Controversial S#!T

The riots and lootings triggered by George Floyd's brutal killing have many citizens in L.A. panicking and rushing to stock up on protection for themselves and their businesses.

Gun and ammo stores had lines wrapped around the block at several locations in the area ... and we're told many shops are even getting close to selling out of product.

David Schwartz, owner of Burbank Ammo & Guns, tells TMZ ... foot traffic at his shop was nonstop over the weekend and Monday. He says the majority of customers own homes or private businesses and were looking for something to use to protect their property and products.

Schwartz says glocks and 12-gauge home-defense shotguns were the hot sellers, and he's hoping to get more soon from distributors so he can continue to provide for customers.

Schwartz also hired his own security -- armed guards to stand outside the store -- to make sure everyone stays safe ... and to ward off potential looters.

Interestingly, Burbank Ammo wasn't the only business to hire outside muscle for extra security ... far from it. A rep from a large security company in Southern Cal tells us ... it supplied armed guards to various companies and homes throughout L.A. for protection.

The rep says ... "I would tell you all security organizations in the region are seeing an influx of requests for emergency or additional security resources."

President Trump says he is the President of law and order, and that's why he's deploying thousands of military troops to shut down rioters and looters ... across the country, if necessary -- but his first action was to have military and police pepper spray and shoot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters.

The President said justice will be served for George Floyd and his family, but in the meantime ... he will not allow the "angry mob" to drown out the peaceful protesters. He said the looting was mostly victimizing peace-loving citizens "in our poorest communities."

Speaking from the White House grounds, he vowed to fight to keep those citizens safe, and then said he is "Your President of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters." Trump then called out local law enforcement for not protecting citizens and small businesses.

As a result, POTUS said he was making a move to shut down "domestic terror," and if Mayors and Governors don't "dominate" the streets, he would step in for them. He said he is mobilizing "thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers" to stop the "wanton destruction of property."  Here's the problem -- Trump's wrong on the law.  He does NOT have authority to send in troops UNLESS THE GOVERNORS ASK HIM.  Governor Cuomo, for one, has already said, "Thanks but no thanks."

Just over 4 minutes into the President's speech ... rubber bullets and pepper spray were being fired on a group of protesters across the street at Lafayette Park -- it almost seemed like a scripted made-for-TV moment.  It was also an outrageous overreach, because these were not rioters or vandals ... they were peaceful demonstrators who were showing their disdain for the brutal killing of black men at the foot of the symbol of government.  And for that they were shot at and gassed.

Here's George Floyd's brother delivering a powerful message at the site of his murder ... calling for peace, love, non-violent protest, activism and an end to the riots and looting.

George's younger brother, Terrence, took to the bullhorn Monday and addressed a huge crowd of protesters gathered at the scene of his fatal interaction with Minneapolis police, getting emotional as he decried the looters and rioters he says are soiling the fight for justice.

Terrence says the riots and lootings happen every time people try to protest and make their point, and he says it sets everything back and overshadows the non-violent demonstrators trying to affect positive change.

As you know ... violent clashes with police and looting have marred protests across the country, with some folks carrying out the brazen acts in broad daylight, and all hell breaking loose under nightfall.

Wearing a face covering with an image of his late brother, Terrence also called for peace and led the crowd in chants calling for the other police officers involved in Floyd's fatal arrest to be arrested and charged.

As we reported ... ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on George's neck for over 8 minutes, has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death. He was effectively on suicide watch and has been moved to a maximum-security prison.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he's absolutely fed up with President Donald Trump ... firing off a flaming-hot statement on POTUS' handling of the recent protests in America.

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer," Pop told The Nation. "To be in his presence, makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes."

He continued ... "I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say 'black lives matter.' That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade schooler."

"Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot."

Of course, POTUS faced backlash after he tweeted of the looting in Minneapolis, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen." He also tweeted, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."

Pop -- who has been passionately outspoken about his issues with Trump -- makes it clear he has a problem with how the president reacted to the protests turning violent.

"It’s unbelievable," the NBA coach said. "If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But, he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now."

