was Shaq shooting his shot? The Diesel says it was just a compliment and nothing more.

"This is what happened America … I was in [the IG Live session]. Somebody said, 'What are you doing in there?' And, I typed what I typed. I wasn’t trying to hit on her."

When asked if Meg responded to Shaq's comment, O'Neal downplayed it ... saying, "I don't know, I didn’t even check."

Mmmmmmmhmmmmm ...

There's more ... Shaq also heaped praise on LaMelo Ball -- saying the #3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is straight ballin' right now.

He's right -- did you see that pass Melo hit during a pre-season game the other day? Good lord!

And, to cap it off ... Shaq also tried out a motorized tricycle (also called a standing scooter) -- and props to whoever made it, because it ran with some zip, even with a giant like O'Neal riding on it!

Ben Smith's trying to play it cool on making the jump from 'Bachelorette' hunk to the full-blown 'Bachelor' ... and ya gotta see his reactions to all the burning questions!!!

We got the 'Bachelorette' fan-favorite leaving his Bodybuilding Club in Los Angeles, and he tried to play coy and bashful when we asked him straight up if he wants to be the next 'Bachelor.'

As fans of the shows know ... Rachel Lindsay claims Ben's putting on a full-court press to become the next 'Bachelor,' but she says he's not a good fit and says she's been begging producers not to give him the coveted role.

It's the first time folks are seeing Ben in public since Tayshia Adams sent him home on this week's episode following a disappointing hometown date, but Ben's not taking the bait our photog puts out there. We'll let you decipher his non-verbal answers.

Florida-born actors Sabrina and Kelly Aldridge were in their early 20s when they took on the role of the hot twin daughters Ashley and Emily Hall -- who get wrapped up their dad's neighborly holiday hijinks -- in the 2006 Christmas comedy "Deck the Halls."

Sabrina and Kelly shared the screen in the merry movie with some holly-jolly actors including Matthew Broderick as the competitive neighbor, Steve Finch, Kristin Chenoweth as the hottie wife, Tia Hall ... and of course Danny DeVito as the decorating dad, Buddy Hall.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just gave an awesome break-down of what's in the COVID vaccine, what it'll do and how it works ... this after getting the shot herself.

The New York Congresswoman hopped on IG Sunday to both document the Pfizer vaccine being administered to her by a health pro, as well as explain it ... which is truly helpful, since she talks in terms most people can understand, using a stellar analogy.

Check it out ... AOC says the vaccine being rolled out right now is NOT the actual virus, unlike other vaccines we take which often contain a dead version of the virus to train our bodies on how to recognize and fight it. This time around, we're getting a blueprint.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez characterizes it this way -- rather than having a live burglar break into your home and you learning how to ward him off in the moment, we're getting a photo of the burglar in hopes of being able to recognize it before said crook fully infiltrates.

That "photo" we're getting through this vaccine, as AOC illustrates, is called the mRNA of COVID (aka SARS-CoV-2), and it's meant to be a forewarning to the real McCoy. That way, if/when you come into contact with the virus ... your body's already prepped to stamp it out.

Denmark's decision to kill off all of their minks, out of fear the animals could spread a mutated version of COVID-19, is coming back to bite them -- because the little bastards are rising out of their graves, and slaughtering them might've been illegal to begin with.

A month ago, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen handed down a national order to cull the country's 15-million-plus population of minks that were scattered about in farms all throughout the country ... and the farmers who sell off their fur agreed and did just that.

The reason ... scientists discovered minks could catch COVID-19 from humans, have it mutate within their own bodies, and then transmit it back to people, which government officials feared could screw up vaccination efforts. So, they called the shot and wiped 'em all out.

Not all of the dead minks -- most of which were suffocated with CO2 -- were able to be incinerated ... millions had to be buried in mass trenches at said farms and elsewhere in the country ... which might've been a bad idea, 'cause they're literally back from the dead.

