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Things are heating up in Seattle, where police arrested a man who torched a patrol car with a burning piece of lumber ... and the video shows the officer inside facing a wall of flames.

The Seattle Police Department just released body cam footage of the wild incident, which unfolded Thursday on the streets of South Lake Union and included a hail of gunfire from cops.

In the video, you see a man walking down an alley holding a huge piece of burning lumber. The officer yells at him to stop, and the guy screams "f*** you" and keeps walking.

Next, you see the cop speed up to the man and again tell him to stop, and then the guy turns around and attacks with his massive flaming stick ... setting the car on fire with the officer inside.

The video shows the officer opening fire through the windshield as the guy high tails it around the corner.

Police say responding officers chased the suspect, who apparently was not struck by the bullets, into a parking garage and used a Taser to take him into custody. Cops say he was booked into King County Jail and charged with 1st-degree assault and 2nd-degree assault.

The flames from the burning lumber engulfed the entire patrol car, according to cops, and an officer was taken to a nearby medical center with non-life-threatening burns.

Chrissy Teigen's still healing from the unimaginable loss of their baby boy, but she's assuring fans she and John Legend are getting through it.

As you know, Chrissy's been silent on social media since sharing the devastating news just over 2 weeks ago their son, Jack, died following pregnancy complications. On Friday though, she reposted a heartwarming letter John dedicated to her, and included the caption ... "We are quiet but we are okay. Love you all so much."

For now, John's doing most of the talking for the grieving couple. In his letter to Chrissy, he said, in part, "What an awesome gift it is to be able to bring life into the world. We’ve experienced the miracle, the power and joy of this gift, and now we’ve deeply felt its inherent fragility."

Read the full letter ... it's incredibly moving, and yet another example of how open both he and Chrissy are with their fans.

As you know, John honored his wife during a touching tribute at Wednesday's Billboard Music Awards.

He performed "Never Break" ... a song he says he wrote to honor their commitment to "hold each other's hands through every tear, through every up and down, through every test."

Don't mess with city bus drivers ... they're fed up, and a mouthy, unruly passenger learned that the hard way when he got a fist to the face.

This video of the bare-knuckle boxing match shows the driver, who's wearing a face mask, telling the passenger to back up behind the yellow line. The passenger's apparently pissed about the driver threatening to kick him off the bus ... though we don't know why.

After a few moments of yelling back and forth and tension building ... the driver momentarily turns his back, the passenger shoves him and then it was on! Both men started swinging, but the driver landed several blows ... at least one to the guy's face because he was bleeding badly, and went down to the ground.

As if he got a standing 8 count, the passenger got back on his feet, but clearly didn't want any more smoke. The driver picked up a phone, we're guessing to call cops.

It's unclear when or where this all went down but the video's going viral. We're trying to find out if any arrests were made, but the takeaway here is ... don't test public bus drivers.

John Carlos -- the Olympian who famously raised his fist at the '68 Games -- is speaking out strongly against President Trump ... saying he's bad for America and needs to go.

"You've created nothing but divide and dissent and anger and hatred toward the American citizen," Carlos said on "TMZ Live" Friday -- which happens to be the 52nd anniversary of the famous Olympic moment.

The former track star says he's disgusted with Trump's personal attacks against Kamala Harris and other women ... and is asking voters to rise up and do something about it!

"I would just applaud anyone and everyone who has the right to vote to get out and vote."

"Get the vote in because it's the most critical time in world history."

The 75-year-old has also come out with a series of COVID masks that feature his iconic clenched fist and the words, "We Are One" over the American flag.

Carlos says he made the masks for 2 reasons -- 1, to keep people safe. And 2, to send a strong message about the role of Black people in America.

Jerry Harris will remain in custody until he stands trial in his child pornography case.

A federal judge just denied bond for the star of Netflix's popular docuseries, "Cheer." As we reported, Harris had a bond hearing Wednesday in Texas, where the judge heard arguments for and against cutting him loose before his trial. The judge finally ruled Friday, agreeing with the prosecution's wishes to keep him behind bars.

