Crime & Arrests

Cuba Gooding Jr. remembers 2 things distinctly about his accuser -- that he absolutely did NOT touch her breast, and also that unlike most fans he meets ... she claimed to LOVE one of his worst movies.

Cuba's lawyer, Mark Heller, tells TMZ ... the actor says when his accuser approached him at the NYC club, sitting down on the couch next to him and his girlfriend ... she said she was a fan of his movies, especially "Snow Dogs." If you've seen it, you know why that would stand out to Gooding.

That initial interaction is what you see in the surveillance video TMZ obtained.

We're told, Gooding initially thought she was messing with him because she shouted out "Snow Dogs" over his Oscar-caliber classics, but he decided to be friendly since she was a fan.

As for the touching that's evident in the video ... Heller says Gooding admits placing his hand on her thigh as a cordial gesture -- as friends might do when sitting closely. Then he says he brought his hand up to her hand -- NOT her breast -- and brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. Again, Gooding says it was all a "friendly gesture."

The actor insists he did not touch the woman's breast and wasn't hitting on her ... as he was ever mindful his girlfriend, Claudine De Niro, was sitting in between them.

After the encounter, Cuba and Claudine went downstairs at the club to make out on a couch when the accuser confronted Gooding's security about the alleged groping. We're told Gooding says he had no idea what she was talking about and was confused about who she even was, because he'd met so many people that night. He then got up to leave.

When the case hit the media, Gooding claims he only remembered his interaction with the woman ... mostly because the surveillance video triggered his memory about her love of "Snow Dogs."

As for initial reports about club security having to break up a heated argument between Cuba and the accuser ... Heller says it didn't happen. He adds there are no witnesses nor video to support it either.

Gable Steveson -- one of the top heavyweight college wrestlers in the country -- was arrested Saturday for criminal sexual conduct ... and he's still in custody.

Steveson is a superstar wrestler at the University of Minnesota -- where he just wrapped up his freshman year with an incredible 35-2 record ... finishing as the #3 ranked heavyweight in the country.

But now, he's in huge trouble ... the 19-year-old was arrested at his Minneapolis home on Saturday after a person told police Steveson and another UM wrestler committed sexual assault with an object on Saturday.

The teammate, 21-year-old Dylan Martinez, was also arrested Saturday for suspected criminal sexual conduct.

Both men are being investigated for allegedly penetrating another individual with an object. The accuser went to the hospital for treatment, according to the police report.

The accuser's identity has not been released. Details surrounding the allegations are unclear.

What is clear ... Steveson is adamant he did NOTHING wrong. His attorney, Christa Groshek, said the wrestler is cooperating with the police investigation and he's adamant he is innocent.

The University of Minnesota has issued a statement, saying, "We are aware of a situation involving two of our student athletes and are in the process of gathering more information."

"These students have been suspended from all team activity pending further information. Federal and state law precludes any further details at this time."

"Little Women: Atlanta" star Ashley "Minnie" Ross says she had just 1 beer when she got busted for DUI.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ ... cops in Chattanooga, Tennessee were notified Thursday just before 3 AM of a female slumped over in the driver's seat of an SUV. When cops responded, they woke up the 4'3'' reality star and immediately smelled booze on her breath.

When asked if she had any drinks earlier that night, cops say Minnie told them she had just 1 beer. She was instructed to get outta the car and given a series of field sobriety tests, which she bombed ... swaying and using her arm for balance.

She was asked to recite the alphabet from letter E and stop at W ... but Minnie stopped at Z. She was asked to count backward from 69 and stop at 39 but she stopped at 1.

Despite the very detailed police report ... a source close to Minnie says she passed all of the field sobriety tests and she was texting -- not asleep at the wheel -- when cops showed up.

Minnie was placed under arrest for DUI and taken to Hamilton County Jail without incident. She was later released on bail.

Bryshere Gray -- best known for his role as one of the Lyon children on "Empire" -- desperately needs to make a trip to the DMV ... because he was arrested for some driving-related offenses.

