Arrests

Frank Sivero -- known for playing pistol-packing mob guys in movies -- got pinched for real by L.A. cops for carrying a loaded weapon in public ... but the actor tells TMZ something's fishy.

Sivero was busted March 17 at his North Hollywood apartment building. He says he was escorting a lady friend out of the building just after 2 A.M. ... and happened to grab a jacket that had a gun in the pocket -- a .38 special he says he found a few years ago.

According to Sivero ... when they reached the lobby, cops were already there, waiting for him ... and he has no idea why. Frank says cops grabbed him, hauled him outside and searched him ... and that's when they found the gun.

Sivero -- who played Frankie Carbone in "Goodfellas" -- was taken to jail and released several days later. He was not taken to the freezer while in custody.

The silver lining ... all the inmates were big, big fans.

"Scandal" star Columbus Short has been arrested MULTIPLE TIMES for VIOLENT behavior ... involving women, kids, basketball opponents and random bar people.

1. Short was arrested for physically attacking his wife in front of his children. The incident occurred back in February at his Woodland Hills home at around 2 AM. According to legal docs, Short and his wife started arguing and it got physical. Short's kids -- a 2-year-old and 10-year-old -- were watching. He's been charged with spousal battery. Prosecutors also charged him with child abuse because of the emotional trauma the kids suffered by watching. Short pled not guilty on Tuesday.

2. Short was arrested 2 weeks later in Chatsworth, CA. According to the police report, Short and his wife got into a heated argument and he allegedly pushed her.

3. And less than a month later -- on March 15 -- Short was involved in a bar fight. TMZ broke the story ... Short allegedly cold-cocked a man at an engagement party, breaking his nose and rendering him unconscious. As we just reported ... there is now a warrant out for his arrest in connection with this incident.

4. But there's more. We found out Short was prosecuted for a brutal attack on an L.A. basketball court in 2010. He sucker punched a player, bashing his teeth in and cutting him badly. Short pled no contest to disturbing the peace. He had been charged with aggravated battery but that was dismissed.

Chief Keef somehow got mixed up in a shooting early Wednesday AM that put someone in the hospital, TMZ has learned.

We called Keef's people to determine the extent of the rapper's involvement -- his lawyer tells us Keef wasn't the shooter ... he just happened to be present when shots were fired.

The Northfield PD says the shooting victim is in ICU.

The rapper really knows how to implicate himself in a crime -- on Monday, Keef plastered his Instagram page with photos of guns, including an AK-47, and the photos appear to serve as a warning. Keef wrote the captions, "Another situation. Already."

And voila ... another situation already.

The L.A. County D.A. did exactly what we told you they would do ... this morning the felony vandalism charge against Lil Za was REDUCED from a felony to a misdemeanor.

As we told you ... the stated reason for the change is that the jail phone Za broke while in custody back in January was worth less than $400 -- the threshold for felony vandalism.

But there's a bigger problem -- our sources say Justin Bieber will be charged with misdemeanor vandalism for egging his neighbor's house ... and it would look real bad to go after Za for a felony, when Justin did $20K in damage.

As you know ... Za was arrested during the raid at Justin's house following the egging incident. Cops found ecstasy and once in jail he broke the phone.

Judge Joe Brown is still hopping mad about being arrested Monday and now tells TMZ he thinks the judge who tossed him behind bars conspired to try and keep him there longer.

In case you missed it ... Brown was tossed in the slammer in Memphis on Monday after having a

. Brown, who is still a practicing lawyer, was there to represent his client in a child support hearing (that becomes relevant shortly).

TMZ spoke with Brown this morning and he still claims the fact he is running for D.A. of Shelby County played a role in how he was treated.

He also claims the magistrate helped to "falsify documents" so it would read that he was jailed for child support violations instead of contempt ... an attempt to keep him behind bars longer.

Brown made it through his three hours in jail unscathed -- he says he signed autographs and saw a few former clients (not a good sign for his lawyering skills) but avoided the food.

Former TV judge Joe Brown has been sprung from jail ... after a nuclear courtroom fight Monday (hear audio) in Memphis.

A juvenile court judge sentenced Brown to 5 days in the slammer for contempt of court ... after Brown went Al Pacino "And Justice for All" nuts during a hearing.

