Controversial S#!T

There was another officer-involved shooting in Minnesota this weekend, but it wasn't at all the kind that people have been protesting over ... not even close.

Burnsville Police say their officers first encountered a suspected car thief Sunday driving a vehicle with stolen plates, which he crashed. BPD says they were notified this same individual allegedly went on to carjack a female at gunpoint later in the day ... and then led police on a wild chase, all while he fired at officers who were in hot pursuit -- so claim the cops.

Part of that incident was captured by a bystander ... who filmed the suspect jumping out of the vehicle, and proceeding to run toward a highway with cruisers hot on his tail. In the clip, it appears the man attempts to carjack yet another vehicle on the road.

The white SUV ended up swerving out of the way, and police units finally caught up to him. The video freezes at that point ... presumably, that's when he was shot. BPD says the suspect was shooting at cops and officers returned fire, and the suspect ended up dead.

The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating ... standard operating procedure.

Now, here's where things get interesting ... a local reporter for FOX9 -- who was covering protests at the Governor's mansion in St. Paul Sunday -- posted video of a group of demonstrators taking a knee in silence, this after they'd apparently heard there was another officer-involved shooting. Not just that ... but she says they planned to head down there too.

Later, she followed-up ... tweeting, "Just an update on this, protestors said later they're heading back to Brooklyn Center because they need more information about what happened in Burnsville first." In other words ... it doesn't look like they had any real info from the jump -- kneeling for a guy cops say was going full GTA.

Some Bakersfield cops had issues with a makeshift memorial for Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, because they dismantled it, much to the dismay of some residents.

Bakersfield residents held a vigil Saturday night, and various memorials were created to make the moment. The video shows an officer removing parts of the memorial ... folding up cardboard signs. A woman walks up to the cop to express her disapproval ... this as the officer takes the signs and starts walking toward his cruiser. The woman repeatedly asks for his badge number, and he obliges.

She then asks the cop for the signs back, but he's not having it. The PD tells TMZ the cardboard and candles were yanked because they were a fire hazard, adding, "This would not be the first time a vigil went up in flames so things have to be removed to avoid a fire."

Joe Buck is set to try and fill Alex Trebek's shoes on "Jeopardy!" -- at least temporarily, and perhaps forever(?) ... this according to some new reports.

Different outlets are reporting that Buck -- perhaps America's most famous sports broadcaster -- will serve as a guest host on the legacy game show soon ... with his episodes apparently slated to air later this summer.

Unclear when filming begins, or how long his stint will be -- but it probably wouldn't run longer than 2 weeks, which is about how long all the other guest hosts have stepped in. Word is his time on "Jeopardy!" won't get in the way of his other broadcast duties for FOX.

One report claims Buck's "Jeopardy!" attempt is actually being considered for a longer-term role ... maybe even as permanent host of the series. IF true, that'd be a huge blow to people who have been begging for LeVar Burton to get a shot ... which has yet to happen.

Of course, the actor was the longtime host of "Reading Rainbow" once upon a time ... and many think he'd be a natural fit. LeVar does too, apparently, as he's been very vocal recently about his desire to stand behind the podium ... even posting a viral petition demanding it.

LeVar has been even more explicit than that, though .. there's a clip of him doing an interview and getting into the nitty-gritty of the "Jeopardy!" gig, which he says he's had his eye on for a long time now ... harkening back to before Trebek passed and was in contract negotiations. At the time, LeVar notes he was quite interested ... and appears to remain so to this day.

The question, of course, is whether Sony Pictures Television -- which produces "Jeopardy!" -- is listening, and whether they'll actually cave in to the overwhelming sentiment that LB is perfect for the job.

You gotta imagine if they're going through the Rolodex of well-spoken, brainy and calm-your-nerves on-camera personalities ... then LeVar oughta be at least considered for a go at it. Nothing against Joe or anything, but the guy's got his hands full in the sports world.

The guy who played Jesus in 'Passion of the Christ' is leaning into a QAnon conspiracy theory ... which believes children are being blood-drained for a chemical in their body.

Jim Caviezel made a guest appearance Friday at a right-wing convention called Clay Clark’s Health and Freedom Conference near Tulsa, OK ... where organizers griped about COVID restrictions and what they consider to the government's overreach in applying said rules.

For some reason, they beamed Caviezel in through a screen ... this while addressing the issue of child trafficking (a real thing that deserves serious discussion), but which dove completely into sketchy QAnon territory once Jim started talking adrenochrome.