Prosecutors said they believe Harris could prey on minors if released on bond. They claimed he has multiple underage victims already, and would likely revert back to the same alleged behavior. Remember ... the feds claim he continued targeting minors despite being tipped off about the federal investigation.

The judge cited that allegation in Friday's ruling ... saying Harris was consistent in his pursuit of the alleged victims and demonstrated uncontrollable behavior.

Harris' defense team told the court he wouldn't pose a threat or hurt people if he was released pending trial, because he wouldn't have access to the Internet, and would have regular check-ins with a psychiatrist. The judge was unswayed and said community support and a lack of criminal history were not enough to prove Harris doesn't pose a threat to the community.

Instead, the judge said a lack of criminal history actually shows how easy it is for this kind of alleged behavior to go undetected.

Killer Mike's evoking the spirit of the historic Greenwood District with his new bank, which he says is going to help Black and Brown people take the power of their earnings back ... and set them up for future success.

The rapper's launching a digital bank called Greenwood -- named after the Tulsa, Oklahoma business district known as Black Wall Street, where the 1921 race massacre occurred -- in an effort to rebuild its legacy in modern times.

Watch the clip, because he lays out examples of how Greenwood can help working-class people and others -- who have been shunned by traditional banks -- and turn them into business leaders for generations to come.

Not only is the Atlanta hip-hop star on a noble crusade for his people, but he strongly believes his bank model will be followed by larger institutions once they see its potential, and say what you will about capitalism ... Mike's all for it.

Greenwood began accepting applications for accounts last week and received tens of thousands of application within 24 hours, so things are definitely looking good for its January 2021 launch.

Along with promoting his digital bank, Killer Mike also shouted out one of his heroes, Ice Cube, on "TMZ Live" for his bravery and leadership regarding Cube's "Contract with Black America."

If you missed it ... the rapper's taking some heat for working with Trump's administration on a plan to pump $500 billion dollars into Black communities and improve access to jobs and education, with critics accusing him of being used by the President.

Someone called the cops on Jesus ... because he was depicted as a homeless man sleeping on an Ohio park bench.

A statue called "Homeless Jesus" is being hosted by the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church near Cleveland to raise awareness of homelessness in the city, and apparently it worked ... because someone reported it right away.

Alex Martin, a priest at the church, says within 20 minutes of the statue being delivered earlier this week, he had to talk with a police officer ... because someone thought it was a real person.

The church says the response to the statue -- which is intended to inspire citizens to take action and help tackle the homelessness crisis -- "speaks to its power."

St. Barnabas adds ... "The caller surely contacted the police out of genuine concern and the responding officer was excellent: he was extremely professional and eager to learn more about the sculpture and its intended message."

Ex-Angels staffer Eric Kay has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas on two counts in the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, court docs show.

Kay -- who worked with the Angels in media relations for 24 years -- had previously been charged by prosecutors with distribution of the fentanyl that led to Skaggs' overdose death back in June 2019.

But, the case has since gone to a grand jury -- which has now handed down a 2-count indictment against Kay.

According to the documents, Kay was indicted on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Unclear why the case went to a grand jury after prosecutors had already announced a formal charge against Kay. We're working on it.

As we previously reported, prosecutors claim to have a text conversation between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose.

In the exchange, Kay asks "Hoe [sic] many?" ... to which Skaggs responded, "Just a few like 5."

Law enforcement officials have said they believe Kay and Skaggs were discussing drugs ... clearly implying the exchange proves Kay is the one who supplied the pitcher with the lethal dose of the pills.

Law enforcement also claimed Kay provided "30-milligram oxycodone pills" to Skaggs on multiple occasions.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, TX in July 2019 ... hours before the Angels were set to play the Texas Rangers.

He was only 27.

Drake's legal team is calling BS on injuries a man claims he suffered in a beatdown, because as they put it ... the guy wasn't too depressed or injured to appear on a reality TV show.