Bryshere was in Chicago Thursday when he was pulled over for a registration issue ... the tags didn't match the car. Cops then discovered he was driving his 2014 Rolls-Royce without a license or insurance.

The actor was booked on a misdemeanor -- registration that was not authorized on the vehicle -- and released. He was also cited for not having a license or insurance.

This is the latest woe of "Empire." As you know, Jussie Smollett was arrested and charged with lying to cops over what they say was a fake attack. The prosecutor later dropped the case.

Kim Kardashian definitely earned her title as Princess of Prison Reform ... using her celebrity status for good has yielded nothing but positive results, so says one of her freed prisoners.

The first prisoner released under the First Step Act -- Matthew Charles -- showered Kim with praise when we ran into him on Capitol Hill. As we reported, Kim not only helped secure his release ... she's covered the next 5 years of rent while he gets back on his feet.

Kim was front and center at The White House Thursday to unveil her latest prison reform initiative -- a rideshare partnership that allows inmates to travel to job interviews. The end game is to make them productive citizens rather than recidivists.

Kim's been a big help by writing checks so various lawyers and prison reform groups can do their thing ... and they have done their thing with success, recently freeing more than 17 inmates and counting. These are mostly inmates who are serving long terms for non-violent -- mostly drug -- offenses.

3:46 PM PT -- Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells TMZ ... " This does not in any way change the facts of the assault for which Remy ma is being prosecuted by the NY DA."

Brittney Taylor, who claims Remy Ma attacked her, is now in hot water herself for allegedly dishing out a beating during a brawl that covered 35 floors of her Manhattan luxury apartment ... TMZ has learned.

The "Love & Hip Hop" star got arrested early Friday morning after a fight started in her apartment. Law enforcement sources tell us Brittney and another woman were arguing in Brittney's midtown pad when things got physical.

Brittney allegedly scratched the woman, leaving marks on her. She fled to an elevator, but we're told Brittney hopped in another elevator and met the alleged victim in the lobby ... where the beatdown continued. She allegedly pulled a Naomi Campbell special -- hurling her cell phone and clocking the woman in the forehead.

We're told Brittney retreated to her apartment, but a little while later NYPD showed up to haul her in for assault and aggravated harassment ... both misdemeanors.

She was released without bail.

The arrest is kinda ironic. Remy Ma is currently facing the same exact charges for an allegedly punching Brittney back in April during a concert.

Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells us his client has a court date next month to face the charges.

A pretty significant development in the Cristiano Ronaldo alleged rape lawsuit -- TMZ Sports has learned the soccer star has been served with the court papers and the battle is now underway.

Remember, the accuser Kathryn Mayorga recently withdrew her lawsuit from state court in Nevada to focus on the lawsuit in federal court, mostly because state court laws were making it hard for her legal team to serve Ronaldo with the court docs.

And, just days after making the move, Mayorga's team had success serving CR7 -- which means the case can now move forward.

In fact, Ronaldo's legal team has already responded to the lawsuit with court docs of their own in which they ask the judge for permission to file a new 46-page document which will presumably lay out their argument for the court to throw out the case.

As we previously reported, Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009 after partying together at a nightclub.

She had initially filed a police report describing the alleged crime -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name.

In her original lawsuit, Mayorga says she later accepted a $375,000 payment in exchange for her silence -- but now, she wants that agreement voided.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. reopened the case -- but so far, no charges have been brought against the soccer star.

Ronaldo has previously denied the allegations -- saying back in 2018, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

Kellen Winslow Jr. will be retried on the 8 remaining counts that weren't decided by the jury in his rape case, officials say.

Remember, the ex-NFL star was convicted of 3 of the 12 total charges, including 1 charge of felony forcible rape. He was found not guilty of 1 count of lewd conduct.

But, the jury had deadlocked on the 8 remaining charges stemming from allegations he raped 2 additional women and exposed his genitals to 2 others.

