Crime & Arrests

Jack Osbourne is the victim in a coffee shop attack -- his morning cup of Joe was brutally interrupted when a random stranger delivered a blow to his head in a totally unprompted attack.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Jack was at a coffee shop Wednesday in Studio City where he was sitting on the sidewalk patio. We're told someone who appeared to be homeless came out of nowhere and sucker punched Jack on the right side of his head. Jack, who had his back to the street, got up and threw his coffee at the guy ... who then ran away.

Our sources say cops were called and they found the attacker, who struggled with cops and needed to be tazed to calm the hell down. The suspect was ultimately arrested for battery and assault.

A rep for Jack tells us he is doing just fine.

The attack comes on the heels of Jack and his now ex-wife, Lisa, finalizing their divorce ... rather amicably too.

About a month ago, they reached a settlement that saw Jack pay Lisa a $1 million lump sum ... while he got to keep a bunch of their artwork.

Jussie Smollett ain't out of a job in Hollywood ... at least according to Taraji P. Henson who says the embattled actor is slated to return to "Empire" ... assuming it officially gets greenlit for season 6.

Taraji dropped the news Thursday after Joy Behar straight-up asked on "The View" if Jussie's gonna be on the show -- currently in hiatus -- next season. Taraji didn't beat around the bush saying, "Yes. I haven't heard anything else." There is, of course, wiggle room here -- she may not be looped in.

The fifth season of "Empire" wrapped up last week but there's been no official word on whether season 6 is a go ... but Taraji made it sound as if it's all but official.

Check out the vid ... Taraji's also asked if she still talks to Jussie. Her answer might surprise you. Or not.

As you know ... prosecutors dropped Jussie's case but he's still in the city of Chicago's crosshairs.

7:20 PM PT -- The woman who drove the getaway car spoke with LAPD detectives Tuesday and was allowed to go free ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ. We've learned the woman went to cops Tuesday and after interviewing her they let her leave. Our sources say the woman could be arrested and/or charged at some point in the future.

One source connected to the case tells us, "Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot." Translation -- if she talks, she walks.

As we reported, TMZ spoke with a woman who was connected to the ownership of the vehicle and told us she drove the getaway car, but did not know what Holder had done.

3:30 PM PT -- Holder's been transferred to LAPD custody now. He's being held without bail for Nipsey's murder.

2:25 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, murder suspect Eric Holder is in custody. The man arrested early Tuesday afternoon is in fact Holder, who is suspected of murdering Nipsey Hussle. The woman who is the suspected getaway driver reportedly turned herself in.

1:35 PM PT -- A man matching Eric Holder's description has reportedly been captured in the L.A. suburb of Bellflower.

Law enforcement sources tell us L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. deputies nabbed him around 12:53 PM in the 9000 block of Artesia Blvd.

We're told he's been detained for now, and LAPD is responding to make a positive ID. Dispatch audio TMZ has obtained identifies a "possible 187 suspect," meaning homicide suspect. They then confirm they have a detainee in custody, matching Holder's description.

9:33 AM PT -- The LAPD's presser just wrapped, and a number of details in the Nipsey murder case were revealed. One of the most intriguing was an email that either Nipsey himself or someone at Roc Nation sent to L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, which he read publicly.

As we reported, Nipsey wanted to get together with the police to work on ways to prevent gang violence in his neighborhood.

The email read, "Our goal is to work with the department to help improve communication, relationships and work toward changing the culture and dialogue between LAPD and the inner city. We want to hear about your new program and your goals for the department, as well as how we can help stop gang violence."

Soboroff says the meeting will happen in honor of Nipsey whenever his family and Roc Nation are ready to do it.

LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore says he doesn't believe Nipsey's murder -- allegedly carried out at the hands of Eric Holder -- was gang-related per se ... in that it wasn't a conflict between rival gangs. Moore says there was a personal dispute between them.

Chief Moore urged Holder to surrender, and anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.

8:00 AM PT -- The LAPD will hold a news conference at 8:30 AM PT to reveal developments in the case. We will be live streaming.

Cops think they have the guy who murdered Nipsey Hussle ... because they just named him as a suspect and apparently have issued an arrest warrant.