"That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And, that’s all he’s ever been."

But, it's not just Trump who Pop's pissed about ... he says the whole system needs to change.

"In the end, what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come."

Sure enough, this too is now being investigated. We're told LAPD is aware of the video and they're looking into what went down here.

A white woman tagging 'BLM' graffiti on a building was egged on by none other than cops from 8-feet away ... who seemed to be telling her to include the name of George Floyd.

The video was shot in what appears to be downtown Los Angeles, where an LAPD squad car is parked up next to a curb alongside a lady who's going to town with spray paint, tagging "BLM" messaging on the side of a building's windows ... taking up at least 3 panes.

While the person who recorded this was filming from across the street, you can still make out the cops apparently instructing the woman to make sure to include George Floyd's name in her graffiti ... at one point, even seemingly telling her how to spell it correctly.

She heard the message loud and clear, and sure enough ... went ahead and tagged "Floyd" on the window as well. The officers are just standing by and watching the entire time. The person who posted this says they were laughing too, but we can't quite make that out.

In any case, it's an utter disgrace ... regardless of what the context is, which we're sure LAPD brass will be scrambling to reach for now that this is out. Policemen literally encouraging active criminal activity right in front of their faces -- ya can't excuse it.

We've seen "bad actors" screwing with the protests and hijacking the message under the guise of justice -- but this takes it to a new level. Some cops appear to be in on it too.

Donald Trump excoriated governors on a conference call Monday morning for not being way more aggressive with rioters.

Trump was on a video conference call with various governors, and audio of the conversation leaked. Trump says the goal is "domination" over the rioters.

Trump says Minnesota has become "the laughing stock" of the world because of the violence on the streets. Ditto for New York City and Los Angeles ... Trump says the police response has been anemic and rioters were walking all over them.

Trump then went on to take credit for sending the National Guard into Minneapolis, saying when the Guard stepped in, the looting stopped.

He's suggesting that the National Guard is the solution, yet in Los Angeles and Long Beach the rioters were undeterred. BTW ... there are way more police officers in most big cities than National Guard -- the ratio in L.A. was 10 to 1, so the Guard isn't the panacea.

A Seattle police officer has been accused of using mace on a little girl -- and video of the alleged aftermath is gruesome ... it's also something the department is now investigating.

The incident went down over the weekend during the George Floyd protests. You don't see any macing happening on camera, but what you do see is a young girl crying out in pain with her eyes closed shut as her parent tries to comfort her.

People around her also rush to help -- one guy immediately comes over and starts pouring milk over the kid's face (it's supposed to help neutralize the tear gas) but it obviously wasn't enough to stop the pain right away. The girl continued to cry and shriek in agony.

Afterward, someone filming the encounter approached a group of bike cops standing nearby -- and he gets in the face of the alleged mace user ... an officer wearing a helmet and glasses, who's also rocking a mustache. He doesn't speak, doesn't even make eye contact.

People on the ground also claim the guy refused to give his name or his badge number in order to identify himself.

It's unclear if the officer the camera ended up focused on was the alleged culprit or not, but the Seattle Police Department has said they're looking into the claims in question.

A rep for the department says, "Uses of force, including pepper spray, during the demonstrations will undergo a high level of scrutiny and review by the chain of command. This incident in particular has been referred to the (Office of Police Accountability) and an investigation has commenced."

A cop in Baltimore got a little more than handsy with a woman after she started smacking around one of his fellow officers ... leaving the woman out cold on the street.

The wild incident went down when the woman argued with a cop Friday night as officers appeared to be clearing traffic or doing protest crowd control. She was clearly fed up with talking, and turned around and straight-up smacked the cop hard across the face, which he just took at first.

Then, she wound up for a second go and unleashes ... this time landing a punch. That's when his cop buddy, standing behind her, lets his own hands fly, striking her in the face and knocking her out cold. Both the woman and the cop who hit her are black.

As she lays motionless in the street ... bystanders who saw the incident started surrounding the cops, calling out the officer who hit her. More cops quickly responded and set up a perimeter to block off the crowd.