Brown -- who is running for D.A. -- claims jailing him was "dirty politics."

Brown's lawyer went to another court Monday night and the judge was more lenient, releasing him on his own recognizance.

Judge Joe Brown just got a taste of his own medicine -- the former TV judge was arrested after allegedly blowing a gasket at a Memphis juvenile court ... TMZ has confirmed.

Brown showed up to court Monday to represent someone in a child support case -- but was turned away by court staff, who informed Brown they had no record of the case in question.

Brown reportedly lost it ... becoming verbally abusive and was warned several times to quiet down.

We're told Brown -- who is running for D.A. of Shelby County -- was "playing to the peanut gallery" and "incited a near riot."

Brown reportedly ignored the judge and was subsequently arrested for contempt of court.

Brown was cited for contempt 5 times and ultimately ordered to spend 5 days in jail. He left under his own power and was screaming the entire time. Check out the audio from court ... it's wild.

Anita Baker has dodged arrest in Detroit, after a judge withdrew a warrant to haul her into custody.

TMZ broke the story ... Anita was a no show at a court hearing over a lawsuit filed by a house painter who she hired to repair water damage to her home. Anita says she didn't pay him the balance owed because he screwed up the job. He sued, she was a no show in court and he got a default judgment.

There was a follow-up hearing last week, and she didn't show for that either, and that's when the judge issued the arrest warrant.

The warrant was withdrawn today ... after her lawyer went to court and insisted Anita was never served with legal docs.

A 20-year-old man was subdued by cops after casing Kris Jenner's Hidden Hills home and coming face-to-face with Kim Kardashian -- and he smelled like hell ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the man drove from Arizona to L.A. at around 4 PM Sunday ... and somehow got past security at the front gate. He made his way to Kris' house and started peering through the windows, when Kim arrived. She became alarmed and called security ... and he fled.

L.A. County Sheriff's deputies were called and found the dude a few blocks away. He told them he was Kendall Jenner's boyfriend and Justin Bieber's stepbrother. That's all she wrote, and he was taken into custody and placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold.

Our law enforcement sources tell us ... he "reeked of body odor."

Anita Baker says she's the victim of a sinister plot which caused cops to get a warrant for her arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... a Detroit judge issued the warrant after the Grammy-winning singer failed to show up in court over a dispute with a home contractor.

Anita tells TMZ ... she hired Ray Smith Painting and Decorating in 2009 to repair the outside of her home which was damaged by a storm. The cost of the job was $75,000 ... she paid $60K up front.

Anita says the guy didn't even finish the job and what he did do sucked so bad ... she got up on a ladder and did the spackling herself.

The singer says the contractor had the nerve to file suit for the $15K balance ... problem was, she says she was in the dark because she never got served with legal papers.

When Anita was a no-show in court, the judge entered a default judgment. She says still had no idea a case had even been filed.

Fast forward to July, 2013. The contractor tried to haul Anita into court and grill her about where she kept her money, so he could go after it to satisfy the judgment. The contractor claims he slapped the notice on her front door. Anita tells us she was on tour and never saw a notice and doesn't believe it was ever placed there.

So Anita was a no-show again for that hearing, and on Wednesday the judge issued the arrest warrant.

Anita tells us she's in shock, saying, "I've never been in trouble with the law. I'm terrified."

She also says this isn't the first time someone has pulled this on her -- someone claiming to serve her with legal papers and then losing the case by default.

Anita's lawyer says he's going to court next week to get the warrant lifted and the default judgment set aside.

It sure seemed Chris Brown was checkmated -- sitting in jail as the clock ticks for his D.C. assault trial that could trigger a probation violation in the Rihanna case that could land him in prison for 4 years .... but TMZ has learned his lawyer has found a way out of the hole ... by paying LOTS OF MONEY.

Sources connected with the D.C. assault case tell TMZ ... Chris' lawyer, Mark Geragos, has contacted the lawyer for the man who claims Chris assaulted him in D.C., breaking his nose, and offered him a BIG FAT CHECK.

We're told Geragos is gunning for a civil settlement ... which could very well mean the broken nose guy would tell prosecutors he no longer has an interest in pursuing the criminal case. And our sources say prosecutors are aware of the civil settlement negotiations.

