The son of ex-"Real Housewives of Orange County" star Lauri Peterson says he was almost killed in jail ... and now he's suing.
Josh Waringjust filed a lawsuit Monday against Orange County and two OC Sheriff's deputies assigned to the Orange County men's central jail ... Josh claims the sheriff's deputies tried to have him killed out of retaliation.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Josh claims guards inside the jail told him a razor blade attack against him was retaliation for prior complaints Josh made about sheriff's deputies.
As we first reported ... Josh was ambushed back in October 2019 at the Orange County jail in Santa Ana and brutally assaulted by another inmate wielding razor blades wrapped in towels. The attack was caught on camera, and Josh claims guards let it happen because he complained about his case.
Remember ... Josh was locked up for nearly 4 years while waiting for his trial following a July 2016 arrest when he was accused of shooting a man outside a sober living home. Waring initially pled not guilty.
In the suit, Josh details his harrowing time behind bars ... claiming one of the sheriff's deputies, Ever Zelaya, threatened to choke him out and warned him to watch out. He says Zelaya told him "You better watch the f*** out, I just killed the last guy who pissed me off and I got a paid vacation."
According to the docs, Josh claims Zelaya and another sheriff's deputy, Ryan Hansen, also tried to kill him when they entered his cell and unleashed several rounds of pepper spray balls.
Josh, who is out of jail after copping a plea in his attempted murder case, is suing the county for damages.
9:07 AM PT -- 4/6TMZ Sports has just obtained Mayweather's mug shot. According to cops, Iyanna stabbed Jacobs multiple times in the bicep ... she was transported to the hospital in stable condition.
Floyd Mayweather's daughter, Iyanna, has been arrested for felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, TMZ has learned, and it appears to have been a confrontation over NBA Youngboy.
Iyanna Mayweather is currently in Houston's Harris County jail after getting arrested at 1:30 AM Saturday. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the alleged victim and NBA Youngboy were at his home when Iyanna arrived and told the woman, Lapattra Lashai Jacobs, she was Youngboy's fiancee and Jacobs should leave the house. Jacobs then told Iyanna to leave.
We're told the argument moved into the kitchen, where Iyanna was holding 2 knives. According to our sources, Jacobs stepped toward Iyanna and Iyanna charged at her with one of the knives. Jacobs told cops she didn't feel the first knife wound but then she said Iyanna charged at her with the second knife, stabbing her again.
When EMTs arrived, Jacobs was laying on the floor. She was taken to the hospital. We do not know her condition.
Youngboy, who was home at the time, was briefly handcuffed by cops -- presumably as a precautionary measure -- before being released.
Iyanna told cops Jacobs had incited her by initially pulling her hair outside the house and then running into the kitchen, where the confrontation went down.
Two pro rugby players in Fiji were hauled off to jail after local authorities say they broke quarantine rules ... and the Fijian prime minister was PISSED over their actions.
"[They put] the whole of Fiji at risk," Frank Bainimarama said Sunday.
One of the offenders is reportedly 29-year-old Harlequins star Semi Kunatani. The other has yet to be identified.
The two are accused of skirting 14-day isolation rules upon their return to Fiji from overseas ... with Bainimarama saying one of the men actually tried to flee from officers when confronted.
"Unlucky for him he couldn't step his way past our Fiji police force. He has been arrested and is in isolation at Nadi Hospital," Bainimarama said.
The two players were also ripped apart by Fiji rugby's chief executive, John O'Connor, who promised further punishment for the men after their jail time.
"Such irresponsible behavior is totally unacceptable and we support the actions of the police in arresting these two players and any further action taken against them," O'Connor said.
"Fiji Rugby will take appropriate disciplinary actions against the professional rugby players, including reporting this highly irresponsible behavior to their clubs and World Rugby."
FYI ... Fiji has been one of the countries least impacted by COVID-19, with only 14 confirmed cases in the nation.
6:12 PM PT -- Hill's attorney, Linda Savitt, tells TMZ Sports, "Jim Hill denies the allegations."
UPDATE
"This was a strategic maneuver on the part of Ms. Lee on the eve of a prescheduled mediation to resolve their personal relationship. We understand and anticipate she is withdrawing the allegations."
Jim Hill -- the ex-NFL player turned L.A. sports broadcasting legend -- has been hit with a restraining order after his girlfriend accused him of domestic violence.
