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Video has surfaced of a violent confrontation at a Dick's Sporting Goods store where a customer was punched and put in a chokehold ... all over a candy bar.

It went down in Toledo, Ohio Thursday. Cops say they received a call from an employee at the store that a customer -- 36-year-old Aaron Buckenmeyer -- had stolen some merchandise.

The video begins with Buckenmeyer and an employee are standing toe-to-toe when the employee delivers a crushing blow that sends Buckenmeyer to the ground.

The employee told cops Buckenmeyer had headbutted him and that's what provoked the punches.

You see Buckenmeyer in a chokehold. The employee claims during the takedown Buckenmeyer was grabbing him by the genitals.

As for Buckenmeyer ... he repeatedly told the employee he had asthma and couldn't breathe.

In the end ... it appears the incident was triggered by a candy bar Buckenmeyer had put in a bag that fell out during the confrontation.

California's nightlife is going back into lockdown amid renewed spikes of coronavirus cases -- something the L.A. bar and club scene might not be able to survive ... TMZ has learned.

If you live in the Golden State, you probably heard about Gov. Gavin Newsom once again ordering the closure of bars and clubs in 19 counties -- including Los Angeles County, where those venues had just started to open back up after months of lockdown.

Newsom also said folks couldn't do indoor dine-in service at restaurants -- so even if a bar serves grub, it's a nonstarter. Fact is ... Newsom had no option. The virus is out of control.

Nevertheless ... it's a big problem for lots of bars and clubs -- especially smaller ones that were ramping up to get back into the game ... only to get shut down for a second time.

John Arakaki, who owns St. Felix -- a couple of stylish bars that have been functioning in the Hollywood area for the past 11 years -- says he quickly went through 60 percent of his government loans on safety training, staff payroll, cleaning the kitchen and everything in between. When he reopened 3 weeks ago, he was able to break even after factoring in all his revenue and expenses. He was hoping to turn the corner during the 4th weekend, but that's not going to happen. He says if he's down for 3 more weeks, survival looks bleak.

Cat & The Fiddle -- a West Hollywood pub -- reopened its doors Monday ... just to have everything shut down again 2 days later. The owner spent 5 to 10 thousand dollars in the past couple weeks on face masks, safety training for their staff, and beer and food inventory.

Heck, even popular Hollywood hot spots like Bootsy Bellows and Poppy -- two popular WeHo clubs -- are on the ropes -- they were ramping up for a big 4th of July, and that's now money down the drain. They say they can survive, but that's a relative term.

Shaun Weiss -- famous for playing Goldberg in "The Mighty Ducks" -- is doing well on his road to recovery following his most recent meth bust ... but he could still use a little help in one area.

Shaun's at a sober living facility in Woodland Hills, where he's staying clean and going to outpatient meetings 5 days a week ... but he could use some new pearly whites, because they're all gone.

His good friend, Drew Gallagher, set up a GoFundMe to help get Shaun a full set of teeth ... and he's trying to raise $25,000 for some much-needed dental work and his ongoing sober-living.

As you can see in this latest pic of Shaun ... he's looking much better and happier. He was having breakfast this week with Drew when the picture was taken ... a meal celebrating 170 days sober.

It's another milestone for Shaun, who finally went to rehab in March after getting out of jail and completed a 90-day program at Quest 2 Recovery in Lancaster.

As we first reported ... Shaun's buddies were desperate to get the troubled child star help before it was too late -- he was dealing with a slew of life-threatening issues and was at one point, living on the streets before January's meth and burglary arrest.

Shaun keeps looking better and better ... so hopefully, he keeps getting the help he needs, including some new teeth.

Lucas Grabeel, who played Ryan in "High School Musical," says he would steer clear from the gay character role nowadays ... so as not to take a job away from a gay actor.

Lucas tells TMZ ... the last thing he would want to do is take an opportunity away from another actor, and as a straight, white man he feels he's already taken plenty of opportunities away from others without even trying. Guy owns his white privilege.

As you know ... the director behind 'HSM' recently revealed Ryan was gay all along, but he says Ryan wasn't openly gay in the movies, because back in 2006 he didn't think Disney was ready for such a character.

Lots have changed since Lucas played Ryan in the Disney Channel Movie 14 years ago ... and he thinks a gay actor would be cast for the role if the movie was being made today, and he hopes the character would not have to hide his identity.

Lucas' thinking is similar to that of Mike Henry, the white actor who voiced Cleveland on "Family Guy" for 20 years. Mike recently stepped down from the role, saying the black character should be voiced by a black actor.

As for gay characters like Ryan, Lucas says it's finally time for Disney and others in the industry to start educating children about gay people at the youngest age possible.

Sebastian Stan's good looks might just be his in real life superpower!

Here is a 23-year-old version of the "Captain America" star showing off his blonde locks at the premiere for the movie "Material Girls" in New York City back in 2006 (left).

And, 14 years later ... The now 37-year-old was last spotted showin' off some scruff before a movie screening in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this year (right).

Sebastian has built quite the resume for himself, from starring as Carter Baizen on "Gossip Girl" to playing the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes in several Marvel movies.