Gasses released from their dead bodies have been forcing their remains back above ground, and it's grossing people out. Not only that, but there've been concerns burying so many minks at once has compromised the drinking water supply in parts of Denmark.

Adding insult to injury, lots of farmers who agreed to go along with the PM's order are hurting and fear their business will forever be ruined ... since they killed off their product line. Not only that, it's now clear the Prime Minister didn't technically have the authority to order the deaths of an entire population of species ... which is forcing some major backpedaling and catch-up as far as legislation. They're apparently working to pass a law that retroactively gives the PM that power ... even though she didn't have it at the time.

The Danish Parliament agreed this weekend it's probably best to dig up 4 million of those dead minks and to burn them properly ... but thing is, that won't happen for at least another 5 months, when it's deemed safe to do so.

The PM has also apologized for the rushed decision, saying she was just doing what she thought was right for her people to keep them safe.

The United Airlines passenger who appears to have died from COVID-19 complications was laid out in the middle of the floor and getting CPR in a compact area -- which is now seen on video.

TMZ has obtained footage of the moment fellow passengers stepped in to do chest compressions on the man -- who fell unconscious earlier this week while United Flight 591 was up in the air and on its way to L.A. from Orlando.

As we reported, passengers say the man's wife said, during the emergency, her husband had various symptoms, including a loss of taste and smell and shortness of breath, yet he did not disclose this before boarding.

As you can see, it was a tense scene as passengers in surrounding rows looked on while one of three trained professionals administered CPR for almost an hour before the plane could land in New Orleans and get the man to a hospital, where he ultimately died.

One of those people who was rotating in to help was EMT Tony Aldapa, who gave us his first-hand account ... and it sounds like he was willing to risk potential exposure to help save the man's life.

No one knows for certain if the man had the virus -- but some of the passengers believe he did ... and also fear they may have been infected.  Tony tells us they took the man's mask off but replaced it with an oxygen mask. Still, it creates lots of worry for those on board.

It's a huge problem that has mostly gone unaddressed until now ... the fact that there's virtually no way of weeding someone out who might have COVID from getting on a plane and putting everyone else's life at risk. The honor system is only as good as the honesty of the passengers, and that's clearly a problem.

A man in NYC opened fire into a parked car from close range as he walked by on the sidewalk -- and miraculously, the people inside survived his barrage of bullets.

Check out this insane shooting that went down in Brooklyn last weekend, which cops are desperately trying to solve with the public's help. They posted surveillance video of the shooting on their NYPD News account, and asked anyone with info to come forward.

As for what led up to this ... it's not entirely clear. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ this unidentified man seems to unload on the parked Saturn for no apparent reason. Although he fired into the driver's side window, it was only the passenger who ended up getting struck.

Our sources say the female passenger was hit twice in the left arm, and the driver was somehow spared. She was taken to a hospital, where she was treated. The man who walked off like nothing had happened is still at large ... and the NYPD is on the hunt.

We're told there's no known motive at this time ... it appears to have been a random act of violence. That can happen in the Big Apple -- Rick Moranis knows that all too well.

A woman suspected of shoplifting at a grocery store in central California got dragged out by security -- and by that, we mean she was literally yanked across the tile floor like a mop.

This wild incident went down Wednesday at a WinCo in Visalia, CA -- where this woman and a male friend were allegedly caught red-handed trying to make off with some pricey tequila.

What happened next was brutal, according to eyewitnesses who captured some of the mayhem on camera. The woman, 27-year-old Victoria Vargas, was manhandled by the security personnel and literally pulled by the arms out of the store ... all while she screamed.

You can hear the guy recording say it's illegal for them to do that, but the fellas doing the dragging didn't seem to care. The action then went outside, where things got chippy with folks who didn't appreciate how Vargas was being dealt with.

It looks like a couple guys try to jump in and help her fight off the security guards, but security held their ground and kept the woman pinned until cops eventually arrived.

Vargas and her alleged male accomplice were arrested and booked for robbery, conspiracy to commit a crime and a slew of other charges. Unclear if they've posted bond yet.