TMZ.com Home

Newly released body cam video shows cops in Arizona pulling off a dramatic takedown of an armed man who was firing shots ... moments after he'd allegedly kidnapped his baby.

The Phoenix Police Department just released video from the deadly Jan. 9 shooting, which shows an officer firing a single rifle shot at the man as he was holding the child. The man's girlfriend called cops after he beat her in a motel parking lot, snatched the child and ran into the street with a gun.

Cops say he fired a shot as they arrived on the scene ... which you can hear in the body cam video. Officers immediately yelled for him to drop the gun.

He refused, and cops say he pointed the weapon at the baby and a bystander, and that's when an officer opened fire. After the incredibly precise shot, you see cops rush over to rescue the baby.

The rich and powerful are skipping to the front of the line to get the COVID-19 vaccine ... and Hollywood's elite are going to great lengths to get the shots.

Tinseltown's titans are using every trick in the book to get vaccinated ... private and boutique physicians, concierge health services, private flights to Florida for vaccine tourism ... and those are just the legal avenues, according to Variety.

In Beverly Hills, Dr. Robert Huizenga claims his practice is getting offered five-figure bribes from folks desperate to get the shots, including power players in the entertainment industry. The doc also told Variety people are trying to skip the vaccine lines by dubiously getting hired in the healthcare industry.

There's also allegations of big-time hospital donors trying to twist arms for early access to vaccines, and wealthy clients pressuring concierge docs to find the hookup.

The mad dash for vaccines in California are partly a result of the state's slow rollout and eligibility requirements ... to get a shot, you need to work in healthcare or be at least 65 years old.

Still, a few celebs are getting shots just like everyone else toiling on the waiting lists, with no funny business involved. 73-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger waited in line at Dodger Stadium's mass vaccination site, while 78-year-old Harrison Ford reportedly booked his own appointment last week and waited in line for 2 1/2 hours at an LA-area community college.

Some of the loopholes are closing ... Florida's cracking down on vaccine tourism, with people now being required to show proof of residency to get a shot. However, the rich and powerful are now said to be pulling the same stunts in Hawaii.

We've told you about some of these issues before ... like COVID vaccines going to non-priority people, even though it was actually a good thing for L.A.

Trey Songz got arrested at the Chiefs game after cops say he refused to wear a mask, but photos show him wearing one in the crowd and posing with security.

Trey just posted a bunch of pics from the AFC Championship, and one shows him wearing a black face covering at Arrowhead Stadium, standing next to a masked up security guard.

As we first told you ... cops busted Trey at Sunday night's game following a physical altercation with a police officer in the stands. Kansas City PD told us the dust-up started because TS allegedly refused to wear a mask.

KCPD claims fans complained Trey wasn't following the stadium's coronavirus safety protocols, and after security couldn't get him to comply, police were called.

Officials DO NOT believe the COVID-19 vaccination played any role in Hank Aaron's death based on a preliminary investigation -- this according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office.

The 86-year-old MLB legend and his wife received the first of 2 vaccine doses at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta on Jan. 4. Hank died just a few weeks later on Jan. 22.

Some had concerns the vaccine may have been a factor in the slugger's death -- but a rep for the FCME tells TMZ Sports it appears Hank died of natural causes unrelated to the COVID shot.

As we previously reported, Hank -- along with other prominent Black leaders -- decided to get the shot in front of the media in hopes of showing others in the community that the vaccine is safe.

One of the people who got vaccinated with Aaron is Ambassador Andrew Young -- who told KSDK in Atlanta the MLB legend "never had any reaction" to the shot before his death.

"I talked to the fella who was his driver," Young told KSDK ... "And I said, 'Was Hank feeling any discomfort or any problem over the last few days?' And he said, 'No.'"

We're told Aaron's primary doctor will ultimately sign off on cause of the death on Hank's death certificate -- but so far, there does not appear to any evidence showing a link to the COVID vaccine.

Aaron -- one of the greatest baseball players of all time -- raved about the vaccine in the days after the shot ... telling AP, "[It] makes me feel wonderful. I don’t have any qualms about it at all."

"I feel quite proud of myself for doing something like this. ... It’s just a small thing that can help zillions of people in this country."