It's all spelled out in court papers obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which Lori Lee -- who describes herself as Hill's "domestic partner" -- claims Hill got violent with her during a March 14 incident at their L.A. home.
In the docs, Lee claims she confronted Hill about a luggage tag on his golf bag from the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas. Lee claims Hill had told her he had been visiting his sister in Texas -- but it seems he was caught in a lie.
Lee claims 73-year-old Hill began to act erratically and at one point, he grabbed his driver and "raised it into the air in a baseball stance" and yelled, "don't touch my f**cking golf bag!"
Lee claims she crouched into the fetal position in fear she was going to be hit -- but Jim never swung at her.
Instead, she got up and claims Hill used the club to pin her against the wall by her neck.
In the docs, Lee also claims Hill told her had thought he had COVID-19 after attending a recent Lakers game ... and during their argument, he stuck his tongue out and licked her face in an aggressive manner.
Lee claims she called the police and filed a report.
In the docs, Lee claims there is a history of violent behavior from Hill dating back to Spring 2019.
A judge granted a restraining order against Hill -- requiring him to move out of their home and stay at least 100 yards from Lee and her nephew, who also lives at the house.
A court date has been set for April 22 -- when Hill will be able to tell his side of the story in front of the judge.
Hill is a broadcasting legend in L.A. -- with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In fact, May 9 is "Jim Hill Day" in Los Angeles.
Back in the day, Hill was a stud football player -- who was a 1st-round pick in the 1968 NFL Draft. He went on to play cornerback for the Chargers, Packers and Browns before retiring following the 1975 season.
We reached out to Hill's station, CBS 2 in L.A. and we were told there is no comment at this time.
Playboi Carti's been arrested in Georgia on drug and gun-related charges ... TMZ has learned.
According to law enforcement ... the "wokeuplikethis*" rapper got pulled over in his Lambo Thursday for having an expired tag, and Clayton County officers claim they discovered the drugs and weapons in his vehicle during the traffic stop.
Los Angeles residents are used to seeing high-speed car chases on the local news, but the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything ... so this will have to do.
A paddleboarder was arrested in Malibu Thursday after he disobeyed the Coast Guard's order to get out of the water ... according to law enforcement. We're told there were other people in the ocean who complied and paddled in, but the rogue paddleboarder just kept paddlin' ... so L.A. County sheriff's got in their patrol boat and zeroed in.
The man chose to stay in the water near the pier for more than 30 minutes before swimming to shore, where he was arrested for disobeying lifeguard warnings and violating California Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order, which is a crime.
The paddleboarder now faces a maximum of 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine for his stunt.
As we've reported ... beaches closed in L.A. last week after many residents simply couldn't stay home and comply with social distancing rules.
Besides that, a leading scientist warned that the SoCal ocean water is one of the riskiest places to be when it comes to catching coronavirus, but clearly ... some people still aren't scared.
The Florida pastor who got hauled in by police for hosting a megachurch service despite quarantine and stay-at-home orders has FINALLY done the right thing ... he's closing the congregation.
The Tampa-area minister, Rodney Howard-Browne, is shutting his church down and will not hold another packed Sunday service. He explained the decision on his own podcast/telecast and his reasoning is pretty interesting.
RHB says he's closing the church to protect his followers from what he says is a "tyrannical" government, NOT the rapidly spreading and dangerous coronavirus.
The pastor also says he and his congregation have been the target of death threats ... and he's blaming the media for blowing the story out of proportion, while throwing the sheriff under the bus.
COVID-19 is playing a role in RHB's decision though ... he says he doesn't want protesters showing up who might be infected with the virus.
It's an interesting decision from RHB ... Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared churches an essential function, making them exempt from the stay-at-home mandate.
RHB's lawyer, Patrick Leduc, tells TMZ ... before the governor came out with the order, RHB had already made his decision not to hold the Sunday service out of respect for the authorities. The governor's order took them both by surprise.
RHB says he doesn't want anyone in his congregation to get arrested ... and he's telling them all to stay away from the church this Sunday.
Thousands of inmates in California prisons will be released early as officials fear overcrowding could spark a deadly outbreak of the coronavirus.
The move comes in the middle of a pandemic as the nation desperately tries to get a handle on how to stem the disease. Fact is ... jails and prisons are breeding grounds for the virus, with conditions that are often filthy and way too many people packed inside.