As you might recall, Bennett Sipes claimed he suffered a concussion, back injury, physical injury and depression after a March 2018 fight at Delilah nightclub with Drake, Odell Beckham and others. Sipes filed a lawsuit over the fight, but Drake's attorneys filed docs pointing out Sipes not only appeared on "Love Island" recently ... they also claim he attended music festivals and did backflips off rope swings while on vacay in Mexico.

As they say in the docs, obtained by TMZ, Sipes "appeared anything but depressed."

The legal docs include a declaration from Sipes' ex-GF, Sommer Ray Beaty, saying he started working with her after the brawl. She claims he carried her camera equipment without difficulty. She also claims Sipes seemed fine after his visible injuries healed -- and they traveled together to Mexico, Maryland, Colorado, England, France, Italy and Japan. She claims they also attended Coachella, Stagecoach and Rolling Loud Festival.

Drake's team also says Sipes deleted a bunch of text messages with Beaty ... which they say is a big no-no while the lawsuit was pending. They suspect the messages could have shed some light on Sipes' alleged injuries or the incident itself.

TMZ broke the story ... Sipes sued Drake, OBJ and Kourtney Kardashian's ex, Younes Bendjima, back in January 2019 claiming Younes attacked him along with members of Drake and OBJ's entourage. Sipes' ex said in her declaration both Drake and OBJ were standing at the back of the group and "appeared to simply be observing what was happening and following the group out of curiosity. Neither of them seemed to be instructing others or encouraging others to do anything at all."

Sipes had alleged Drake made a "throat slash" gesture and that's what triggered his crew to beat Sipes to a pulp. But, Sipes' ex contradicts that ... claiming she did not see any "throat slash" gesture "nor did I observe Drake encourage anything at all."

Although Chadwick Boseman knew for years he had terminal cancer, we now know he died without writing a will, but he made a key move months before his death to financially protect his wife.

The "Black Panther" star's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has filed probate docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she asks to be named administrator of Chadwick's estate. Taylor has to file the docs in probate court because he did not leave a will.

That seems odd considering Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and knew it was terminal. However, that also puts his marriage to Taylor, who he reportedly dated since 2015, in a new light ... and here's why.

They got engaged in late 2019, and reportedly tied the knot at some point in 2020. That's important because when a person dies without a will and without children, their surviving spouse inherits all the assets of the probate estate.

According to the docs, Taylor gets nearly $1 million in personal property and assets, but that's not a true reflection of Chadwick's wealth and success. Most likely the majority of his assets are held in separate private trusts.

In the docs, Taylor notes Chadwick is also survived by his 2 parents.

As you know, he was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and it progressed to stage IV as he silently battled through it. Chadwick died in his home surrounded by his wife and family.

Tyler Perry's part of a massive campaign targeting 25 counties and 250k Black residents in Florida ... in a push to get them to the polls.

The entertainment mogul's teamed up with a Black-led nonpartisan group called Equal Ground Education Fund on its half a million-dollar "Park & Praise" initiative. The campaign includes a series of events where voters can drop off mail-in ballots while hearing from church leaders, musical acts and gospel choirs.

Perry's helping fund the effort -- dubbed as bringing "Souls to the Polls" -- to increase Black voter engagement and turnout in the state. Equal Ground adds that its mission is to combat Florida’s long history of voter disenfranchisement and help build Black political power.

Of course for this election, the organization says it must adapt to the pandemic ... so it's retooling the popular voter tradition by taking proper precautions to "meet the moment of social-distancing."

The non-profit's founder, Jasmine Burney-Clark, says ... "Our work to provide robust voter education and ensure that accurate information reaches our communities is the highest priority and is exactly what this partnership with Tyler Perry is going to do."

Kim Kardashian hasn't endorsed a candidate for the Presidential election -- despite the fact her husband, Kanye West, is running -- but now her sis, Kourtney Kardashian, is endorsing him and catching major heat for it.