Now, prosecutors have announced they're taking another swing at the 8 remaining charges -- with a retrial set to begin later this year. Jury selection begins in Sept.

Because of his rape conviction last week ... Winslow is now facing up to 9 years in prison -- but if he's found guilty of the rest of the charges against him, he could face up to LIFE in prison.

Winslow's attorney asked the judge to release his client from custody with a GPS-tracking device -- but the judge shot that request down hard. He'll remain behind bars indefinitely.

As we previously reported, 35-year-old Winslow was arrested back in June 2018 after officials say he kidnapped and raped 2 transient women in 2 separate incidents (one in March and another in May).

A 3rd woman later stepped forward and also claimed Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious.

Kellen was also accused of exposing himself to two other women in separate incidents over the past year as well.

Cuba Gooding Jr. definitely touched the thigh and breast of the woman accusing him of groping -- it's clear in this surveillance video obtained by TMZ -- but his attorneys seem to be interpreting the video much differently from police.

Around 10:15 PM on Sunday, Gooding and his GF, Claudine De Niro, were sitting on a couch in the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge in NYC ... when the accuser sat down next to them. Almost immediately you see Gooding reach over Claudine and place his hand on the woman's left thigh.

A few seconds later his hand moves up to her breast, and the accuser puts her hand on his. What happens next is open to interpretation -- she either pushes his hand back toward him, or he pulls her hand to his mouth and kisses it.

Another man then walks over and stands in front of the group. He puts his hands on the shoulders of Gooding and the accuser, leans over and appears to be talking to the entire group.

Things get a little weird then ... as the man gyrates, drawing attention to his crotch. It appears Gooding and his GF playfully paw at his crotch. The guy also takes a drink away from Gooding. A few more people join the group, and everyone's casually chatting for a few more minutes. They all walk away -- separately but in the same direction -- about 3 minutes after the initial touching. There's no argument.

However, about 30 minutes later ... Cuba and Claudine were downstairs lounging on a couch and making out. A man, who we're told works security for the bar, was standing next to the couch when the accuser approached him and started arguing.

We've blurred her face to protect her identity, but she appears to say, "Yes, he did." She repeated that after the security guard shook his head. It's unclear if Cuba heard their conversation, but he got up, stumbled and then walked right past the accuser and left.

Claudine and the security guard followed right behind him.

As we reported, Gooding was arrested Thursday and booked for misdemeanor forcible touching and sexual abuse in the third degree. His attorney, Mark Heller, told us Wednesday he saw "no criminality" on Cuba's part in the video ... something he repeated after the arrest.

We called Heller about this post, but he declined to comment.

The man who shot MLB legend David Ortiz issued a desperate statement from his jail cell Thursday -- admitting he pulled the trigger ... but claiming Big Papi was NOT the man he was trying to kill.

25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz peeked his face out through bars in the Dominican Republic to address the hoards of reporters crowded outside the jail ... and made the shocking comments.

"It wasn't supposed to be David," Rolfi said in Spanish from behind a barred window ... explaining it was the color of David's clothing that confused him.

You can also hear another man in the cell -- presumably another suspect in the case -- telling Rolfi in Spanish, "Tell them it wasn't meant for David."

Cruz did NOT reveal who the intended target was -- only suggesting he was sent to the Dial Bar on Sunday to kill another man who was dressed like Ortiz that night.

So far, at least 6 people have been arrested in the attempted murder plot -- and cops are still searching for other suspects ... including Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase, who is also a suspect in a 2018 shooting in Pennsylvania.

Officials still have not revealed a possible motive for the attack.

Surveillance footage of the incident show 2 men -- including Cruz -- rolling up to the bar on a motorcycle. Cruz walks right up to Ortiz and shoots him in the back before trying to make a getaway.

The motorcycle crashed and the suspects tried to flee -- but one man was stopped and beaten by bystanders.