The woman was eventually cuffed and arrested, and police say she was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Brandon Marshall -- one of the first NFL players to kneel with Colin Kaepernick -- says he's not surprised the protests have turned violent ... but wants to remind everyone, "We tried to do things peacefully."

"I just think that people are fed up, which is why the violence has started," Marshall tells TMZ Sports.

"I would never want to see anyone get hurt, but I see why."

"If you could understand the timeline, if you could understand the course of events that continues to happen, it’s only natural that happens."

As far as the kneeling protest, Marshall says he still feels it was the right thing to do but notes "it didn't catch enough attention, it didn't change many laws."

"When I was kneeling, and when I tried to stand up, Denver changed their use of force policy. So, I thought that was a win, right, I’m all that’s cool that’s one step for the bigger picture."

Marshall also weighed in on the NFL's new statement which calls for "an urgent need for action" against racial injustice,.

"There was a need for action in 2016 and well before that, to be honest with you," Marshall says.

What started out as a peaceful protest in Santa Monica has descended into complete and utter chaos as well as rampant looting -- a progression we've seen day in and day out.

People began to gather in SM early Sunday afternoon, with many marching while holding signs and carrying out chants -- basically, going about their demonstration with relative calm. They'd taken up the streets, but were also getting supportive honks from drivers.

Folks even took a knee in silence at one point for nearly 3 minutes, asking cops that eventually arrived to join them and do the same. No violence through the first hour, it seems.

Unfortunately, as the day went on ... things took a turn for the worst as people began to face off with officers, and eventually broke out into full-on looting and rioting.

Tons of stores -- some of which are in Santa Monica Place -- started getting raided and ransacked within just a couple hours ... places like the Vans store, the Nike store, CVS, Shoe Palace, Louis Vuitton, Joe's Jeans, Bloomingdales and even an optometrist clinic!!!

One store, REI, was being guarded by a peaceful protester who attempted to stand in the way of the entrance door -- and was physically accosted by people trying to break in. FOX 11 captured some of the craziness she had to endure to protect the camping door retailer.

People literally tried physically removing her from her spot, yanking her away and even throwing fireworks at her to shoo her off. The lady didn't budge though ... she kept coming back.

A black couple was removed from their vehicle with incredibly excessive force by police officers in Atlanta -- and, supposedly, it's all because they were out past curfew.

The viral video was captured live on the air Saturday night by CBS46 -- the local ATL affiliate that was reporting on the protests and riots going down Saturday night. During the broadcast, one of the reporters and cameramen began filming a wild encounter on the streets ... showing a young couple being yanked from their vehicle by riot gear cops.

It's unclear what exactly led up to the altercation, but CBS46's news banner during the segment read "POLICE BEGIN ENFORCING 9PM CURFEW." That has led many to speculate that these two individuals were simply targeted for being out of their homes when 9 o'clock rolled around ... which, if true, is absolutely insane.

More troubling than that, though, is how the officers dealt with them -- opening their door, demanding they exit ... and then resorting to tasering both of them and pulling them out when the man and woman refused. They even reportedly broke the windows/slashed tires.

Both the man and woman were detained and cuffed on the ground, and then led away. It's unclear if they were ultimately arrested and booked for anything.

CBS46 acknowledges in their own on-the-scene reporting that they do not know why so many cops were honed in on this one vehicle -- there doesn't appear to be others around it at the time this was filmed -- but in any case, APD is being heavily scrutinized as a result.

The department has not addressed this specific situation -- we've also reached out to them about it, but haven't heard back. The only thing they've said online is that they're working on releasing the names and charges of everyone they arrested over the last 48 hours.

Jon Jones says his run as UFC's light heavyweight champ is OVER -- claiming he's giving up the title amid a nasty pay dispute with Dana White.

"I hurt myself every time I walk out there and take a punch to the head and not feel my pay is worth it anymore," Jones said.

The drama began over negotiations for a Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou super fight.

Dana White said Jones is demanding $30 mil for the fight -- way too high for White. Jones says he never asked for that much.

