The 3 officers who watched Derek Chauvin choke the life out of George Floyd will soon go on trial for doing nothing to stop the murder. We surveyed a number of police departments around the country to see if they allow/encourage officers to step in when another officer -- even if it's a senior officer -- crosses the line ... like what happened in the O.C. this week.
What we found was interesting. Virtually every department we contacted said they have a policy in place requiring officers to intervene when another cop uses excessive force. The question is, of course, are these regulations really followed? Here's what we found.
MIAMI PD -- "The MDPD has a policy on an officer's duty to intervene. This policy is specific to seeing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which objectively is reasonable ... they are mandated to take action and stop these acts from taking place."
INDIANAPOLIS PD -- "Officers are required to take appropriate action when they are aware of violations of department policies. It does not matter the rank or seniority of the people involved."
NYPD -- "All members of the service must intervene to stop another member of the service from using excessive force. Failure to intervene in the use of excessive force, or report excessive force, or failure to request or ensure timely medical treatment for an individual is serious misconduct that may result in criminal and civil liability and will result in Department discipline, up to and including dismissal."
CHICAGO PD -- "A Department member who directly observes a use of force and identifies the force as excessive or otherwise in violation of this directive will, except in extraordinary circumstances, act to intervene on the person's behalf. Such action may include, but is not limited to, verbally or physically intervening to try and stop the violation."
LAPD -- "Regardless of rank, officers have a duty to intercede and report misconduct."
D.C. POLICE -- "The MPD has policy on an officer's duty to intervene. This policy is specific to seeing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which objectively is reasonable."
ATLANTA PD -- "Any employee present and observing or who becomes aware of another employee exhibiting behaviors or performing actions that violate any department policy ... shall intercede to prevent such behavior or actions, when in a position to do so safely."
DALLAS PD -- "It shall be the duty of every employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop, or attempt to stop, another employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required."
CHARLOTTESVILLE PD -- "Any law enforcement officer who, while in the performance of his official duties, witnesses another law enforcement officer engaging or attempting to engage in the use of excessive force against another person shall intervene, when such intervention is feasible, to end the use of excessive force or attempted use of excessive force, or to prevent the further use of excessive force."
NEW ORLEANS PD -- "The core component of the training teaches officers, regardless of rank, to intervene and de-escalate an encounter before harmful action is taken."
OKLAHOMA CITY PD -- "Intervening to prevent excessive force where officers observe another officer using excessive force and they have a realistic and safe opportunity to stop the other officer from using the excessive force, they should attempt to stop the other officer."
We contacted a number of other departments as well, and virtually all of them said they have a policy requiring officers to intervene when they see a fellow cop using excessive force. Furthermore, almost all of the departments say this policy was in place BEFORE the murder of George Floyd.
This raises a serious question ... has this policy been followed and were there consequences for officers who violated it? Judging from the videos and stories over the last few years, it seems like it has not been enforced -- at least in many cases.
Cops are investigating a double shooting -- including one fatality -- in the now-famous L.A. neighborhood where the movie "Friday" was filmed.
According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... homicide detectives responded to a shooting call around 11:30 AM on April 20 in South L.A., near 126th and Normandie ... it's the same block where Ice Cube's character lived in the movie.
Cops tell us a man was pronounced dead at the scene, and a woman was transported to a local hospital and treated for her injuries. Law enforcement sources tell us they were hit in a drive by shooting.
For those not familiar with the area ... this is where Cube's "Friday" character, Craig Jones, chilled and smoked weed with Chris Tucker's character, Smokey. They actually filmed the movie here, not on a studio backlot.
Our law enforcement sources tell us the victims were in the area to check out the house ... remember this happened on 420 and "Friday" is a big deal in marijuana culture.
Donald Trump just went afterLeBron James in the wake of his controversial "You're Next" post ... calling the NBA star's words "RACIST" and telling the hooper to stick to sports.
"LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League,” Trump said in a statement.
“His RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning. He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!"
LeBron tweeted -- and later deleted -- a photo of the cop who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant after responding to a violent altercation this week in Columbus, Ohio.
In his post, the Lakers star captioned the pic, "YOU'RE NEXT #ACCOUNTABILITY" ... implying the officer should be prosecuted in a similar fashion to Derek Chauvin.
The problem ... some found the post to be threatening, with the National Fraternal Order of Police -- the biggest police union in the country -- calling it "disgraceful and extremely reckless."