Jim -- who was plugging a new movie he's in about child trafficking -- started out fine, but then said this about author Tim Ballard, whom he portrays in the flick ... "He's down there saving children as we speak, because they're pulling kids out of the darkest recesses of hell right now, in dumps and all kinds of places. The adrenochrome-ing of children, look ..."

He moved on from that point, but an MC asked him to circle back on it and explain further. Jim gave a very bare-bones description of what adrenochrome is and what he's heard (but says he hasn't seen) people do to get it ... namely allegedly gutting kids alive to yank it out.

Not to go too far down the rabbit hole ... but this is a cornerstone of QAnon dogma, a false one at that. They believe the world is run by an evil cabal of devil-worshipping cannibals -- including some of the most powerful people in the world -- who go around and do this.

The idea -- according to these QAnon believers -- is that the adrenochrome halts and/or reverses the aging process, and that it's plentiful and most fruitful in children. Yes, it 1000% is bat-s*** crazy -- evidenced in that fact it was lampooned in a recent "South Park" episode.

Pair that with the fact that Jewish people throughout history have been falsely accused of partaking in this practice -- and subsequently persecuted for it since the Middle Ages -- and a lot of people aren't all too surprised the adrenochrome BS is being embraced by Caviezel.

Bill Maher told Sharon Osbourne Friday night ... it's ironic her show is called "The Talk" ... because talking can get you canned.

Sharon was Bill's guest on 'Real Time' and he, more than she, trashed people on the show who suggested Sharon was racist for siding with Piers Morgan, who took aim at Meghan Markle and accused her of lying in the Oprah interview.

Maher's take ... you have to agree with what Meghan said or you're a racist.

Again, Bill was more agitated than Sharon, as he mocked her former talkers who suggested, by siding with Piers, Sharon was denying Meghan her voice. Bill said that was just plain stupid on its face.

A Texas mother claims her 11-year-old son is being isolated and disciplined at school, simply because his hair is braided ... and now she's gearing up for a legal battle.

Hope Cozart says her son, Maddox, and his sisters expressed interest in learning more about their African heritage -- their father is Black -- and she's encouraged them to "explore their culture."

So, she says her son asked to have a braid in his hair like his father, but when he wore it to school earlier this month in Troy, TX ... she claims he got in-school suspension, and not just once.

According to the law firm working with the Cozart family, Maddox was first suspended on April 5 "based on his hairstyle," and has since been given in-school suspension every day for the same reason.

It says, "This action has denied Maddox an education equal to that of the other students at Raymond Mays Middle School."

Maddox's hairstyle reportedly violates the student handbook, which states hair "May not be worn in a ponytail, top knot, bun, or similar styles." His mother says this is an outdated policy that needs to be changed, adding ... "Kids should be able to express themselves and hair does not affect your education."

The Indianapolis Colts are mourning those killed in the FedEx shooting -- which occurred just 20 minutes from the team facility ... calling it "another senseless tragedy."

A gunman stormed a FedEx Ground packaging facility late Thursday night -- killing at least 8 people and wounding many others before taking his own life, cops say.

Investigators are still working on the case -- trying to determine a motive.

Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts have issued a statement saying, "Our hearts are broken by another senseless tragedy."

"We at the Colts are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific act that took place last night in our city."

"We join the entire Indianapolis community in mourning those who lost their lives and praying for all those who are or will be impacted over the weeks and months to come."

"We send our thought to our friends at FedEx who are hurting so much this morning, and we pray for their health and healing."

"The victims and survivors are our friends and neighbors, and one can only imagine the nightmare their families are living through this morning."

A leaked video showing a triangle-shaped object gliding through the sky has now captured the attention of the U.S. Government, which says the vid's the real deal.

The clip, shot by a U.S. Navy Pilot, was taken in night vision -- and while it only lasts a few seconds -- it certainly looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Now, the Pentagon is not only confirming the video is real, but it's referring to the object as an unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), or as we know it ... a UFO.

It's unclear when and where the vid of the triangle-shaped object was shot.

The Pentagon established a task force to dive into UAP sightings back in August, saying, "The Department of Defense and the military departments take any incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace very seriously and examine each report."

In January, TMZ obtained photos of another apparent UFO sighting from a driver in L.A. traveling on the 101 freeway. The image was of a bright object with a swirl shape and little lights following behind it.

A youth basketball game in Indiana turned VERY violent -- with a referee fighting adults and players ... and the whole disturbing incident was caught on video.