Can you picture R. Kelly working the register in a red shirt and an apron at Del Taco? His ex-wife can ... if that's what it takes to dig himself out of a child support hole.

Drea Kelly and her daughter, Buku Abi -- who are both on "Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta" -- joined "TMZ Live" Thursday and pretty much she said she doesn't give a damn what kinda job Kelly has to land to meet his legal obligations ... so long as he once and for all wipes his debts clean.

As we first reported ... Drea asked the court for a hard and fast deadline for Kelly to pay her the $32k he owes. Kelly's camp previously insisted the money owed is interest and not back child support ... but we've learned only $11,500 of it is interest and the rest is for unpaid child support and educational expenses.

Check out the clip ... Drea suggests the fast food joint for the King of R&B.

Kelly, of course, has hired an army of lawyers for his mounting legal troubles, which can't be cheap. This is on top of back child support he's already ponied up ... to the tune of $161,633. That money, we were told, came from a benefactor. So, you can see why Drea's worried.

Dominican Republic prosecutors have released new video that shows a different angle of a man shooting David Ortiz in the back ... as well as the motorcycle crash that followed the attack.

Prosecutors say 25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz and several others were paid around $8,000 to try to kill Big Papi in the D.R. last Sunday night.

Officials say the plan involved two cars and a motorcycle ... and they allege the new video they released late Wednesday shows the whole scene.

You can see in the vid ... two men arrive on the scene riding the same motorcycle, when one gets off near the nightclub that Ortiz is partying at.

The guy casually strolls up the sidewalk ... and then pulls out a gun and fires on the Red Sox legend's back. He then takes off, and gets back on the motorcycle with another man.

But, the new video shows the two men crashed to the pavement just yards away from the shooting ... with one of the men able to flee the scene.

Of course, the other man wasn't able to make a break for it ... getting caught by bystanders and then beaten to a pulp.

D.R. officials say they've arrested six men total in the plot to kill Ortiz so far ... and say there is still at least one man on the run.

As for Ortiz ... his wife, Tiffany, said in a statement Thursday, "David remains in guarded condition in the surgical intensive care following his second surgery. He continues to heal and make progress."

David Ortiz's wife is shouting out the man who raced the MLB star to the hospital -- crashing his own car in the process -- in the wake of Sunday's assassination attempt in the Dominican Republic.

"I want to take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Eliezer Salvador, owner of Presidente Sports, for your quick thinking and swift action on Sunday night," Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement.

"Your heroism and selflessness were the first steps to ensuring David could get the urgent care he required. For that we are eternally grateful."

Salvador runs a sports betting firm in the D.R. and was at the scene when Big Papi was shot Sunday night. When Ortiz went down, Salvador quickly put the legend in his own car and raced to the hospital because he didn't want to wait for an ambulance.

Salvador says he raced at speeds of over 100 MPH and made the trip in under 7 minutes. He later made a social media video showing that he had David's jewelry so the family wouldn't worry.

Tiffany says the quick-thinking decision may have saved David's life.

Ortiz's wife also gave props to the doctors who worked on David.

"To the amazing surgeons, medical team, and staff at the Abel Gonzalez Clinic in the Dominican Republic, there are no words to express our gratitude for the amazing care you provided."

'Without you, our story could have had a tragic ending. You will forever be our guardian angels."

As for David's condition ...

"David remains in guarded condition in the surgical intensive care following his second surgery. He continues to heal and make progress."

3:32 PM PT -- Dominican Republic police have released the mug shot of the man they say shot Big Papi, 25-year-old Rolfi Ferreira Cruz.

D.R. officials also announced they have now arrested SIX total people in connection with the attack on Ortiz ... and say there is at least 1 other suspect still on the run.

The man who allegedly shot David Ortiz has been arrested ... officials announced Wednesday -- saying the shooter, along with 5 other suspects, were paid 400,000 pesos to kill Big Papi.

As we previously reported, Ortiz was shot in the back on Sunday night as he was sitting in an outside patio area of a popular Dominican Republic nightclub.