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas added, "LeBron James is inciting violence against an Ohio police officer. This is disgraceful and dangerous."
Trump clearly felt similarly, releasing his scathing statement through his office Thursday night.
James eventually offered an explanation for the post after the backlash, writing in a statement of his own, "I’m so damn tired of seeing Black people killed by police. I took the tweet down because it's being used to create more hate."
"This isn’t about one officer," LeBron continued. "It’s about the entire system and they always use our words to create more racism. I am so desperate for more ACCOUNTABILITY."
James has been vocal about social injustices and police brutality throughout this NBA career ... leading kneeling demonstrations during the NBA bubble last summer and often providing impassioned post-game and pregame speeches to media about equality.
The 36-year-old has not played in an NBA game since March 20 while battling an ankle injury.
Rich the Kid's injecting his own stimulus package ... for those lucky enough to catch it on Rodeo Drive 'cause that's where he was making it rain.
The rapper pulled up in his expensive Rolls-Royce Phantom on Thursday right outside the Burberry and Louis Vuitton stores in Beverly Hills, where he started throwing wads of cash in the air. It wasn't long before a throng of fans -- of the rapper and money, of course -- showed up to catch it.
Our guy asks him how much he's throwing but it's hard to tell if RTK gives a direct answer. He wishes a woman happy birthday before pulling out another wad of bills.
Then, things get interesting ... for Rich, anyway.
You can see near the end of the video he's taking a selfie and 2 police motorcycles pull up behind him. RTK's driver takes off ... and the cops follow right behind him. We never saw the sirens and lights go on, but our law enforcement sources tell us Rich did end up getting a ticket ... for littering. That's gonna cost him a few more dollar bills -- minimum $250, max $1,000 for a first offense.
BTW ... Rich was definitely in a celebratory mood 'cause we're told he had just been inside the Patek Philippe store on the eve of dropping his new track, "Richard Mille Patek."
As for the Phantom, we're told it's a brand new model and around $600k. Rich was cruising around town with his buddy, RD Whittington, who owns celebrity auto and aircraft super-firm Wires Only ... so you gotta imagine he helped hook him up.
Fun fact: There are 2 things you're allowed to litter in Cali ... water and chicken feathers.
5:44 AM PT -- 4/23 -- NBA star Donovan Mitchellwas super close with Clarke and considered him a "little brother."
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Mitchell posted a video of one of their last conversations, which happened to have been captured by Slam Online, showing how they would joke with each other about basketball and life.
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Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
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"We’ve had too many convos like this bro," Mitchell said.
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"One thing I can always say bro is your energy was unmatched your vibe was always lit! You were like a Lil brother to me bro just trynna make it to the league live your dream help moms out! You were so close bro so close!"
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"I appreciate you for being a dope friend to my little sister man this hurts to even have to write! Rest in paradise lil bro! Gone to soon."
Terrence Clarke -- a 19-year-old University of Kentucky basketball player and a projected 2021 NBA Draft pick -- was killed Thursday in a car accident in Los Angeles, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.
We're told Clarke was driving a Genesis around 2 PM in the San Fernando Valley when his vehicle was struck by another car ... sending him smashing into a pole and before ultimately slamming into a wall.
Footage from the accident shows Clarke's vehicle completely smashed in.
Former Sierra Canyon standout looks to be walking around and okay. Crazy news today https://t.co/nGqS3d8zKN
Law enforcement sources tell us the accident is being investigated -- but so far, no official cause of the crash has been determined.
We're told Clarke was in Los Angeles with his Kentucky teammate, B.J. Boston -- another NBA Draft prospect.
Boston was reportedly in the car behind Clarke when the accident occurred -- but we're told he's physically okay.
Clarke was rushed to a nearby hospital ... but injuries proved too severe and doctors were unable to save his life. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Terrence -- a 6'7" guard -- was an absolute stud on the hardwood. Rivals rated him a 5-star recruit coming out of high school in New Hampshire ... and ranked him as the #8 overall high school player in the entire country.
He didn't play much at Kentucky -- but he clearly had the talent to succeed at the pro level and recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.
Some experts projected he would be a 2nd-round pick -- with tons of upside.
Justin Bieber knows when it comes to showbiz, ya gotta know your audience ... which probably explains the song he chose to perform at a prison -- a tune that was sure to connect with inmates.
As we first told you ... JB and his pastor paid a visit to California State Prison in L.A. County to support the prison's faith-based programs -- but until we got this video, we didn't know he'd belted out any hits for them.