Officials hope accelerating parole dates for 3,500 inmates serving terms for nonviolent crimes -- and people due to be released within 60 days -- will help slow the spread of COVID-19, not just to inmates, but those who work within California's 35 prisons. And the other reality ... if inmates get infected, get released and then interact with others ... well, you know the rest.
Then there's this ... the state has blocked the transfer of county jail inmates to prison, according to the L.A. Times. That decision alone will keep 3,000 additional people out of the state's prison system. What's more ... nearly 600 inmates will be moved out of dorms -- home to bunks with close proximity and shared sinks/showers -- and moved to other prison facilities.
As we first reported ... jail inmates feared the worst as early as March 6. An inmate getting out of L.A. County Men's Central Jail said he experienced deplorable conditions while locked up for carjacking. Another inmate told us no one from the jail told the inmates anything about coronavirus or how to prevent it. A lot has changed in a matter of weeks.
3:45 PM PT -- Jon has just broken his silence on the situation ... saying he's "disappointed" in himself for letting people down.
UPDATE
Here's the full statement issued through Jon's rep Denise White:
UPDATE
"While we all work to understand and cope with stress and uncertainties surrounding the current state of our world, I want to express how truly disappointed I am that I have become the source of a negative headline again, especially during these trying times."
UPDATE
"I am disappointed for letting down the people I care about the most, my family, friends and my fans. This morning I entered into a plea deal with the Albuquerque DA's office. I accept full responsibility for my actions and I know that I have some personal work to do to which involves the unhealthy relationship I have with alcohol."
UPDATE
"I have dedicated so much time and energy to improve my community, and I will not allow this personal setback to hinder my work within the community when we need it most. I truly appreciate the support I have received from the community of Albuquerque and all my fans around the world. I very much look forward to putting this behind me."
UPDATE
"Thank you all for your continued love and support and please take care of yourselves."
UFC superstar Jon Joneshas pled guilty to driving while intoxicated stemming from a March 26 arrest in New Mexico, officials tell TMZ Sports.
The reigning UFC light heavyweight champ has struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to 1-year supervised probation. The sentence has not yet been approved by a judge but that's just a matter of time at this point.
As part of the deal, Jones will serve 96 hours in a community custody program -- which is a form of incarceration, but not in a traditional jail cell. We're told it's similar to house arrest. He will wear an ankle monitor, which allows authorities to make sure he doesn't leave his residence unless he has permission.
Officials say Jones will be ordered to "complete a minimum of 90 day out-patient treatment, maximum fines and fees, community service and all other requirements of reporting to probation."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials are allowing Jones to participate in the outpatient program via video conferencing.
As for the community service, Jones must complete 48 total hours.
Jones must also install an ignition interlock device in any vehicle he operates -- which requires him to complete a breathalyzer (to test for alcohol) before the car will start.
"His attorney and Mr. Jones have been made aware that if he fails to do this, the State will seek to impose the balance of any jail time without regard for any exceptional circumstances," officials say.
Get this ... officials WILL allow Jones to use marijuana during his probation, as long as he has a valid medical card.
As we previously reported, Jones was arrested around 1 AM on March 26 after cops responded to reports of gunfire in the Albuquerque area.
When cops found Jones alone in his Jeep, he appeared intoxicated and admitted to drinking earlier in the evening.
As for the other charges, which include negligent use of a deadly weapon and open containers, those will be dropped in exchange for Jones' guilty plea on the DWI.
1:57 PM PT -- Aaron tells us Melanie informed him she's pregnant right before they got into the argument that led to her getting arrested. He says he thinks she's lying ... and there's no chance they're getting back together.
Aaron Carter's girlfriend, Melanie Martin, is under arrest after police investigated an alleged fight between the couple at the singer's home ... TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the L.A. County Sheriff's Department was called to Aaron's Lancaster home around 11 PM Sunday night for a domestic violence call. We're told there was a verbal spat between Aaron and Melanie and at some point it got physical.
Cops say Aaron had visible marks on his body and sheriff's deputies determined Melanie was the aggressor and arrested her for felony domestic violence.
Aaron claims during the alleged physical altercation, Melanie scratched him -- and he claims these photos show the damage she did. Cops confirmed Aaron had visible marks when they arrived at the house.
According to records, Melanie is still in custody and being held on a $50,000 bail.
Chael Sonnen says he's straight up "baffled" by Jon Jones' recent DWI arrest -- telling TMZ Sports it's about time he STOP DRIVING once and for all.