The LAPD says, "Eric Holder is wanted for the homicide in the shooting of Nipsey Hussle. He was last seen in a 2016 white 4 door Chevy Cruze, CA license plate 7RJD742. Anyone with information related to his whereabouts or this deadly shooting is urged to contact South Bureau Homicide at 323 786-5100."

Lauren London is speaking out for the first time since Nipsey Hussle was shot to death ... and she says she's lost without the father of her child.

Lauren just posted a heartfelt tribute to Nipsey on Instagram ... telling the world, "I am completely lost. I've lost my best friend, my sanctuary, my protector, my soul ... I'm lost without you. We are lost without you babe. I have no words."

Lauren had been dating the rapper for several years, and they share a son together. Earlier this year they collab'd with GQ for a super cute photo shoot, which sure looked like engagement pics.

We broke the story ... Nipsey was gunned down outside his store Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, and the L.A. County Coroner says he died from gunshot wounds to his head and torso.

Nipsey's murder suspect, Eric Holder, was taken into police custody Tuesday afternoon, and he's being held without bail.

Taylor Swift got another unwanted visitor at her Rhode Island home when a police pursuit ended with a stolen car smashing into her front gate.

Police in Hopkinton, RI confirmed to TMZ ... the high-speed chase started around 1 AM after an officer tried to conduct a traffic stop and the vehicle took off. We're told officers pursued the car, and the driver eventually lost control and plowed into the main entrance gate at Taylor's estate.

We're told the singer was not home at the time of the crash, and neither was anyone else.

Police say the teenage driver has been charged with reckless driving, felony receiving stolen goods, obstructing an officer and driving on a suspended or denied license. No bail has been set.

Taylor's had a lot of issues at this beachfront pad -- including one guy who was busted trying to swim through rough ocean water to get on the property and another who showed up on her doorstep proposing marriage.

12:44 PM -- The news conference has wrapped up. Meek spoke for several minutes and underscored the need to change the criminal justice system. He championed the cause by helping introduce House Bill 1925, which has bipartisan support.

Meek, who is still on probation, said there's a lot of statutes and laws that don't make sense ... and he's there to give the voiceless a voice.

Meek Mill's mission to reform the criminal justice system will take a huge step when he introduces a new bill at a news conference slated to begin at noon ... and TMZ will be streaming live.

The rapper will be flanked by 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin, CNN's Van Jones -- who is also the CEO of REFORM Alliance -- and several local politicians at the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building ... where they'll propose new legislation to reform the state probation and parole system.

The proposed bill aims to prevent the courts from sentencing a person to consecutive probation sentences, prevent the court from extending a person's time on probation or parole due to nonpayment of fines and fees, plus establish a system of incentives that reward good behavior.

As you know ... Meek's been pushing for reforms to the criminal justice system all over the country since he was locked up for more than 5 months on a probation violation. He helped launch REFORM Alliance with Jay-Z, among others, and they've vowed to get at least a million people out of jail over the next 5 years with a focus on probation and parole.

Meek calls this proposal the first step to changing the system in his home state. He also said, "I’ve lost too much time away from my son, my family, my friends and fans in Philly because of outdated probation laws, so I want to make sure people don’t have go through what I did.”

Richie Incognito struck a deal in his funeral home threats case -- the one where he allegedly went berserk in a mortuary last summer -- and will avoid time behind bars ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the ex-Buffalo Bills OL was arrested in Arizona last August after he allegedly threatened to shoot staffers in a funeral home following the death of his father.

Witnesses allege the 6'3', 320-pound ex-NFL star blew up on mortuary employees ... threatening to damage property and telling them he had guns in his truck.

When cops came ... Richie denied the allegations -- but they arrested the 35-year-old anyway ... booking him for disorderly conduct and threatening/intimidating people.

But, Richie cut a deal with prosecutors last week to have two of his charges -- threats and damage to property -- dropped in exchange for pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Richie's punishment? We're told he was hit with 11 months of probation and a 90-day suspended jail sentence ... which means he won't have to serve a day behind bars if he does a mental health evaluation and completes anything recommended after that.

Incognito also has to pay fines, fees and restitution ... and isn't allowed to have firearms or visit the mortuary during his probation period.