Now, we know Justin did a short set during his trip last month, and it included an acoustic rendition of his single, "Lonely."
We're told Bieber sang 3 or 4 of his songs, focusing on slower tracks that translate better with an acoustic guitar accompanying him ... but it's hard to imagine any of his lyrics hitting harder with the inmates than, "I'm so lonely."
We're told by people who were present that Bieber's mini unplugged set was emotional, empathetic and had him on the verge of tears. It was well received by the inmates and followed by a sermon.
As we reported ... Justin's visit also included some time outside in the yard sitting in a circle and listening to speakers, all part of his mission to spread the gospel.
Shock G, famous for Digital Underground's hit song "The Humpty Dance" and his work with Tupac Shakur, is dead.
The rap legend was found dead Thursday in a hotel room in Tampa ... according to his father, Edward Racker.
We're told the cause of death is unclear but there were no signs of trauma. Shock's father says authorities will conduct and autopsy.
Shock G was the lead singer for the pioneering hip hop group Digital Underground, and he gets into character as his alter ego, "Humpty Hump," for the group's famous 1989 song and dance.
Shock was also known for his collabs with 2Pac ... he's featured on Pac's 1993 song "I Get Around" and he was one of the producers on Tupac's 1991 debut solo album, "2Pacalypse Now."
In fact, Shock G helped introduce 2Pac to the music world ... Pac was a member of Digital Underground when he appeared on the group's 1991 song and music video, "Same Song," for his first published work.
Shock G was born and raised on the East Coast, but he eventually settled in Oakland, where he formed Digital Underground in the late 1980s with Chopmaster J and Kenneth Water.
In addition to his work with 2Pac, Shock G produced songs for Dr. Dre, Princeand KRS-One, just to name a few.
6:08 AM PT -- 4/23 -- Jenn has been reunited with the couple's daughter after making the drive from Vegas. She posted a photo holding Ariana, saying she'll comfort her daughter "as long as she needs it."
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8:15 PM PT -- Ronnie was released at 7:18 after posting bail, which was set at $100,000. According to a law enforcement source, he was picked up and left in the white Mercedes our camera caught leaving the police station.
3:55 PM PT -- A source close to Jenn tells us she was not involved, and was in Las Vegas when Ronnie was arrested. We're told Ronnie was taking care of he and Jenn's daughter, Ariana, at the time of the incident, but she's now with his brother ... and Jenn is on the way to pick her up.
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is in police custody after cops say he was involved in a domestic violence incident ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell us the "Jersey Shore" star was busted Thursday in Los Angeles for felony domestic violence.
The arrest is seriously bad news for Ronnie, because he's currently on probation. As we first told you, he got 36 months probation as part of a plea deal he copped last year in a previous domestic violence case involving his ex, Jenn Harley.
It's unclear if Jenn was involved in this alleged incident. Ronnie avoided jail last time, but getting arrested while on probation could churn up a whole host of problems for him.
Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells TMZ, "We have just learned of the new allegations against Ronnie and need some additional time to further investigate. As such, we will not be making any other statements at this time.”
Stefon Diggs' flashy Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon was found abandoned near train tracks in Miami over the weekend, TMZ Sports has learned ... but the NFL star is denying any wrongdoing in the situation.
Here's the deal ... law enforcement officials tell us they responded to a call of an abandoned vehicle sitting in dirt just feet from train tracks near the Miami Airport Station in Florida at around 5 AM on Sunday.
According to officials, the car -- a silver Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV with Maryland license plates -- was registered to Diggs.
But, authorities say there was no indication of the Buffalo Bills receiver, a driver OR passengers on the scene ... so after a short investigation, they simply had the vehicle towed.
The entire situation is bizarre ... especially given the Mercedes' six-figure price tag -- but when we reached out to Diggs' camp for comment, they had a simple explanation.
According to a spokesperson for the wideout, Diggs was not in Florida at the time, and had lent the car to a friend in the area.
That friend, the spokesperson said, got a flat tire, called for a tow, but did not wait for the company to arrive and left the ride at the scene.
"[Stefon] was not driving the car," Diggs' rep says. "He allowed a friend to use the car while he was gone. Unfortunately, the friend had got a flat tire with the car."
The rep says Diggs was eventually informed of the situation and is now having the car repaired at a Mercedes-Benz dealership.
Diggs' spokesperson was adamant the car was NOT stolen, and added there was absolutely no wrongdoing involved in the incident.