We stan these looks!

The question is ...

Colin Kaepernick's former 49ers teammate says it was Chip Kelly who punted the elephant out of the room after the QB's first kneeling protest ... with Jeremy Kerley telling TMZ Sports the coach couldn't have handled the situation any better.

"I love Chip for it," Kerley says.

The ex-S.F. wideout tells us shortly after Kaepernick began his protest of social injustices during 2016 NFL national anthems ... Kelly didn't allow things to get awkward.

In fact, Kerley says the former Niners head man brought the team together almost immediately and gave Kaepernick the floor to speak his mind to the locker room.

"For Chip being able to do that, I think that was pretty cool for him to kind of take the elephant out the room and remove all doubt," Kerley says. "I think that was pretty cool, I love Chip for it."

"It kind of removed all doubts and stuff in the locker room and we just bonded, like we were close and it was fun."

Kerley tells us because of Chip's actions ... the 49ers were able to have a blast in 2016 -- and the receiver says even though they finished 2-14, it was his favorite year of his 8-season career.

"To play with Kaep -- a lot of people forget, Kaep was a ballplayer," Kerley told us.

Jeremy says Kaepernick still has the goods to play in the NFL ... adding, "I think it's definitely time for him to jump back on the field and for people to accept him back on the field."

As for Kerley -- who hasn't played since he was with Buffalo in 2018 -- he says he's still leaving the door open for an NFL return ... but tells us he has a pretty sweet job in the meantime.

Morgan Ketzner is here to help you float through your 4th of July weekend with these hot shots … complete with stars and stripes string bikini and sequined scrunchie, while hanging topside on Lake Elmo.

When the 26-year-old boatin' babe isn’t showing off on her instagram account or modeling on Sports Illustrated and Maxim, she can be spotted riding her horse named Bobby and trying out her super tan sea legs paddleboarding, wakeboarding and captaining boats around the land of 10,000 lakes.

This year’s Summer Hot Shots are coming to you a little differently … we have teamed up with smoke shows from around the world to create some eye-popping photos galleries with a DIY flare (social distancing, duh!) for your viewing pleasure.

It's happening (or so it seems) ... Kanye West is running for President, and he says he's doing it sooner than later -- as in RIGHT NOW!!! At least that's how it sounds, anyway.

Ye made the announcement out of nowhere Saturday on Twitter, saying ... "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020Vision"

Funny enough, he immediately got the support of one the biggest names in tech -- one Elon Musk, who replied, "You have my full support!" Interestingly, the two of them had just hung out a few days prior to Kanye's declaration ... and they seem like total besties.

Now, back to politics for a sec. It's not completely crazy that Kanye is announcing this bid for the White House -- he's publicly toyed with the idea several times in the past ... perhaps most notably at the 2015 MTV VMAs. Hell, folks thought he'd run in 2016.

Of course, since then ... Kanye has dipped his toe in and out of politics and political talk to much criticism -- and in some cases, to praise. Just depends on who you talked to. And yes, the guy's voiced his support for President Trump many times over since 2016.

If he's serious here -- and it's hard to tell if he is or not -- it would appear he's willing to go head to head with DT in a general election. We should note though, KW has NOT filed to run this year with the FEC, which is a requirement for anyone getting into the race.

The Yankees' truncated season got off to a rough start this weekend during batting practice -- one of their pitchers took a baseball to the noggin by one their hardest-hitting sluggers.

Righty Masahiro Tanaka was tossing to Giancarlo Stanton Saturday at Yankees Stadium during the team's first summer workout before they officially play ball later this month. During one of his pitches, Stanton hit a line drive right back at Tanaka ... and it nailed him.

The ball struck Tanaka in the head, knocking off his hat and sending him flying to the ground. Stanton immediately regretted it as he crouched in disgust and worry. The training staff rushed out to attend to their pitcher, and were eventually able to get him to his feet.

As bad as the hit looked on camera, it would appear the guy's gonna be alright -- which is kind of a miracle. The team says, "RHP Masahiro Tanaka was hit in the head with a line drive during today’s sim game. He is currently alert, responsive and walking under his own power." They added that he would undergo further evaluations/testing at a nearby hospital.

4th of July is proving many Americans don't care coronavirus cases are spiking again, which is in line with the White House's new messaging ...  just live with it.

A handful of water-based venues -- including a water park and two lakeside blowouts -- brought out droves of people this holiday weekend in Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan ... all of which are seeing their own surges in confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses.

That didn't matter to these folks though -- they were ready to get wet and wild for Independence Day, and you can tell by how little mind they're paying to safety precautions.

At the Noah's Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, WI, hardly anybody was 6-feet apart from each other as they packed the wave pool. And, masks were out the window, obviously -- studies say they're ineffective if they get wet, so a lost cause right off the bat here.

Elsewhere in Missouri ... the same bar adjacent to Lake of the Ozarks -- Backwater Jack's -- forged ahead with their planned Fourth of July blowout, which they dubbed No Ducks Given. Between Friday and Saturday, the place once again resembled a sardine can.