4:05 PM PT -- A longer version of the surveillance video shows the shooter -- the man in the dark shirt -- opening fire 3 separate times on Nipsey Hussle. He shoots Nipsey once ... starts walking away ... then comes back a second time and shoots again, and then a third time.

After the third time, he kicks Nipsey and flees back toward the alley ... where we initially saw him enter the video.

Multiple sources tell us before the shooter unloaded, he had a tense convo with Nipsey. We're told Nipsey asked him if he had snitched to cops in the past because that was the word on the street.

We're told the suspect felt disrespected, left to get a gun ... then returned to get revenge.

Nipsey Hussle's murder happened in view of a nearby surveillance camera -- and the footage could give police a lead in their search for the trigger man.

TMZ obtained this footage from a business adjacent to Nipsey's The Marathon Clothing store. On the left side of the screen ... you can see someone in a red shirt enter the frame from an alleyway, walking quickly toward the front of the store.

The actual shooting is hard to make out, but you can see a victim collapse to the ground, and several people fleeing the area. It's unclear if the gunman is one of those people running from the scene -- but the footage makes it clear there were several witnesses to the shooting.

Also worth nothing ... while everyone's fleeing, you do NOT see the person in the red shirt running out of the lot.

We also don't know if the victim you see on the ground is definitely Nipsey, but you can see he's wearing a white shirt like the one he was photographed in moments before the shooting.

Police have only described the shooter as a black male in his 20s, and say he escaped in a vehicle driven by a woman.

TMZ broke the story ... the Crenshaw rapper was killed Sunday afternoon, and 2 other people were shot, but survived. Nipsey was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics performed CPR on the scene and during the ambulance ride.

As we told you ... Nipsey had, ironically, planned to meet with LAPD's police chief and commissioner on Monday afternoon to discuss a plan to prevent gang violence.

Jussie Smollett getting off scot-free is bad news for R. Kelly, because prosecutors might be itching for a big win ... so worries the singer's lawyer.

Steven Greenberg tells TMZ ... the outcome of Jussie's criminal case in Cook County -- in which all 16 felony charges against him were dropped by the State's Attorney -- might be damaging for Kelly ... especially when it comes to a possible plea bargain.

He says, "I think it makes it more difficult for a friendly disposition because they’re going to be extremely reluctant to admit they brought these cases with scant evidence or that there are any other problems."

Greenberg adds State's Attorney Kim Foxx and her team may now view Kelly's case as a chance to redeem themselves after taking such intense heat from the City of Chicago and for that matter the nation for their decision to cut the actor loose.

It's worth noting -- Foxx seemed much more committed to prosecuting Kelly than Smollett. Remember, she held a news conference in early January before charges were filed, urging victims to come forward. By contrast, Foxx recused herself from Jussie's case after she'd admitted to communicating with Smollett's family.

Greenberg concedes there's no way Foxx will recuse herself in the R. Kelly case because there were no equivalent communications ... at least as far as the lawyer knows.

Kelly's facing more serious charges than Smollett -- he's been hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. All are class 2 felonies which carry a max sentence of 3 to 7 years in prison for each offense.

8:03 AM -- The hearing's now over and, as we reported, Greenberg's requested all communication between Foxx and Avenatti. As for Kelly's request for approval to travel ... that motion's been withdrawn. Greenberg said he understood Kelly's chances to travel were "slim" considering the matter wouldn't be taken up until the next court hearing May 7. Kelly had previously said he needed to travel to Dubai later this month, but the Dubai government said Kelly had no business there.

BTW ... Kelly was not at the hearing, citing an illness.

7:40 AM PT -- Kelly's legal team is already raising Avenatti's federal charges for extortion. According to the motion filed Monday morning, Greenberg says Avenatti bragged about his ability to put public pressure on Nike ... at least, according to federal prosecutors.

Greenberg also points out Avenatti has publicly talked about multiple convos with Foxx regarding the alleged sex tape. In docs, Kelly's lawyer says Avenatti has "acted as a de facto prosecutor."

Greenberg also calls out Foxx in the motion ... saying the Jussie Smollett case shows she is "able to be influenced and wowed" -- a clear reference to Foxx's communication with Tina Tchen. Foxx ended up recusing herself as a result of that communication.