Both have spoken publicly -- calling BS on the other side.

In fact, just a few days ago, Jones tweeted at White to release him from his contract.

Things escalated on Sunday ...

Jones tweeted that Dominick Reyes should fight Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title ... saying, "As of right now, I got nothing to really gain fighting either of them."

"Let me know if you guys want to set up a day in 2021 for that Izzy fight. Hopefully you guys will be willing to pay by then."

When someone asked Jones if this means he's "revoking" the title -- Jon replied, "Yes."

"Bones out, when you see me in the streets just call me JJ."

"To the light heavyweight title Veni, vidi, vici" -- which means, "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Two white protesters got called out by a black protester for tagging a Starbucks with graffiti repping the Black Lives Matter movement ... and the bizarre encounter was caught on video.

Check it out ... you see two white women decked out in all black and wearing face masks/coverings spraying 'BLM' along the side of a Starbucks in L.A., as well as other messaging. One African-American woman who's also protesting gets in their faces and questions what they're doing ... and why. Watch what happens when she confronts them.

The white gals were NOT down to stick around for answers, as they mumbled incoherent responses and abruptly scrammed as soon as they realized they were getting attention. The black protester tells them to stop, because the public will blame the peaceful protesters -- the ones of color, specifically -- for the defacement and destruction of property.

She tells them that nobody in the actual 'BLM' movement told them to tag the place, and that the message wasn't theirs to spread unlawfully. It's a pretty revealing interaction here.

Of course, it also lends credence to what some people have been saying on the ground at a lot of these demonstrations all over the U.S. -- that, allegedly, there are bad actors infiltrating these protests (which, by and large, start out peacefully) and turn them chaotic.

Jake Paul was in the middle of a mall that was being looted Saturday night, and he's taking lots of heat for it.

The YouTube star was at Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona, and you can see in the video, the looters are stealing tennis shoes and pretty much everything that isn't nailed down.

You don't see Paul steal anything, but he's right there as everyone around him destroys shops and steals what's inside.

One of the most ridiculous comments on social media ... Jake is a millionaire, so he doesn't need to loot. That logic justifies looting for some, and that's just plain wrong.

Van Jones said it best ... most people -- regardless of color -- condemn the violence. To make things better, the folks who constantly turned a deaf ear to police brutality need to speak out as loudly, and maybe we can make some progress.

A small business owner was brutally beaten by looters because he was allegedly defending his store with a machete.

It happened Saturday night in Dallas ... as looters descended on the man's store, who was using a sword, allegedly trying to defend himself and his business.

The disturbing video shows rioters viciously beat him, rendering him bloody and unconscious. He was beaten with skateboards, rocks and fists, and suffered multiple gashes all over his body. You even hear someone yell, "Turn him over!"

The man was taken to a hospital by ambulance where he's currently in stable condition.

George Floyd appeared to be getting roughed up in the back of a police car shortly before he was pinned and killed -- and a new angle shows one cop was definitely standing watch.

The new surveillance footage -- obtained by activist Shaun King -- shows what happened after George was led away by Minneapolis police after he was cuffed and detained from across the street. This seems to show what happened right before George was taken out of the car and forced to endure the weight of 3 grown men on top of him ... which ended with Derek Chauvin as the last man kneeling on his neck, costing him his life.

Now, we see that something hectic was happening in the back of the SUV officers had Floyd in -- it looks like two officers on the street side had their door open, as did one officer along the sidewalk ... and they were all moving about frantically, which appears to indicate some type of physical altercation taking place. The 4th officer stands watch nearby.

Eventually, they get George out of the car -- and, well, we've all seen what happened next. What's crazy about this is that the one guy who was assigned as lookout clearly sees the surveillance camera that caught all this ... as he looks directly at it for a brief second.

He's also got his head on a swivel, making sure no one else is around or videotaping.

As you know by now ... all four cops here lost their jobs, and one of them has been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter. These two newest videos showing what role the other officers played leading up to George's final breaths are quite revealing though.