It all went down over the weekend at the Prime Midwest Event at the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, IN during a game between two girls teams.

One of the coaches began arguing a call with just seconds remaining in the 1st quarter.

The ref called a technical foul -- which pissed off one of the coaches so badly, she picked up her bag and began to walk off the court in protest, along with players and team staff.

After the mass exodus from the court, a man in a yellow shirt approaches the ref and appears to shoot cell phone video ... as he continues to get very close to the ref.

At one point, the ref smacks the man in the face with a wild right hand -- and that's when all hell breaks loose.

A player runs over and hits the ref -- another grown man also hits the ref.

The man in the yellow shirt gets really angry and charges after the ref -- it appears he flipped the ref onto the ground very violently.

More chaos ensues until someone grabs the ref and walks him away from the melee.

A spokesperson for the Pacers Athletic Center issued a statement to the Indy Star ... saying, "The event staff removed the involved parties from the remainder of the tournament and will not welcome them back to future events."

"We are disappointed that this altercation happened, as we strive to provide a great experience for families."

Homeowners in Army Sgt. Jonathan Pentland's neighborhood are worried they're gonna end up suffering because he decided to confront a Black man walking on his block.

An official for the HOA at The Summit -- the South Carolina community where the incident went down -- tells TMZ ... residents are very concerned over the ongoing demonstrations going on outside Pentland's home.

Protestors have gathered there since Wednesday when the video of Pentland harassing the man went viral.

We're told Pentland's neighbors are on edge about crowds spilling over into their yards and ruining the grass -- and they've been running to the HOA and cops to complain about crowded streets and sidewalks.

The vibe is folks are angry they have to deal with the mess Pentland created. In fact, we're told the sergeant, who was arrested for the altercation and subsequently suspended by the Army, hasn't even been back to his home since he got busted.

We're also told the guy Pentland went after does indeed live in The Summit, as he said in the video.

Interestingly, the HOA says the majority of residents at The Summit are minorities -- and while they, and the HOA, don't condone Pentland's actions, they're still concerned about potential property damage.

We're told the HOA's been flooded with hate mail from non-residents since the video became a national story.

Kim Potter, the ex-police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, might very well deserve to be charged for killing him, but prosecutors made a big mistake by charging her in less than 2 days ... so says Timothy T. Williams Jr.

Williams is a police procedure expert who's analyzed many officer-involved shootings in America -- like Wright's last weekend in Brooklyn Center, MN -- and he says these kinds of investigations require a tremendous amount of time ... to do it properly, anyway.

That's because, according to Williams, the case might not be as clear-cut as footage from one body cam shows ... especially with other officers involved, so there are certainly multiple other videos and pieces of evidence to analyze.

Williams suggests in hastily charging Potter with second-degree manslaughter in Wright's death, the prosecution took shortcuts ... which any good defense attorney could capitalize on if the case goes to trial.

As for why he thinks this happened -- Williams theorizes prosecutors failed to block out all the public noise and attention the case immediately drew ... partly due to the proximity to Minneapolis where Derek Chauvin is standing trial for the murder of George Floyd.

He's the punky QB known as McMahon ... and good lord, does he HATE the Chicago Bears.

Of course, Jim McMahon is a Chicago legend -- famous for leading his 1985 Bears team over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Remember the Super Bowl shuffle?!

But now, the 61-year-old could care less about his former franchise ... ripping the organization during an appearance this week on the "Fat Mike Chicago Sports Show."

First, McMahon pointed out Chicago hasn't had a decent starting QB if forever -- and noted, "I think it’s where quarterbacks go to die."

Ouch.

When asked about how the Bears should approach the 2021 NFL Draft -- McMahon cut even deeper.

"I don’t know, don’t watch them, don’t care. I wouldn’t know what they need or who they’re thinking of drafting."

Ouch again.

And, to add salt to the wound, McMahon PRAISED the Bears' longtime rival Green Bay Packers, where he ended his NFL career.

"It was the best team, or the best organization, that I’ve played for of the 7 teams I’ve played for," McMahon said ... adding, "By far, from top to bottom ... it was great people."

McMahon spent 7 seasons in Chicago including that special 1985 championship run -- but left for San Diego in 1989 and bounced around several teams after that before calling it quits after the 1996 season.

He reunited with several Bears legends at Soldier Field back in 2016 -- but it seems he doesn't have a strong relationship with the franchise anymore.

