Crime & Arrests

Benzino says if he sees the female officer he cursed out in his neighborhood ever again he's got two words for her ... "I'm sorry." But, he hopes she does the same.

The former "Love & Hip Hop" star tells TMZ ... he's offering a mea culpa following his meltdown and profanity-laced outrage at the female officer who assisted in his arrest outside Atlanta last week. As we first showed you, Benzino went NUCLEAR on the female officer ... yelling "Suck my d**k!" while sitting in the back seat of the squad car.

Benzino, who initially accused the officers of racial profiling, says he shoulda never cursed out the cop or used such graphic language. Check out the vid ... Benzino alleges the female cop also said nasty things to him -- like, "shut the f*** up" -- before her body cam turned on, but ultimately he still regrets the whole mess.

Blueface is not having a great start to his weekend -- cops pulled him over in his luxury sports car and apparently slapped handcuffs on him ... and we got video as it was going down.

The "Thotiana" rapper was pulled over Friday afternoon in his black Porsche. TMZ obtained this video of Blueface sitting on the curb with his hands behind his back.

Law enforcement tells us Blueface was pulled over initially for allegedly speeding, tinted windows, and didn't have plates on his new car.

We're told he was detained in cuffs due to the fact he was speeding through a residential area. However, after talking to him they determined no crime was committed and let him go. No ticket ... just a warning.

Blueface seemed to be enjoying his joy ride before 5-0 put a stop to his fun -- he posted a series of videos of himself vibin' to music in his whip. Of course, driving and using your cell phone is a big no-no too. It's somebody's lucky day.

DaBaby got some good news, bad news to start his weekend -- he will NOT serve any jail time in his North Carolina gun case ... but there are strings attached.

According to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office ... the rapper was convicted Thursday of carrying a concealed gun, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation and 30 days in jail -- however, the jail sentence is suspended.

If DaBaby stays outta datrouble during probation, he'll dodge jail altogether.

The case dates back to November ... when the rapper got into a fight with a man inside a Walmart, and the altercation resulted in the other guy getting shot and killed. DaBaby initially claimed he was threatened and was protecting himself and his kids. He never copped to pulling the trigger.

DaBaby was ultimately arrested in connection with the fatal shooting but he was NOT charged with killing the man -- instead, he was charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun.

Question remains ... who shot the man in Walmart? The DA's office tells TMZ ... investigators are still investigating that aspect of the case. There have been no other arrests or charges in connection with the shooting.

The woman who drove Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer away from the scene of the shooting is terrified she'll be the victim of a retaliation hit ... and as a key witness, police are going all out to protect her. 

According to grand jury testimony obtained by TMZ ... an LAPD detective claimed the female getaway driver -- identified only as Witness 1 in court docs -- expressed grave concern for her safety on multiple occasions. The detective stated he investigated her claims and discovered numerous legitimate threats made against the woman. 

It's no wonder the woman feared for her life ... the detective told the grand jury her license plate was making the rounds on social media shortly after the shooting. Descriptions of her physical appearance and her vehicle were also on the Internet -- all of which essentially gave vigilantes a road map to find her. 

In the same grand jury hearing, the detective said the LAPD decided it was "very important" to place the woman under their protection and possibly move her into hiding. It's unclear where she is now, or if she accepted the offer for protective custody. 

TMZ broke the story ... the woman claimed to the grand jury she was hanging out with Eric Holder, Nipsey's accused killer, on March 31 when they pulled up to the Marathon Clothing strip mall. 

She claims Holder instructed her to park and wait behind the strip mall, and then she saw him pull out a black, semi-automatic handgun before getting out of the car. Holder allegedly ran through an alley to the front of the store, and fired several shots at Nipsey and others before booking it back to the woman's car. 

It's interesting ... not only did the woman say she drove Holder to and from the scene of the crime, she also told the grand jury she and Holder were in a romantic relationship. 

Benzino blew up on a couple of cops when they hauled him for an outstanding warrant ... and his escalation to all-out tirade was captured on a police bodycam.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ, Benzino was pissed from the get-go about the incident, because he believes the cop who ran his tags racially profiled him.

When the second officer -- whose body cam vid we're seeing -- arrives and explains police can legally run his tags for any reason, Benzino gets snarky, saying ... "I didn't know that I could just be harassed for any old reason." 

The former 'Love & Hip Hop' star adds ... "Would you all pull a white person over like that?"

We broke the story ... Benzino got busted Saturday outside Atlanta. His outstanding warrant was for failure to appear in court for a no insurance ticket he got in April. 

Benzino's snark turned to outrage ... and then just plain old rage when the cops tell him the warrant is all over a prior traffic stop. That's when he started hurling f-bombs, and getting handcuffed only amped things up.