Kourtney posted a photo sporting a "Vote for Kanye" hat Thursday ... seemingly encouraging her more than 100 million social media followers to get behind a candidate who will only appear on the ballot in 12 states. She also included a link to his merch website where fans can purchase that hat for $40.

The move pissed a lot of people off who felt Kourtney's using her platform to distract from the 2 candidates who actually have a shot ... Joe Biden and President Trump. Not to mention the shameless promo for his gear.

One user wrote, "How sad 2 c that U support Kanye. A vote 4 him is a vote 4 Trump. I thought U may b the only Kar-Jenner that had some intelligence. I was wrong! U must b enjoying the enormous tax breaks & stimulus checks. U r a multimillionaire w/out a conscience! How sad 4 your children,& your soul!"

Kourtney is the first person from the Kardashian/Jenner fam to publicly support Kanye's run for Prez. Earlier Thursday, Kim posted a photo on IG thanking her fans for getting her to the 190M follower mark and encouraging them to vote ... she did not endorse a specific candidate.

Kanye recently released his first campaign ad, a video with a strong emphasis on religion.

Cardi B getting back with Offset has some of her fans accusing her of staying in a mentally abusive relationship, but Cardi's firing back ... as only she can.

The rapper posted a video late Thursday to remind fans, and haters alike, she's gonna live life on her terms no matter what anyone thinks about her reconciling with her husband.

Cardi mocked the comments she's seen online, saying ... "Twitter users be like, 'Cardi, you're in a mentally abusive relationship. Oh my gosh. We gotta save you."

Then she made it clear they've got it all wrong ...  "I be, All right, but can I f**k him today? Because I need to have sex."

Cardi also made a totally sarcastic apology to her fans saying, "Imma just give ya an apology because ya want me to apologize for living MY LIFE the way that ya live YOURS. Im sorry. Im not perfect I don’t want to be neither."

You get the point ... she's sick of getting flak for getting back with Offset. She's already denied doing it for attention, and said the real reason she's been flip-flopping is because she's a "crazy bitch."

BTW, she also gave a hilarious shout-out to all the guys sliding into her DMs.

Donald Trump says he's always denounced white supremacy despite his stumbling block on the debate stage, but he won't denounce the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Trump refused to condemn the bizarre QAnon theory during Thursday's town hall on NBC with Savannah Guthrie ... and his reasoning -- he doesn't know anything about it.

Quick refresher ... QAnon claims, among other things, the world is being run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who are moving against Trump at the same time they operate a global child sex-trafficking ring.

Trump says he can't denounce it, or tell the American people it's all bogus, because he's not up to speed on the theory ... other than knowing QAnon is against pedophilia just like he is.

POTUS brushed off several points Guthrie made ... like the fact GOP Sen. Ben Sasse has already ripped the theory as "nuts" and said real leaders call out conspiracy theories.

Guthrie also pressed Trump on his hesitation to denounce white supremacy at the debate, and he claimed he's always denounced white supremacists ... despite the fact he told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

Trump got super defensive, then attacked Guthrie and the media.

The woman who praised President Trump for his smile and called him handsome is ripe for parody on "Saturday Night Live," and Twitter's already decided who should play her -- Academy Award winner Allison Janney.

In case you missed it ... the Prez was fielding questions during his Town Hall Thursday night from voters who apparently are still undecided, when a woman named Paulette Dale stole the show by fangirling out.

Paulette -- a registered Republican who indicated she's leaning toward voting for Joe Biden -- decided to shoot her shot with Trump before asking her question ... by telling him he has a "great smile."

This prompted an awkward smile and a "thank you" from Trump before Paulette really went for it, telling him ... "You're so handsome when you smile."

Like we said ... perfect 'SNL' material.

The awkward exchange unsurprisingly spread all over social media, and many Twitter users quickly came to the conclusion that Janney would be the best choice to play her in the inevitable sketch this weekend.

It's unclear if the "Mom" star's willing to do it, but you'll recall ... Brad Pitt ended up playing Anthony Fauci after the good doc personally advocated for that casting.