D.R. cops say two young men drove up to the scene on a motorcycle ... when one of them got off to fire a single bullet into the Red Sox legend's lower back.

Cops say the guys tried to flee the scene on the bike afterward ... but when it fell to the pavement -- they tried to make a run for it on foot.

One of the guys -- the alleged shooter -- was able to escape ... but the other suspect, Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia, was beaten to a pulp on the scene by bystanders before he was handed over to cops.

Now, D.R. officials are saying they've caught the suspected shooter and arrested him ... and have also detained 3 additional people they say contributed to the ambush.

Officials say 6 total individuals were paid 400,000 pesos (the equivalent of $8K) to kill Ortiz in what they believe was a highly-orchestrated attack.

They say the ambush involved 2 vehicles and 1 motorcycle ... and announced 5 of the suspects are now in custody, but one remains at large.

A motive has yet to be determined.

During the press conference, officials also presented the gun they believe was used to shoot Ortiz.

Big Papi underwent surgery late Sunday night to repair the damage the bullet caused ... with surgeons saying they needed to remove his gallbladder and parts of his intestines.

David underwent a second procedure on Monday night after he returned back to Boston.

In a statement released Wednesday by Ortiz's wife, Tiffany Ortiz, she said, "His condition is guarded and he will remain in the ICU for the coming days, but he is making good progress towards recovery."

6/12 4:13 PM PT -- The hearing just went down in L.A. ... and Avenatti is now officially in the clear. He just tweeted, "Today I attended the hearing in the matter relating to the allegations of Ms. Miniutti. At the conclusion of that hearing, I was again informed that NO CHARGES will be filed against me. As I predicted long ago, I was not charged because I did nothing wrong."

Michael Avenatti will not be charged with any crime in connection with his domestic violence arrest.

The L.A. City Attorney just announced it will hold an informal hearing in which the alleged victim, Mareli Miniutti, and Avenatti will appear separately and talk about what happened back in November, when the woman claimed he got violent with her ... something Avenatti denies.

The City Attorney says the woman "will be advised of services available to her." As for Avenatti, the City Attorney says "The suspect will be informed that although we decline to file charges at this time, this matter remains open and we may file charges at any time prior to the expiration of the statute of limitations."

As we reported, the L.A. County D.A. declined to file felony charges.

Mareli also got a temporary restraining order against Avenatti ... a hearing on that matter has been postponed until next month.

Wendy Williams is having some carefree fun with that guy she met in L.A. -- and while she's aware of his criminal history, she adds ... it makes no difference because, "I'm not stupid!"

Wendy and the guy, Marc Tomblin, were all over NYC Tuesday doing some hardcore shopping, and yes ... even stopping by an ATM to make a withdrawal. The pics are kinda ironic, considering Tomblin has a record for armed robbery.

According to court records, Tomblin pled guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon in Charlotte back in 2013. Police say he was part of a group of 3 people who robbed a man at gunpoint. He was sentenced to 15-30 months -- none of which is a surprise to Wendy.

The talk show host tells TMZ ... Marc had already told her about his conviction, and her assistant also gave her a heads up. Wendy says her reaction is, "I am a 54-year-old grown ass woman. I know what I'm doing."

Wendy describes it as just good fun between friends, something she deserves.

After all, as she put it ... "Look, my husband had a full baby with a woman he was involved with for 15 years ... where I was cooped up only to be a show pony. Now, I'm living my life."

As for the pics of them at an ATM -- Wendy says she thought, "Oh my God, if cameras are there it will be, 'there she is giving him money.'"

TMZ broke the story, Wendy met Tomblin while she was partying with her pal, Blac Chyna. Wendy says she was jonesin' for barbecue potato chips and orange soda one night, and he knew where to score both.

She joked on social media she was old enough to be his mother -- but Tomblin was still by her side late Sunday night when she got emotional, talking about her family drama.