He ended going absolutely ballistic on the female officer, yelling, "Suck my d**k!" ... and threatening to sue her. Benzino's shouting and cussing -- from the backseat of the police car -- drew the attention of a female onlooker. It's unclear if she has any connection to Benzino.

The woman who drove Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer from the scene of the crime says the shooting was triggered by a conversation about snitching ... at least that's her testimony to a grand jury.

The woman -- only identified in court docs as Witness 1 -- says she and the accused, Eric Holder, were hanging out on March 31 when they went to The Marathon Clothing strip mall to get food. She says they pulled in and recognized Nipsey ... she says she was excited to see him.

According to the docs, Holder went into the burger joint to get food and she then saw him walk over to Nipsey. Holder was speaking to Nipsey and his crew for several minutes while she waited to take a selfie with him.

Witness 1 claims she saw Nipsey wave off Holder, as if he didn't want to speak with him ... but not before accusing Holder of being a snitch. She also claimed to the grand jury to have overheard Holder ask Nipsey if he ever snitched. She says Holder left the conversation and got his food from the restaurant ... then they both got into the car.  

The woman says Holder then instructed her to drive around the corner from the mall, and then she saw him pull out a black, semi-automatic handgun. He pulled back the slide and then asked her to go around the block so he could do a drive-by shooting. She says she refused.

She says Holder then got out of the car, put on a red shirt and instructed her not to move. He went through the alley, allegedly fired several shots at Nipsey and others and ran back to the car. She says when he got back in the car Holder had 2 guns -- the black semi-automatic and also a smaller revolver. He put the 9 mm in his bag of food. 

According to the docs, Witness 1 was testifying under an immunity agreement ... meaning nothing she said can be used against her in any future prosecution. She has not been charged in connection with the murder.

Additionally, Nipsey's business associate, Herman Douglas, testified for the grand jury -- he was at Marathon Clothing the day of the murder, and says he and Nipsey saw Holder in the car when he drove into the strip mall. Herman says Nipsey said, "Is that Shitty (Holder's street name)?"

Herman describes the conversation between Nipsey and Holder as non-confrontational, but he too says Nipsey told Holder he'd heard rumors about him snitching ... and Nipsey advised Holder to take care of it. 

UFC fighter Desmond Green was arrested for DUI manslaughter Tuesday after he allegedly caused a 5-car crash that killed 2 women back in August ... and officials claim he had alcohol and drugs in his system and cocaine in his vehicle.

29-year-old Green is facing multiple charges after he allegedly lost control of his 2011 Dodge Durango on I-75 and swerved into a semi truck on August 18.

So, why did it take so long to arrest Green? Officials say they conducted a massive investigation that took months to complete. And now, they feel they have enough information to successfully prosecute Green.

Here's what cops say happened ...

The initial collision started a chain reaction ... with Green's car striking several vehicles, killing a 67-year-old woman and a 76-year-old woman. Cops say 2 others were also seriously injured.

Cops say Green sustained minor injuries from the incident.

According to the police report, witnesses told cops Green threw a container over the highway barrier after the crash ... which cops say was a metal grinder with weed inside.

The report also says Green -- who wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash -- had a bag of cocaine in the front seat of his car.

Cops claim Green showed signs of being drunk -- he had slurred speech and smelled like booze -- and toxicology tests showed he had alcohol and drugs in his system.

Green is now facing a slew of criminal charges -- including multiple felony manslaughter counts -- and faces serious prison time if convicted.

7:35 AM PT -- The hearing is over, it only went about 20 minutes, and Cuba's attorneys did not get a ruling on their motion to dismiss. The judge said she would not make any "rash decisions," and certainly not before prosecutors have a chance to respond on July 17.

Judge Keshia Espinal added she would rule on the motion to dismiss on August 14.

Prosecutors filed a deposition from the accuser in which she details her account of the alleged groping.

Cuba Gooding Jr. just arrived to a Manhattan courthouse for a hearing in his groping case ... and the actor is trying to convince the D.A. to drop the charges against him.

We got Cuba strolling into court Wednesday morning, flanked by his legal team and NYPD officers for security. As we've reported, prosecutors have charged Cuba with one count of misdemeanor forcible touching and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree.

The Oscar winner's attorneys, Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis, say their client is innocent and have filed a motion to dismiss the charges. The judge is expected to address that motion Wednesday in court.

Cuba was arrested earlier this month, turning himself in to police a few days after a woman called 911 alleging the Oscar winner touched her breast without her consent while at a New York bar. He's pled not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Cuba feels his accusers own words -- from blog entries -- show she has a "warped mental state." His motion to dismiss widely quotes blogs where she allegedly said she was starving for attention and also suffering PTSD and anxiety disorder.

Cuba also wants a full exoneration, and his lawyers have argued the case is littered with factual inconsistencies, a lack of conclusive video evidence and an alleged screwup in the NYPD investigation.

Story developing ...