We're told Geragos may have already sealed the deal but if not ... it should be done in a day or 2.

So here's the likely resolution. The alleged victim gets a ton of money (our educated guess is several hundred thousand dollars), D.C. prosecutors drop the criminal assault case and the Rihanna judge then lets Chris out of jail either late this week or early next.

Smart move.

Kanye West isn't out of the woods after striking a plea deal in the criminal case stemming from his photog attack last summer -- he's still facing a nasty civil lawsuit ... and we're told the pap is determined to take the rapper to trial.

Normally in civil situations involving celebs -- car accidents, fights, property damage, whatever -- the victim settles for a quick payday in exchange for dropping their lawsuit ... but not this time.

Sources close to photog Daniel Ramos -- who sued Yeezy for assault and battery after the LAX incident -- tell TMZ, Ramos is so confident in his case, he's refusing to settle for any amount of money ... he wants to go the whole nine with Kanye and bring his ass to court.

We're told a trial date has already been set in the case and Ramos is going full steam ahead -- no sign anywhere of a settlement agreement.

And get this -- we're told Ramos' attorney Gloria Allred has already sent Kanye notice for a deposition ... and you thought Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber were good.

The Lego-artist who's been posting Lego recreations of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial tells TMZ Sports he's been getting DEATH THREATS from people upset with his work.

We spoke to Armando Tejada ... who says he initially decided to document the Pistorius case because, "I've been fascinated by the trial" ... plus, he had a Legos set from the 2012 Olympics, which came with a tiny Pistorius figure.

The images are NOT graphic -- they mostly chronicle Pistorius interacting with the judge and his lawyer in the South Africa courthouse where his trial is being held.

"I don't plan on posting any graphic depictions of the murder or any scene that shows the victim Reeva Steenkamp out of respect," Tejada tells us.

Still, Tejada -- who lives in Chicago -- says some people are so mad they've threatened his life.

"I've received death threats," Tejada says ... "I understand why people would be upset about it. There's a very thin line and I'm sure I've crossed it."

We're told one of threats involved shooting Tejada with a gun.

NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch says he believes Colts owner Jim Irsay WILL face disciplinary action from the NFL over his DUI arrest -- telling TMZ Sports he believes the commissioner wants to "make a statement."

Tisch was out in L.A. Tuesday when he told us Jim's a "great guy" ... and he thinks his decision to enter a treatment center will make his life "a lot better."

But when it came to punishment from the NFL, Tisch explained ... "I can't speak on the commissioner's behalf ... I don't know what he's going to do ... but I feel he's going to do something."

"I think he's gonna make a statement."

FYI -- in the past 4 years, at least 3 executives from two NFL teams have been suspended by the league for at least 30 days because of DUI arrests. Because Irsay is an owner, he could face an even harsher punishment from the league.

Former NBA superstar Ben Wallace is currently behind bars in Virginia stemming from a hit-and-run incident in February.

The ex-Detroit Pistons tough guy had appeared in court Tuesday wheer he plead no contest to leaving the scene of a crash in Henrico County, VA on February 8th.

According to police, a vehicle registered to Wallace crashed through a fence outside of a home on a busy stretch of road and then fled the scene ... leaving his SUV unattended at the home.

Justin Bieber has a solid explanation for APPEARING to be under the influence when he was told to walk the line ... he messed up his foot while skateboarding -- and you won't believe how Bieber threw his wealth in the cop's face during the arrest.

Justin has been charged with DUI in Miami Beach. Cops say Bieber tested positive for Xanax and weed ... his alcohol level was inconsequential ... .014.

Cops are hanging their hat on Bieber appearing unsteady as he tried walking the line in jail. But according to newly released documents, Bieber told cops he had a hairline fracture on his right foot ... caused by a skateboarding accident 3 months earlier.

And then there are some snotty comments from the Biebs. According to the new docs, Bieber told the arresting officer, "I'm 19 years old. I'm just out having a good time." The cop responded he wasn't driving around in a Lambo at that age. Bieber fired back, "Yeah, well, I bet you didn't have millions of dollars in your bank account either."

The arresting officer told Bieber it seemed he was having trouble driving the Lamborghini, to which Bieber responded, "What? I've been driving a Lamborghini since I was 15."