Greenberg is concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or just simply manipulated" Foxx.

Avenatti's response to the motion is, "[Greenberg] is now trying to distract attention away from the clear guilt of his client by raising bogus arguments about me and Kim Foxx. The evidence is the evidence. Multiple witnesses/tapes, plus DNA. R Kelly will be convicted for his sexual abuse of girls."

7:25 AM PT -- Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, wants to know more about Michael Avenatti's relationship with Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx.

Greenberg spoke to the media before the hearing, and said he is going to request all records of Foxx and Avenatti's communications. You know, of course, Avenatti came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old.

The tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted the 10 count indictment.

R. Kelly's looking for the judge to give him the green light to travel outside the U.S., and he could get an answer when he shows up in a Cook County courtroom ... where TMZ will be streaming live.

The singer and his legal team will be in court for a hearing that had originally been scheduled for May, but it was pushed up to Monday. It's unclear exactly what the judge will cover, but we know there are a couple of unsettled issues from last week's brief hearing.

As we reported ... Kelly's legal team asked prosecutors to hand over copies of the sex tapes it claims to have as evidence. Also, their request to travel was continued but it could be brought up once again.

Kelly's side had previously said he needs permission to travel to Dubai in April for a few scheduled concerts. Problem is ... the Dubai government says Kelly's got no business there whatsoever.

Monday's hearing is set to begin at 7:30 AM PT.

Stay tuned ...

Here's video of Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers being put in cuffs and getting hauled off to jail for quietly enjoying an evening blunt with his friend in a park.

For real.

TMZ Sports has obtained the body-cam footage of Gathers' August arrest in Frisco, Texas ... and the clip shows the pretty unbelievable circumstances that led to Rico spending a night behind bars.

Gathers and his lady friend are in a public park, sitting on a bench having just enjoyed some weed ... when cops on bicycles cruise up to interrogate them.

They tell the tight end they could smell the marijuana ... and when Rico reveals he has one more fully unused blunt in his possession, the investigation escalates.

One cop pats the two down ... and ultimately decides to slap the cuffs on Gathers -- who says the weed is his -- telling him, "There's like no tolerance for that stuff here, okay?"

You can see the moment where it hits Gathers that he's truly about to be punished for such a minor offense ... 'cause he PLED with the cops to let him off with a warning.

"It's literally too close to game time," Gathers says ... "I play for the Cowboys ... I really don't need this right now."

"I know y'all don't want to see a grown man cry, but like, literally, this is too much. The media -- this is a lesson for me in general."

The cops take him to jail anyway ... and the TE was eventually charged with possession of marijuana -- a Class B misdemeanor.

Gathers had to fight the charge in court throughout the Cowboys' 2018 season ... and eventually struck a deal with prosecutors last week, agreeing to keep his nose clean for 90 days in order to have the charge dropped.

He also had to pay fines and fees.

Gathers -- who nearly lost his job because of the arrest -- finished with 4 starts at TE last season.

Lori Loughlin says you can follow her around all day ... her lips are sealed about her college bribery case.

The "Fuller House" star was leaving a yoga session in Brentwood Saturday when the paps hit her up with some questions about her alleged involvement in the scandal ... and if she's fearing prison time.

Lori was polite but firm -- she ain't talking. She did seem like she genuinely appreciated the camera guy wishing her well, though ... she even called him "honey."

As you know ... Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were among the parents indicted for allegedly paying bribes to get their kids into prestigious schools like Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA and USC. Felicity Huffman was also charged.

Loughlin's daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, have both left USC in wake of the scandal and have reportedly been keeping a low profile at the family pad in Bel-Air.

Lori and Mossimo were recently spotted together in Orange County looking very pensive about the days ahead. They face the judge in a court hearing next week.

The prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett case threw shade at the Mayor of Chicago and the Police Superintendent as she bizarrely tried to explain her decision to cut the actor loose from the justice system.

Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx wrote an op-ed piece in the Chicago Tribune, in which she says the case against Smollett was not a slam dunk. Foxx is clearly pointing the finger at Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who came out strongly in a news conference after Smollett was charged, saying the evidence was clear -- Smollett paid the Osundairo brothers to stage an "attack."