Benzino got busted for failing to appear in court for a traffic violation, but before cops slapped the cuffs on him ... and he let it be known he thinks the real reason is because of his race.

According to law enforcement ... the former 'Love & Hip Hop' star was parked in the middle of the street outside Atlanta on Saturday, blocking it, so a cop ran his plates. The car came back with a warrant hit on Benzino because he got ticketed for no insurance back in April and never showed.

The officer claims he explained his reason for checking Benzino's tag and discovering the warrant, but the ex-reality star wasn't having it ... and repeatedly said he was being harassed because of his race.

Another officer showed up and Benzino was cuffed. According to the report, he began using profanity and kept it going while he was taken to jail.

Benzino repeatedly said on the ride to jail, "I am feeling faint" and asked for water. The cop told him he could get some at the jail, and called an ambulance to check him out upon his arrival.

The report says medical workers spoke to Benzino and he declined a trip to the hospital. He was then taken inside the jail, but there was another issue ... he told cops his cuffs were too tight and his wrists hurt.

Cops swapped out his cuffs and they took photos of his wrists. Benzino was then turned over to jail personnel. He was booked for failure to appear and released.

NBA veteran Allen Crabbe -- who was just traded to the ATL Hawks -- was arrested for DUI on the Sunset Strip late Tuesday night ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

We're told cops noticed the 27-year-old was "straddling lanes" around 11:30 PM -- so they pulled him over ... and during the stop, the officer suspected he was drunk.

The 6'6", 210 pounder was asked to step out of the car to perform a field sobriety test -- which he did --- and while it didn't appear he bombed it (based on the video we shot) ... the cops still felt he was under the influence.

In fact, we're told he blew a .08 -- which is EXACTLY the legal limit in California ... so Crabbe was arrested and booked for misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence.

We're told Crabbe couldn't have been more cooperative with police. He was taken to a nearby station where he was held for a few hours. We're told he's currently in the process of being released.

We spoke to someone close to Crabbe who tells us he's in town to work with the Frederick K. C. Price III Christian School in South Central, where he's volunteered time and money over the years.

1:08 PM PT -- Cardi has officially left the building ... with plenty of love from her fans.

Cardi B is entering her plea on all the new charges in the strip club beatdown case.

Fresh of her Album of the Year win at the BET Awards ... Cardi arrived at the courthouse in Queens decked out in a black pantsuit. Inside the judge told her she's being charged with attempted assault in the 2nd degree and various other charges.

The judge gave Cardi the option of having all the charges read aloud in court. Her attorney said that would not be necessary -- and then Cardi said, "Not guilty sir, honor"

As we reported ... Cardi was indicted last week on 12 charges, including 2 counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious physical injury. Other charges include misdemeanor reckless endangerment, assault, criminal solicitation, conspiracy and harassment.

This came after the rapper was initially charged with just 2 misdemeanors for allegedly ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders who are sisters -- Jade and Baddie Gi -- back in August 2018.

However, after Cardi rejected a plea deal that would have given her a conditional discharge in return for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor ... a grand jury was convened and eventually handed up the 12-count indictment.

There are 2 codefendants in the case and they were also arraigned today -- both plead not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi was arrested in October for her alleged role in the strip club incident, in which the 2 women claim they were injured when Cardi's people began throwing bottles and chairs.

If convicted on the new felony charges, we're told Cardi faces up to 4 years in prison.

10:46 AM PT -- Kevin Jr.'s attorney, Ray Hamlin, tells TMZ he expects the case will be fully resolved. Hamlin says Kevin Sr. is not interested in bringing charges against his son. What's more, there's a state-wide conditional dismissal program Kevin Jr. can qualify for -- available to those without a prior criminal record -- to completely clear his name as long as he stays out of trouble.

8:30 AM PT -- Wendy and Kevin Sr. were in a car outside the courthouse. We're told they were advised it was unnecessary for them to go inside because the case was continued.

7:40 AM PT -- Kevin Jr. showed up in court and there was a change of plans, because neither of his parents showed up. He entered a not guilty plea ... and the prosecutor asked for more time so he'd have more time to review the case.

The prosecutor said he wanted to "review factors in the case" and said he thought the case would be resolved at the next hearing. That screams plea bargain or outright dismissal of charges. As you know, Kevin Sr. has said he did not want to press charges.

Wendy Williams will be right behind her son Tuesday in court when he enters a plea in his assault case, and it looks like the incident that got him arrested may have significantly reduced tensions between Wendy and her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Sources connected to Wendy tell us, she along with estranged husband Kevin Hunter, will present a united front, supporting their 18-year-old son ... who allegedly punched his dad in the nose during a heated argument.

It seems the incident last month may have actually eased tensions between Wendy and Kevin. We're told the divorce is going forward for sure -- this after Wendy learned Kevin father a baby with his mistress -- but we're told she believes it doesn't cancel out their 28-year relationship. Wendy told a friend, "There's still love between us, regardless of the divorce," adding they are still friends.