Deshaun Watson's accuser list is back down to 22 ... one of the women who had filed a lawsuit against the QB officially dropped her case this week, though she stressed the move might only be temporary.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the female masseuse -- using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- said she was not going forward with her case due to "privacy and security concerns."

She noted in the docs, however, the decision was only "for now" ... explaining if her concerns are assuaged, she might refile the suit later on.

As we previously reported, judges ruled last week most of Watson's accusers could NOT use "Jane Doe" aliases in their suits anymore... and ruled the women must identify themselves if they wanted to go forward with their cases.

It seems one of the Does did not feel comfortable doing that ... and officially dropped the suit in a court filing this week.

22 other women are still moving forward with their cases, though ... with Watson's latest accuser officially filing a new suit against the Texans player Wednesday.

In that suit, Erica Chapman -- a make-up artist -- claims Watson contacted her on Instagram in Sept. 2020 ... and the two set up a massage at the quarterback's Texas residence shortly after.

While there, Chapman claims Watson was sexually inappropriate.

According to the suit, the two still agreed to do another massage session two months later in November ... and during that one, Chapman says Watson manipulated "the massage and her into sexual coercion."

Chapman, who claims the QB's actions left her "ashamed, embarrassed, deeply distressed and confused," is suing for undisclosed damages.

Watson, through his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has admitted to having sexual encounters with some of his massage therapists in recent years -- but the QB has insisted the acts were always consensual.

This video is unreal ... a white guy drives away from police, dragging an officer and striking him with a hammer, but was NOT shot -- all of this unfolding in the same state where Daunte Wright was fatally shot by a cop.

Police in Hutchinson, Minnesota were called to a home improvement store because Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns refused to wear a mask, and allegedly struck an employee with a piece of lumber before fleeing. Cops eventually chased him down in a mall parking lot.

Cops seemed to have Oeltjenbruns hemmed in -- one officer was even clinging to the driver's side door -- but as you see in the video, he rammed 2 police cars and started driving off ... with the cop still holding on to his truck!!!

Hutchinson PD says Oeltjenbruns dragged the officer around and hit him in the head with a hammer before coming to a stop. He was arrested for first-degree assault with great bodily harm.

The officer's reportedly in stable condition.

It's eerily reminiscent to a December 2020 incident in Ohio when a white suspect refused to get out of his car and twice threatened to shoot the police officer before speeding away. That guy was also chased and arrested.

Both incidents stand in stark contrast to how Daunte was treated on Sunday when now-former cop Kim Potter fatally shot him during a traffic stop over expired tags.

The cop who shot Jacob Blake seven times is back on the job -- something JB's family can't comprehend ... but also something that won't get fixed with protesting alone ... so says Jacob's lawyer.

B'Ivory LaMarr, who's repping Jacob and his family, tells us the Blakes are incredibly disappointed that Officer Rusten Sheskey rejoined the Kenosha PD without punishment.

ICYMI ... KPD announced Tuesday Sheskey had been cleared of wrongdoing after an internal affairs investigation and several outside investigations as well. The conclusions were that the officer broke no laws and violated no police policy regarding use of force.

As such, they say he's gonna get back to work and not face any further discipline -- with the Chief going on to say this ... "I know that some will not be pleased with the outcome; however, given the facts, the only lawful and appropriate decision was made."

That's certainly not how the Blake family sees it ... especially Jacob's uncle, Justin, who ominously told us Kenosha's crazy if they think Officer Sheskey's going to be allowed back onto the streets, or to patrol in Black neighborhoods -- saying "we" aren't going to stand by and let it happen.

Unclear exactly what he meant, but he also believes all the local agencies involved in investigating Sheskey are complicit ... insisting the cop would have been charged if the DOJ had gotten involved on a civil rights level. Remember, Sheskey's shots left Jacob paralyzed from the waist down.

There's also this note from Jacob's attorney, B'Ivory, who says as disheartening as it is to see this result come to pass -- and in light of yet another officer-involved shooting in Minnesota -- more protesting alone will NOT solve the issue of police brutality and social justice.

B'Ivory tells us that instead of just taking to the streets, folks need to start pushing for reform ... both locally and on a national level, as he says that's the only way to truly affect the change he and everyone else wants right now.

Of course, there have been numerous demonstrations in Brooklyn Center after Daunte Wright was shot and killed by ex-cop Kim Potter ... with protesters clashing with police for 3 straight nights now. Speaking of Wright, we're told the Blake family sends his family their condolences.