Foxx says, "For a variety of reasons, including public statements made about the evidence in this case, my office believed the likelihood of securing a conviction was not certain." She doesn't explain how those public statements would affect the case.

Foxx goes on to diminish the alleged crimes, saying Smollett was charged with a low-level felony, "The least serious category, which also covers things like falsely pulling a fire alarm in school and 'draft card mutilation.'" So, Foxx is comparing filing a false police report and falsely alleging a hate crime is like pulling a fire alarm.

She says, "These felonies are routinely resolved, particularly in cases involving suspects with no prior criminal record, long before a case ever nears a courtroom and often without either jail time or monetary penalties." What she's not telling you ... the way these cases are typically resolved is with a plea bargain ... and not outright dismissal. Remember, Jussie did no formal community service.

She then goes after Mayor Emanuel and Superintendent Johnson, saying, "Any law-enforcement leader or elected official not grandstanding or clouded by political expediency understands the purpose of sentencing guidelines." NOTE: Smollett was not sentenced. He was let go.

Kendall Jenner's alleged stalker has been arrested by ICE, and the agency made it clear ... if they didn't throw this guy out of the country there could have been a tragedy involving violence directed at Kendall.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ cops had been tracking 38-year-old John Ford for several weeks ... the guy who twice showed up at Kendall's home. Last October, he scaled a hill and ended up by her swimming pool and came back again shortly thereafter and ended up on her porch.

Turns out Ford is a Canadian citizen whose visitor visa expired, so he was in the U.S. illegally. ICE agents were on the hunt for Ford, and they got their man Monday in New Mexico at a hotel.

An ICE spokesman tells TMZ, "This timely arrest could very well have prevented a violent crime. Our special agents acted quickly on this tip to ensure that this obsessive behavior didn't escalate to become a tragedy."

Ford is now in ICE custody in El Paso, TX and is awaiting a deportation hearing.

The Kardashian-Jenner family says, "We are extremely appreciative of the hard work by the Los Angeles Police Dept. and ICE, whose swift response and professionalism led to this man's apprehension. His actions have not only had a severe impact on Kendall's life, but the entire family's sense of security, causing us to fear for Kendall's safety as well as our own. Knowing this individual is in custody gives us peace of mind."

Jussie Smollett may have just been checkmated by the City of Chicago, and it could cost him his "Empire" job.

The City is now demanding he pay $130k for the overtime required to investigate the now-infamous "attack." A City official sent Jussie a demand letter, but his people have already rejected the request, saying the only person owed anything is Jussie -- as in, an apology from the Mayor and Police Superintendent.

This has now set up a courtroom showdown, and sources connected to the Mayor tell TMZ ... they will absolutely file a civil case to get the money. Under the law, the City can actually collect 3 times the actual amount owed as a penalty -- meaning around $390,000.

If Jussie fights it in court, his "attack" case will be fully litigated. A judge will have to decide if the attack was fake before deciding whether Jussie is required to pay. What's more, the judge would only have to rule that it's more likely than not -- 51/49 percent -- that Jussie faked the attack. That's a much lower standard of proof than a criminal case, which requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction.

Now here's the hard part for Jussie. If a judge rules the attack was fake, it gives the honchos at "Empire" all the ammo they need to say he's fired, despite the fact the State's Attorney has dismissed the criminal case.

And, to add insult to injury, if Jussie loses the case but refuses to pay the judgment, the City can execute on the judgment, and that would include garnishing wages and freezing bank accounts -- including his "Empire" salary.

Natalie Portman's alleged stalker is now facing new charges after his latest arrest outside her Los Angeles home -- and unlike his past incidents, this one could earn him a stay in county jail.

The L.A. City Attorney tells TMZ ... the man arrested outside of Portman's home has been charged with violating the protective order she had against him, and also for trespassing.

We broke the story ... the actress called cops Tuesday afternoon when she noticed him poking around outside her property. Police rolled up within minutes and arrested him.

The man -- who cops say claims he's the movie character from "John Wick" -- has been caught outside Natalie's home multiple times. We're told he tried to gain access to Portman's property back in January, cops showed up and he was placed on a psychiatric hold.