Cops, meanwhile, say a report on the abandoned car is still pending. It's unclear if police are investigating further into it.
Diggs -- who's been known to train in Miami to prepare for NFL seasons -- had a career year in Buffalo in 2020, logging 127 catches for 1,535 receiving yards and 8 TDs.
Before this cute kid was receiving award-winning roles in television and film, he was just another shocked tot posing for the camera in Wembley, United Kingdom.
This tiny tot with tons of expression earned noteworthy praise for his breakout role in a creepy crawler movie starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal. Later, he starred in an HBO miniseries for which he scored an Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor ... the first ever for a man of Asian descent.
Now, this star is at it again with his deafening talent -- this weekend at the Academy Awards he is nominated for his leading role.
Kehlani is coming out as lesbian ... and she says she's the last one in her family to know she's gay.
The singer shared her truth Thursday, saying on video ... "I am gay ga-gay gay gay!!!"
Kehlani says she's been trying to have heart-to-heart conversations with her family and friends about coming out, but she says her loved ones are hardly shocked and keep telling her they've known for some time because, as she put it ... "the f****** closet was glass."
She previously hinted at being gay during a recent Instagram Live when casually said she finally knew she was lesbian. Apparently, some fans thought she might have been joking, but now Kehlani's saying clearly, loudly and proudly.
As you know ... she has a 2-year-old daughter, Adeya Nomi, with guitarist Javie Young-White and her other famous exes include YG and NBA star Kyrie Irving.
Bottom line for Kehlani ... "everyone knew but me."
4:17 PM PT -- The Westminster Police officer seen on video punching a woman has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation. The WPD Internal Affairs Division is also in communication with the Orange County DA’s Office, which will evaluate the officer’s use of force and determine if criminal charges are warranted.
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As for what brought cops out in the first place. Cops say they got a call about a female Hispanic adult assaulting an adult Asian woman who had tried to rescue a dog running in the street.
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Cops say when they showed up the Hispanic adult exhibited signs of being under the influence and, while waiting for paramedics, the woman was not compliant and she became combative with officers. While trying to control her, a WPD Officer “used force and struck [the woman] two times in the face with his first. Two WPD Officers immediately intervened and deescalated the situation.” The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and later booked into Orange County jail.
The 3 cops criminally charged for not stopping Derek Chauvin from murdering George Floyd may have gotten the attention of a couple of California cops, because they stepped in and stopped a fellow officer who pretty clearly crossed the line by punching a woman.
Three cops in the O.C. were detaining and/or arresting a woman Wednesday when one of the officers landed a couple of right hooks to her face -- something that sure seemed unnecessary and excessive ... The other 2 cops clearly felt their colleague crossed the line ... they stepped in and stopped their partner from landing more blows, pushing the cop off the handcuffed woman.
It's fair to wonder if some officers are changing their behavior in the wake of Chauvin's trial.
As you know, the 3 officers who stood by and watched Chauvin choke the life out of George Floyd -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- are facing criminal charges for not intervening.
A rep for the department tells us they're aware of the video and they're investigating the incident.
The biggest night in Hollywood is on deck and TMZ is giving you the chance to win a quick $10,000 ... all ya gotta do is nail 6 questions about Sunday night's award show and its winners!!!
"Fox Bet Live" host Rachel Bonnetta joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to break down TMZ's Bust the Movie Awards Contest on the Fox Bet Super 6 app.
The contest is fun and free to play ... you just have to download the Super 6 app to enter for a chance to win big come Sunday night.
The premise here is pretty simple ... if you correctly answer 6 questions about what will unfold during Sunday's awards, you'll have the chance to win the $10,000 prize.
Rachel gives us her picks for some of the prop bet-style questions ... like how many acceptance speeches will be interrupted by music, how many fellow nominees will the Best Actress winner thank by name and what type of tie will the Best Actor winner wear ... and she's got some pretty good reasoning.
The full interview with Rachel airs on "TMZ Live" Thursday, so check your local listings.
There's no purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the US, excluding WA. 18 and older. See terms and conditions at foxsuper6.com. Sponsored & prize supplied by TSG Interactive US Services Limited.
Kendall Jenner has now been granted her second restraining order in as many days ... this time against the guy who allegedly tried to take a naked dip in her pool.
The 27-year-old man, Shaquan King, was ordered by the judge at a Thursday hearing to keep at least 100 yards away from Kendall for the next 5 years. The restraining order also protects Kris and Kylie Jenner, whose gated community King made a beeline for after spending 6 hours in jail for the alleged intrusion at Kendall's home.