The two have history -- Chael famously fought Jon back in 2013 (Jon won in a 1st round stoppage) ... and they've had a cordial relationship ever since.
So, we asked "The Bad Guy" for his thoughts and he didn't hold back.
"It's baffling. You look at this guy, and this guy is blessed in so many ways. Great family, not just mom and dad, but the brothers and his own internal family, his kids, his career, he’s a handsome guy, charming guy."
"You look at him, there’s nobody that can beat him except for him. Every wound he has is just self-inflicted and that’s just hard. It's to the point where you just grab him and go 'hey man, there's people that care, there’s another way.'"
"Man I gotta tell ya, it just seems like if he would just get the Uber app, it just seems like so many of his problems would go away," Sonnen says.
"I sit back like anybody else and read, Jon and I don't have the best relationship, but I've known Jon for a number of years, I've competed with Jon, I've done stuff with Jon. But I observe Jon, more than anything I can observe him from the outside. And I'll just tell you, it would just seem like if he didn't just get behind the wheel."
"So many of his problems, which are self-inflicted by the way, would not exist."
As for Chael, he's staying REAL busy during the pandemic -- in fact, he's promoting a HUGE Submission Underground event on March 29th, live on UFC Fight Pass.
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"Juwanna Mann" star Miguel A. Nunez Jr. really didn't want to pay for hundreds of dollars of groceries ... at least according to cops, who say he gave himself the ole five-finger discount.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor was checking out at an L.A. Ralphs supermarket this week when his credit card got declined, so he just took his groceries in his cart and walked right out the front door without paying.
Pretty bold move ... allegedly.
Our sources say Miguel returned to the same Ralphs a few days later, but he wasn't allowed inside and cops were called. We're told Miguel was placed under citizen's arrest, and when LAPD showed up, police cited him for misdemeanor shoplifting and he was sent on his merry way.
Cops arrested Miguel but didn't take him into the station ... they gave him a ticket and he was on his way. During the pandemic, L.A. cops are not booking and jailing people for minor offenses. Cops still call it an arrest.
Miguel's spinning a different tale ... he tells us he was in a long line to check out -- ya gotta stay 6-feet away from folks because of coronavirus -- and he got tired of waiting and bounced with his items, but intended to return another day to pay.
Miguel says he tried to pay for his $200 worth of groceries when he returned, but claims the store manager told him no and that he wasn't special.
Guess Juwanna Mann just doesn't have pull these days.
Jon Jones told police he had vodka before getting behind the wheel of his Jeep Thursday morning -- and needed to get out of the house because he was going '"stir-crazy" during the coronavirus pandemic.
It's all on police body cam footage from Jon's DWI arrest in Albuquerque, New Mexico ... with the UFC superstar calmly trying to explain to officers why he drank and then drove.
"I literally just got stir-crazy," Jones said ... "I just wanted to have a drive. This is my first drive in 2 weeks. And, I saw these homeless guys. I was being nice to them, having conversation with them, treating them like humans.”
During the stop, Jon said he has "really bad" short-term memory -- and blamed it on the fact he's a UFC fighter who gets "punched in the head" for a living.
"My short-term memory is really bad."
Jones was given multiple field sobriety tests including balancing, counting and reciting the alphabet. It did not go well. He struggled mightily.
Jones was ultimately arrested and booked for aggravated driving while intoxicated, negligent use of a deadly weapon and possession of an open container.
As we previously reported, cops say he fired a black handgun at some point during the evening -- which is why they were called to the scene in the first place.
Cops say they found a gun and a half-empty bottle of booze in Jon's car while searching the vehicle.
While officers are putting Jon in the car, he's overcome with emotion and begins to weep -- telling the officers, "I'm scared for my family."
At one point, Jon tells one of the officers, "I love you guys so much. I actually wanted to be a police officer when I grew up."
R. Kelly's got NO business getting out of jail -- regardless of the coronavirus -- according to the family of his GF, Joycelyn Savage.
The Savage family's attorney, Gerald Griggs, says ... if Kelly is released, it would place Joycelyn "back into the hands of a predator." Not only that, but the family claims it would also put her at risk to potentially be infected by COVID-19.
Joycelyn's family says it believes the best option for her is to continue to "socially and physically distance herself" from Kelly, adding that he is "right where he belongs" -- penned up in Chicago MCC while he awaits trial in Illinois federal court.