Hank Aaron's life has been celebrated by some of the most famous and powerful people on Earth -- including President Biden, President Barack Obama, Magic Johnson, Mike Trout, Barry Bonds and more.

Lil Wayne wasted no time getting back to stuntin' after he received a pardon from President Trump ... and it looks like he was enjoying the hell out of his free pass.

Tory Lanez says Tunechi was on set to help out with his music video for "Big Tipper" the very next day after Trump pardoned the rapper in his federal gun case.

In the clip Lanez shared, Lil Wayne's in a hot pink getup, flashing serious ice on both wrists, smoking and vibing to the music. Oh, and that's all with a nude model in front of him on a table.

As we reported ... Weezy was facing serious time behind bars after pleading guilty in federal court last month to illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.

Trump's pardon -- on the heels of Wayne endorsing Trump for President -- let him off the hook for all that, though ... which cleared his schedule for music vid shoots like the one with Lanez.

Tory gushed with all sorts of appreciation for Weezy coming through for him ... after Trump came though for Weezy.

Joe Exotic is NOT living it up on the Vegas strip with 'Tiger King' stars Jeff and Lauren Lowe -- he's still behind bars, and the guy hanging with the couple is all about show biz.

'Tiger King' fans went nuts over the weekend when Jeff and Lauren started posting photos and videos with someone who looked a lot like Joe, leading folks to believe he was free. No dice.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the photos show Jeff and Lauren at lunch in Sin City with Vegas Joe, a Joe Exotic lookalike who was recently hired to impersonate the 'Tiger King' star in an upcoming Vegas show.

Vegas Joe is a dead ringer ... he's got the clothes, mannerisms, piercings, tattoos and voice of Joe Exotic down to a T. We're told Vegas Joe didn't even have to audition for the lead role after production crew members saw him on the strip.

As for the show ... we're told it's basically going to be an hour-long parody play with dancers and performers, plus an escape room. The hope is for a mid-summer premiere, or whenever Nevada allows live shows to fully reopen amid the pandemic.

Our sources say Jeff will be featured in the show, along with other 'Tiger King' alums making appearances from time to time ... including alleged hitman-for-hire Alan Glover, the nanny and Lauren.

Remember the plan to make Harriet Tubman the face of the new $20 bills? Well, it's back on ... and President Biden's administration's looking for ways to speed things up.

The Prez's Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, just told reporters ... the 2016 Obama-era effort to put the famous abolitionist on the front of the new twenties is being resumed in order for American money to "reflect the history and diversity of our country."

Psaki says they are trying to expedite the process -- which was originally announced in April 2016 -- but the Dept. of Treasury is handling it.

As you may recall ... President Obama's Treasury Secretary, Jacob Lew, said the Tubman $20 bills were going to replace Andrew Jackson in a U.S. currency redesign.

But then, as you definitely recall, when Donald Trump -- a self-proclaimed Jackson fan -- became POTUS, he dismissed the plan for the Tubman twenties as "pure political correctness." His Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, said the new bills wouldn't be out until 2028 and never mentioned Tubman.

Air travel could be a lot safer than it is now, when it comes to COVID-19 -- instead of relying on the honor system to screen passengers, dogs that can sniff the virus could be deployed.

The dogs are being trained at Florida International University, and Dr. DeEtta Mills, who's leading the program, joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to explain how the canines get up to snuff.

The good doc says their program is similar to how dogs learn to detect bombs and drugs -- but instead of explosives and contraband, trainers used discarded face masks from COVID-positive patients.

The NBA's Miami Heat are about to start using coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans at AmericanAirlines Arena ... and Dr. Mills thinks our airlines and airports could adopt the process too.

Virus-sniffing dogs are already being used to detect COVID-19 in Chile, United Arab Emirates and Finland. Researchers say the highly-trained canines detect the disease with almost 100% accuracy.

Trey Songz found himself in the middle of a physical altercation with a police officer during the KC Chiefs' game, and fans who witnessed it say the cop was way out of line.

We've obtained this video from Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, which -- at first -- shows Trey and the officer in a struggle. Trey connects a punch with the officer's head, and gets him in a headlock, but then the officer pins Trey to a seat.