King can't contact the 3 Jenner women, directly or indirectly, in any way, shape or form. He also can't get near their homes, workplaces and vehicles. Kendall, who's recently increased her security dramatically, was represented at the hearing by her attorney, Kate Mangels. King did not appear, nor did he have representation there.
As we reported ... cops say King got naked by Kendall’s pool and banged on windows at her home before her security apprehended him. Cops came and arrested him, but his jail stay was brief due to COVID protocols.
Kendall also got a 5-year restraining order this week against Malik Bowker, who allegedly traveled across the country with a plan to shoot her and then himself. Kendall has left her homesince the incidents with Bowker and King.
Lil Mosey's in big trouble in the state of Washington ... he's been charged with rape, and there's a warrant out for his arrest after failing to appear for a court hearing.
The “Pull Up" rapper was supposed to appear in court Wednesday, just weeks after he was charged with second-degree rape. We’re told Mosey never showed up ... so now he's a wanted man.
This all stems from an alleged incident back in January after a woman says she and a girlfriend went to a cabin to see Mosey but claims they ended up getting raped by him and another man.
According to the affidavit, obtained by TMZ, one of the alleged victims says she consented to having sex with Mosey in a vehicle but goes on to says she blacked out afterward in the cabin after drinking White Claws and champagne. She claims a short time later Mosey got on top of her and was pushing her legs up and apart while he was having sex with her. She said she recalled having pain in her leg muscles while Mosey was pushing her legs.
She says she blacked out again and woke up to find the other man forcing himself on her.
In the affidavit, the woman says she suffered injuries, including bruising on her arm, neck and inner knee. She also claims she got a message from one of the people at the party that said the guys were talking about "training two girls."
If convicted, Mosey faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Rev. Al Sharpton's eulogy for Daunte Wright -- the 20-year-old father who was killed by police during a traffic stop -- was a testament to a commitment to justice in response to people of color continuing to die at the hands of police in America.
Al, who referred to Wright as the Prince of Brooklyn Center, used analogies of air fresheners and expired tags -- the alleged reasons why Daunte was pulled over by police in the first place -- to rebuke police brutality and racism in the country.
Sharpton suggested the tide is turning though, and said the large turnout for Wright shows people have had enough of the long line of Black men taken too soon ... but he's hopeful real change is coming, and Daunte will not have died in vain.
Before the eulogy, Ben Crump spoke and gave shout-outs to other families of Black men killed by police in attendance to support Wright's family ... including members from the families of Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Philando Castile, Jamar Clark and George Floyd. Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is also at the funeral.
Then Crump introduced Wright's family members, who came up to reflect on their memories of Daunte ... who his siblings called the "life of the party" and said everybody loved.
Wright's parents, Katie and Aubrey, fought through tears as they spoke on how much they are going to miss him ... and Katie described how much Daunte loved his young son and was looking forward to their future together. It was heartbreaking.
Wright's funeral began with a reading of scripture, followed by a powerful prayer by Pastor Carmen Means. Means said, "There's joy and there's pain, there's loss and there's gain," and told the crowd they experienced the God of justice this week with the guilty verdict on April 20 ... praying justice would be served for Daunte as well.
After an emotional song that brought tears to the eyes of Daunte's loved ones, the audience witnessed an amazing piece of performance art by jazz musician Keyon Harrold and an artist who painted an incredible photo of Wright live on stage as Harrold trumpeted.
Harrold, you may recall, is the father of 14-year-old Keyon Jr., who was attacked in late 2020 by Miya Ponsetto in an NYC hotel when she falsely accused him of stealing her phone.
Daunte's funeral was held at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis ... 11 days after he was killed in the nearby city of Brooklyn Center.
His wake was held Wednesday, where Trahern Pollard -- a member of the anti-violence group We Push For Peace -- said of Wright's death ... "It's sad, man, especially right after the verdicts of the trial, that we have to go right into another moment like this."
Nine days before the verdicts, on April 11, Wright was fatally shot by police officer Kim Potter just about 10 miles away from the courthouse where Chauvin was standing trial.
Potter claims she meant to use her Taser as he tried to get back in his car, but fired her gun instead. She resigned from the force soon afterward, and was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter.
As we told you ... Daunte's family is hopeful they will get justice for his killing -- especially on the heels of Chauvin being found guilty -- but today they continue mourning.