And, in Michigan, another lake shindig was well underway Saturday ... Diamond Lake in Cass County was packed to the gills along its shores with partygoers raging the day away.

We've seen this behavior all throughout the spring and early summer -- ever since America was put on high alert and states went on full-blown lockdowns. While the shelter-in-place orders seemed to flatten the curve, there has been an explosion of new cases in the wake of reopening.

And yet ... the bad and dangerous behavior continues, despite what the CDC and other health officials have to say. The question ... what's next? Welp, President Trump's administration seems to have an answer, according to a new report anyway. It's simple ... live life at your own risk. Thing is ... he's been putting people -- his own supporters -- in harm's way by holding reckless rallies with no social distancing and few masks.

NBC News reports that big wigs in Trump's cabinet are ramping up for the new messaging to the American people ... that the virus is here, and we gotta press forward regardless.

What started out as a peaceful and community-led performance in Missouri quickly turned violent for no reason ... this after a grown man punched out a little kid.

This heinous act went down Friday night in Cape Girardeau, MO, a little after 11:30 PM, when two young kids were performing on a street corner ... busting some moves to music they had playing on a speaker, while filming themselves live from a nearby camera.

Soon enough, a man joins them and starts popping and locking too. His name is Micheal 'Crank' Curry, the one who posted the video. He tells TMZ these two kids are students of his -- he runs a local dance studio -- and they do this all the time without any issue.

The three of them were going back and forth for a while, until the taller of the two boys -- who's said to only be 12 years old -- got up to dance, only to get viciously attacked.

In the middle of his performance, a black CRV-type car pulls up alongside them, and a man hops out the passenger side. The kid notices him, but doesn't think anything of it as the guy dances along with them and inches even closer ... masking his true intentions.

When he's right next to the boy, he swings wildly and hits the side of his head, knocking him clean to the ground. Micheal screams out in shock and tries chasing him. The guy scurries back to the car and they take off ... Micheal comes back to attend to the kid.

Bystanders rush over quickly to help him up -- you can tell he's badly injured, but still tough as hell considering he was able to get up on his own two feet.

Micheal tells us the victim's name is Ethan, but he goes by Eman. The boy was taken to a local hospital, where Micheal says he was treated for a concussion and a bad nose bleed. Eman doesn't know who punched him or why -- it was a random act of violence.

If you're an Angeleno, don't be surprised to see a massive display of Trump and Confederate pride blazing down your street any moment now, 'cause one is on the way.

A parade of lifted trucks was spotted Saturday, all departing a Smart and Final parking lot in Santa Monica ... one after another in what seemed like an endless line of diesels. They all had flags flying from their beds too -- Trump 2020 ones, Confederate battle flags and U.S.A. flags too, of course. It's clear ... these folks were making a statement -- a statement of day's past.

Eyewitnesses tell us there were at least 75 trucks packed into the lot, and we're told this seemed planned and staged. Each truck had at least two people, so the number of bodies rolling these puppies out was in the triple digits ... upwards of 300.

The good news is that right out the gate, there wasn't too much of a scene or ruckus ... unless you consider the noisy departure itself to be rowdy. It kinda is, frankly.

A paragliding instructor in Turkey just took his business to new heights with a stunt that's sure to attract daredevils and couch potatoes alike -- 'cause he's got a two-for-one special that appeals to both.

Hasan Kaval rigged a sofa and a TV to one of his paragliders this week ... and then proceeded to take flight off a cliff, while capturing the whole thing on camera. What happens next is a lazy adrenaline junkie's dream -- doing something dangerous and thrilling, while being able to relax and take a load off at the same time. Genius!

Now, the man himself showed us how it's done with a full-blown airborne demo. While the couch was in the sky (above the water below), he kicked off his shoes and swapped them for slippers, started eating chips and drinking soda ... and watching 'Tom & Jerry' to boot.

And, get this ... the guy wasn't even properly strapped in!!! No matter though, at least to him. Hasan landed the couch safely (somehow) and said afterward with a straight face that he felt secure and relaxed the entire time. Granted, he does this for a living!

A little COVID fallout didn't stop hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut from breaking his own record this year -- despite the fact there was no crowd -- 'cause the guy did just that and then some.

JC took top honors (again) Saturday at the annual July Fourth Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest -- which saw the dude down 75 dogs in 10 minutes ... beating his own previous benchmark of 74 from last year. It's his 13th title total ... so basically, a G.O.A.T.

During the festivities, he also hit another food vacuum milestone -- his 1,000th career dog! The feat wasn't without its hiccups (damn near vomit fests), but he held off 'til the end.

BTW, Joey wasn't the only making history this weekend -- there's a women's champ too ... the one and only Miki Sudo, who downed 48.5 franks ... which easily beat the competition.

This year's event was unique in that there were no ticketholders or spectators (aside from the eaters' own teams, of course) ... which made for a somewhat muted performance. There was also plexiglass between the competitors -- so pretty distance friendly we'd say.

The only downside to Saturday's dog chugging event was that Joey did NOT live up to his promise to TMZ Sports earlier in June, when he said he'd hit 77 dogs no problem.