A witness tells us the whole thing started when Trey was being heckled by some fans a few rows behind him and he asked them to chill out. We're told the officer approached Trey, and without warning, went after him. The witness says Trey was totally caught off guard when the officer got physical, and started to defend himself.

You can hear fans throughout the video shout at the officer, telling him to get off Songz until additional officers arrived. Fans were yelling for the officer to be arrested.

Once backup got there, they were able to separate Trey and the cop ... and they put Trey in handcuffs.

We're told Trey is currently in custody, but it's unclear if he's being booked for anything ... or simply detained.

We've reached out to his reps ... so far, no word back.

Tom Brady's father says both he and his wife battled COVID at the beginning of this NFL season -- with Tom Brady Sr. needing to be hospitalized for 3 weeks.

"I was in the hospital with COVID for almost 3 weeks and my wife was sick with COVID at the same time," Tom Sr. said Monday morning on ESPN's 'Greeny' radio show.

"We didn't even see the first 2 games of the year. First 2 games I've ever missed in his career because I was sick as a dog and my wife was sick as a dog."

"It was a matter of life and death just like anybody [who] goes into the hospital ... serious stuff."

Seems Tom Sr. had a much tougher time with COVID than his wife, Galynn -- who is a breast cancer survivor.

Fortunately, both Tom Sr. and Galynn are doing much better now -- but Tom says the whole thing was scary.

"We’ve never missed a game [when Tom was playing] at Michigan or New England or wherever. [But] for the first 2 games [of the 2020 NFL season] when I was in the hospital, I didn’t even care if [The Bucs] were playing much less missing the game."

Tom Sr. says his son "fought through it" and continued to play -- but the news definitely explains Tom's unusually bad play in the Week 1 opener against the Saints, when the Bucs lost 34 to 23 and Tom threw 2 interceptions.

"Now it’s in the rearview mirror," Tom Sr. said ... "We’re healthy, we’re happy and everything is good."

Still, Tom says his son tries to FaceTime him every single day on his way to and from practice.

President Biden just brought a tradition back to the White House -- his dogs are now officially residents at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The Bidens' 2 German Shepherds, Major and Champ, were introduced to their new doggy digs over the weekend, becoming D.C. residents anew -- this a few days after their humans flew in from Delaware and got their new home situated.

As for the delay ... the White House says the first couple wanted to get settled in before bringing the pooches. Makes sense, gotta get some of those family smells they're used to around the place.

Photos of Champ and Major frolicking were posted by the WH. Yeah, they're total posers ... especially with the Washington Monument now as a background. The First Lady's press secretary says, "Champ is enjoying his new dog bed by the fireplace and Major loved running around on the South Lawn." The pics match up with that description.

Champ's around 12 years old and has been with the Bidens a mighty long time. Meanwhile, Major's relatively new to the fam ... having just been adopted in 2019, and sitting pretty at a whole 2 years. You can tell which one is which right off the bat.

Remember, the return of dogs is a step back to tradition -- up until Donald Trump, who didn't have any pets during his 4-year term, there'd been a canine in the White House for about a century. The last Prez to not have a dog before 45 was ... William McKinley, in 1897.

Kodak Black was in a giving mood when he promised to donate a million bucks toward charity if Donald Trump freed him from prison ... but it looks like he might be going back on his word.

The rapper's account tweeted back on November 27, "If The President Them Free Me, I'm Gonna Spend 1 million on Charity within The First Year I'm Out. That's on Everything."

As you know ... the Prez did commute Kodak's sentence last week, along with 142 other people he either pardoned or freed from prison, but now Kodak's tweet has been deleted.

We broke the story ... just because Trump commuted the rapper's sentence for a federal crime, does not mean he's protected against prosecution for state crimes, which is exactly what he's facing in South Carolina.

Kodak's accused of forcing himself on an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room after a Feb. 2016 concert -- allegedly raping her and biting her -- and prosecutors in the state have vowed to "aggressively" go after him in their pending case.

Maybe Kodak's waiting to see how that all pans out before he starts giving away the mil -- but, even if that's the case, why delete the tweet? Regardless, social media's already set a reminder for him ... with several users and bloggers questioning his intent.