Our sources say Wendy does not want to create a spectacle in the New Jersey courtroom. She will say nothing in court ... she's only there to support her son, as is Kevin.

Kevin Sr. does not want to press charges, but because it's a domestic incident prosecutors often press on regardless.

Short story ... Wendy is saying she and Kevin Hunter Sr. will "work through this" and will maintain a relationship grounded in friendship, in no small part for the benefit of their son.

DaBaby should be held responsible for allowing his crew to unleash a violent attack ... so claims a fellow rapper who was allegedly beaten into a coma by the group.

Donald Saladin -- whose stage name is Don Trag -- is suing DaBaby just over a month after DaBaby's crew was caught on video beating the crap outta him outside a Massachusetts club.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Don Trag claims DaBaby failed to adequately train his team of bodyguards and set them loose knowing they had violent tendencies. TMZ broke the story ... Trag was supposed to perform at Centro Nightclub in Lawrence, MA on the same night DaBaby was playing there.

As we told you ... Trag claims he asked to take a pic with DaBaby, got turned down and then he insisted ... DB's crew unleashed a can of whoop ass as DaBaby looked on.

In his lawsuit, Trag says he sustained serious injuries to his head, eyes, neck and spine. Trag's brother told us he suffered significant brain and neck swelling and slipped into a coma. According to docs ... Trag's racked up $30k in hospital bills and anticipates $75k in more bills.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys RB Joseph Randle's rape case has been put on pause ... TMZ Sports has learned a Kansas court is ordering him to take a mental health evaluation to determine if he's fit to be tried.

Randle is accused of raping a woman for hours last September in Sedgwick County, Kansas ... and he's been fighting 11 serious charges in court ever since.

But, the attorneys for Randle -- who's been in and out of jail and mental health facilities for the past few years -- have argued the former NFL player is not in the right state of mind to defend himself.

Now, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett tells us the case has been taken off the docket ... with officials wanting to see if Randle is, in fact, mentally fit to face the charges.

Bennett tells us if Randle is NOT able to pass the testing ... he will be placed in a state mental institution until he can "regain competency."

For his part, Randle said at his last hearing date on Feb. 12 that he did NOT rape his accuser ... saying, "she never said no."

Former WWE star Terri Runnels will NOT go to prison after she brought a loaded gun to the airport ... TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors have dropped the case and she's now off the hook.

We broke the story, Runnels was busted at Tampa International Airport on May 29 when cops say they found a Glock 9mm handgun inside of a sock in the ex-wrestler's backpack.

In the pic of the gun obtained by TMZ Sports -- you can see there were AT LEAST 11 bullets accompanying the firearm.

But, Runnels told cops the whole thing was a genuine mistake -- saying she had forgotten to take the gun out of her bag after she went to kill an armadillo that was digging up her mom's yard.

Officials at the time clearly didn't care ... they hit her with a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm -- and she was facing up to 5 YEARS in prison.

But, we've learned prosecutors have decided to drop the case issuing a "letter of release" dismissal.

According to court officials, it basically means the case has been dismissed ... but in theory, prosecutors could pick up the case down the road. But again, we're told the odds of that happening are extremely slim.

Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.

She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.

Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.

Cuba Gooding Jr. says his accuser's own words show she has a "warped mental state" ... and, therefore, the D.A. should drop the charges against him for the alleged groping incident.

Cuba's attorneys, Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis, filed a motion to dismiss that featured several quotes from the accuser discussing her mental health. Cuba's team says the quotes were taken from a blog -- and Cuba himself says he's seen enough.

He tells TMZ ... "After reading and reviewing the motion to dismiss in the interest of justice, I was deeply surprised that the prosecutors office didn’t evaluate this woman’s history before undertaking to prosecute me in light of her warped mental state as revealed by her blog."

The blog posts, allegedly from the accuser, include lines like, "I got diagnosed with depression, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD and basically learned that my brain was one big fat mass." Another line reads, "I am quite prideful. I must win."

And, perhaps the most damning and relative one says, "[I]n a world of extensions and fake boobs, my short haircut paired with my moderate breast size makes me feel invisible. Some people are scared of others and want nothing more than to be invisible. I am not that type of person. I am starting to be seen."

The Oscar winner's motion to dismiss, filed Friday, also leaned into what his lawyers believe are factual inconsistencies on the part of the accuser -- getting her story mixed up, different time accounts, and a lack of conclusive video evidence, as well as an alleged screwup in the way NYPD investigated the matter.

For all these reasons, Cuba and co. say the charges should be dropped and he should be fully exonerated, 'cause they feel the evidence just doesn't add up to what she's claiming.

The judge hasn't ruled on the motion to dismiss yet ... a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and Cuba seems optimistic.