We broke the story ... the disgraced singer asked to be released from jail over fears he could be infected with the coronavirus. He wants to be released on bond and says he's willing to wear electronic monitoring.
However, Kelly says he'd live with Joycelyn at an apartment complex in Chicago if he gets out, but clearly ... that's the last thing her family wants to see happen.
For the record ... Kelly has not tested positive for COVID-19, and Joycelyn has not had any contact with her family since a confrontation outside a courthouse in January.
Another one of Kelly's alleged victims, Lisa Van Allen, had an even stronger reaction to his request for release. She tells us, "This isn't Monopoly, there is no get out of jail free card! Not for an infected toe or for a pandemic! You do the crime, you do the time, just like the rest of the inmates!"
She added, "Put your grown man pants on and deal with it like the rest of the world is doing! He's where he needs to be. What better place to quarantine than in jail."
6:56 AM PT -- 3/26 -- We've just obtained Cirko's mugshot.
UPDATE
12:03 PM PT -- The woman has been arrested and charged with felony counts of terrorist threats, threats to use a "biological agent" and criminal mischief. She was also hit with misdemeanor counts of criminal attempt to commit retail theft and disorderly conduct.
UPDATE
Cops say the woman, Margaret Cirko, entered the store and made verbal threats she was sick while intentionally coughing and spitting on merchandise. She then attempted to steal a 12-pack of beer from the store before being ordered to leave by employees.
UPDATE
Her bail has been set at $50,000 ... she'll be in court April 8.
A vile woman purposely coughed all over a grocery store's fresh produce, resulting in a huge waste of food and rotten day for its employees ... and the authorities are pursuing charges.
According to the co-owner of Gerrity's Supermarkets, Joe Fasula ... the woman -- who he calls a "chronic problem in the community" -- entered the store in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon and began hacking on all the fruit and veggies ... along with a small section of the bakery and meat case.
Fasula believes the woman did this as a "very twisted prank" amid the coronavirus pandemic, but she left the store no choice but to throw out all the food she came in contact with ... for obvious health and safety reasons.
The owner believed the lady's sick stunt cost the store about $35,000 worth of product, not to mention forcing workers to clean and disinfect everything along with the health inspector ... and possible COVID-19 exposure to customers and at least 15 employees.
Fasula says the silver lining is the Gerrity's team was able to remove the terrible prankster quickly and contacted police. He says the case is with the District Attorney's Office ... and it's pursuing "numerous charges."
Federal law enforcement recently announced it's considering terrorism charges for anyone purposely spreading COVID-19 ... it's unclear if this disgusting woman has coronavirus, though.
R. Kelly's latest pitch to be released pending his trial in Illinois federal court centers on his fear -- like most Americans - of coming down with COVID-19.
The disgraced singer's attorney, Steven Greenberg, filed a motion Thursday in which he refers to coronavirus spreading around the world, and the health risks he believes he's facing while penned up in Chicago MCC. "No matter what steps they take the sanitation will be substandard, the risk of an internal pandemic at the MCC is great."
Kelly says social-distancing is near impossible in the jail, soap is only available to inmates who can afford to buy it from the commissary -- and don't mention hand sanitizer. He claims there's just ONE large bottle on the visiting floor ... but it is labeled, "STAFF ONLY."
He says forcing anyone to remain under these conditions is "tantamount to making them drink poison."
Kelly wants to be released on bond, and says he's willing to wear electronic monitoring -- although he notes it's not really necessary, because during the current pandemic he's a "low risk" to go outside at all.
As for where he'd live -- Kelly says he'd shack up with his last remaining girlfriend, Joycelyn Savage, at an apartment complex in Chicago.
TMZ broke the story ... Kelly's legal team was blocked from visiting him in prison last week and it was all due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Kelly's lawyers had wanted to check on his health while also discussing strategy, given his ever-growing legal mess.
In the new docs, Kelly points out that keeping his attorneys and other visitors from entering doesn't solve the problem of possible exposure ... because there's always new inmates entering.
As we reported ... Kelly -- currently behind bars in Illinois as he awaits his trial -- recently got slapped with a slew of new charges by federal prosecutors in NY. The new indictment is related to 2 new alleged victims, one of whom was under 18 when she claimed she had sex with the singer in 2015.
The indictment includes charges of coercion and enticement, coercion of a minor and transportation of a minor across state lines. Kelly's also been hit with new racketeering charges including allegations he used "force, threats of force, physical restraint and threats of physical restraint."