A passenger on a Frontier Airlines flight was coughing and sneezing, and when the passenger in front of him complained to the flight attendant, the passenger was told he had the option of driving ... and the exchange got even hotter after that.

It went down Thursday on a flight from Miami to Philly. The passenger who shot this video was in seat 25C on a packed flight. The passenger in row 26 right behind him was hacking and sneezing, to the point the passenger in 25C requested to move to the back of the plane.

He moved to the back, and after the plane landed he complained to the captain the guy in row 26 was clearly sick. A flight attendant intervened, and said, "You have an option. You can drive your car if it's a problem," adding, "You can't tell people to get off the plane if they got a cough and they're sneezing."

The passenger persisted, claiming the other passenger was sick, to which the flight attendant fired back, "You're no doctor."

We're told passengers had a temperature check at the gate before boarding.

At one point a flight attendant who is not seen in the video tells the passenger he should be on a no-fly list and the flight attendant you see agrees. Again, the captain is looking on during the exchange.

The complaining passenger did not file a complaint with Frontier. We reached out to Frontier Airlines ... so far, no word back.

PETA's looking to put Doc Antle in the USDA's crosshairs because Larsa Pippen posted pics with some of his exotic animals ... but Doc says PETA's got it twisted.

The animal rights org fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture requesting an investigation into the 'Tiger King' star for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act ... stemming from Larsa's recent visit to his Myrtle Beach Safari.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Debbie Metzler, PETA's Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, cites Larsa's visit there this week and her photos with adult and juvenile tigers showing direct public contact.

She claims the USDA warned Antle 15 years ago his methods of photographing the public with large adult cats was a violation of the law ... and she wonders why the "USDA has apparently refused to take any meaningful action to prevent Antle from allowing these types of dangerous, direct contact stunts."

PETA's also worried Larsa and her children's close contact with the tigers and an infant chimpanzee put the animals at risk of contracting COVID-19, claiming the encounters are another violation of the law.

But, Doc says PETA's got the wrong idea about Larsa's visit ... he claims Larsa took a tour, which included goofing around with tiger cubs and primates, before shooting footage for a PSA on wild tiger conservation.

It's hard to put a price on paradise but Matthew Perry's done just that ... after selling his beachfront Malibu pad.

The "Friends" star has unloaded his 4-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house for a cool $13.1 million ... and about a decade after he bought the property in an off-market sale for $12 million. It's easy to see how Matthew made tons of friends with this crib ... it's a beaut.

The 5,500-square-foot contemporary house -- sitting on one of the most coveted streets, Malibu Road -- offering picturesque views of the blue Pacific and immediate access to it. But there's tons to keep you entertained in this loft-style house.

There's also an outdoor spa and a state of the art movie theater that seats up to 10 guests in deep-cushioned sofas. You can enjoy some of the best sunsets from practically every room thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows ... and a sick wrap-around deck.

The hits keep on coming for Conor McGregor -- this time, it's Floyd Mayweather trashing his old boxing opponent ... "Con Artist McLoser."

In fact, Floyd says the positive way Conor continues to be treated by the public even after multiple losses -- while Mayweather still gets constant hate -- is proof racism is still alive and well.

"The world knows Con Artist McLoser can steal everything from me and be loved but I’m hated," Mayweather posted on IG after Conor got knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

"That just lets you all know that racism still exist."

Remember, Floyd beat up Conor in their 2017 boxing match -- dominating from start to finish ... with the ref stopping the fight in the 10th round.

Then Floyd really dug and unloaded on Conor ... suggesting Conor also ruined his shot at a high-profile boxing match with Manny Pacquiao.

"Just know, that bum will never be me or be on my level. I’m just built different, my mindset is on another planet, my skills are second to none, I’m a natural born winner and yes I talk a lot of trash, but every time I back it up!"

"This is what they hate. It’s sad that you can be a poor black kid from the ghetto that has dealt with racism your whole life and work extremely hard to put yourself and your family in a better position, and most of the hate come from my own people."

"Connor [sic] cannot even win in his own sport, but talking about coming back to boxing to fight Pacquiao. Nobody wants to see that, it's like my leftovers eating leftovers."

So, what now for Conor? He's gunning for a rematch with Dustin Poirier ... and Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and also Floyd.