Crime & Arrests

Joe Exotic is going right to the top in his bid to undo his criminal conviction for attempting to kill his archrival ... he's going right to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to ask for a pardon.

Sources connected to the 'Tiger King' star tell TMZ, Joe's legal team out of Ft. Worth, Texas is preparing a case file that will be sent on to Trump, claiming Joe was wrongly convicted for the murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin.

They wrapped a big bus and plan to roll out the big announcement in a few days, but the endgame is clear ... get Joe out of prison.

There are interesting grounds for a pardon. For starters, Joe told everyone who would listen that he wanted Carol dead and even suggested to various people -- some he hardly knew -- that he'd pay as much as $50,000 to have Carol murdered.

Typically, people who seriously hire people to kill people don't tell everyone who would listen that they're marketing a murder plot.

What's more ... the alleged hitman, Allen Glover, was the star witness at Joe's trial, because he's the only one who took money from Joe. Glover says Joe gave him $3k for the hit ... Joe says it was to get Allen the hell out of the zoo.

We interviewed Glover for our TMZ Fox special a few weeks ago, and he made it clear ... this was "payback" and Glover says Joe caused so much misery to people and animals, he wishes he could have done more to hurt him. That's what you call a biased witness, and if the jury heard that they may have discounted his testimony.

And, there's even more ... the prosecutor in the case also charged Joe with killing tigers. His lawyers feel it was done just to dirty Joe up, to make the jury hate him, so they would convict him of ordering the hit on Carol.

The star of Netflix's "Greenhouse Academy" has been arrested after he allegedly struck two cars, injuring one of the occupants, and then leaving the scene.

Chris O'Neal was driving in the San Fernando Valley at around 11 PM Friday when he struck 2 cars, injuring one of the people inside ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Cops got 2 911 calls from different people, responded to the scene and saw tire tracks. They followed the tracks to a nearby front lawn where they found Chris' '94 Camaro with the actor inside, fully awake.

They gave him a field sobriety test and say he blew just over the legal limit.

Chris, who also starred in Nickelodeon's "How to Rock," "Swindle" and "You Gotta See This," was arrested for felony hit and run and felony DUI.

As for the person who was hurt in the crash ... we're told the injuries are minor.

Eminem's face-to-face with an alleged intruder was a long time coming ... because TMZ's learned the same guy tried to track him down last summer.

Matthew David Hughes, the suspect arrested in last month's breaking and entering case at the rapper's Detroit-area home, was busted in June 2019 for trespassing on 2 properties as he hunted for Eminem -- and the second place had indeed been owned by Em ... this according to police reports.

Hughes allegedly first hit up a house in Rochester Hills, MI after 2 AM and woke up the homeowner by throwing a rock through the front window. When deputies arrived he was gone ... but the homeowner told cops he later returned, knocked on a window and said he was "looking for his brother, Marshall."

Officers came back, but say Hughes had already moved on to another home nearby in Oakland Township ... one previously owned by Marshall Mathers.

He allegedly got past security fencing and a gated entrance and was walking the property around 4:30 AM looking for Eminem. Cops say he then rang the doorbell and asked where the rapper was.

According to the report, the homeowner told Hughes Em didn't live there and he needed to leave because he was trespassing. Hughes walked off, but when cops arrived ... they say they found him hiding under a bed on the second floor of the property's gatehouse.

Hughes was arrested for breaking and entering, and upon further investigation, cops realized he was the perp who broke the window at the other home ... so he got hit with a malicious destruction of property charge, as well.

He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fines totaling nearly $1,400 but failed to pay by the deadline, so he was slapped with an arrest warrant.

Of course, now Hughes is in trouble again for allegedly breaking into Eminem's house last month -- he's being held on the warrant at the Macomb County Jail.

As we first reported ... Hughes has been booked on charges of first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of a building -- both felonies.

Eminem came face-to-face with a home intruder who slipped past his own security -- which was sound asleep -- and the guy made it into his living room.

Police sources, as well as sources connected to Em, tell TMZ ... the break-in went down earlier this month at around 4 AM at Em's Detroit-area home in a gated community.

According to law enforcement ... the suspect, 26-year-old Matthew David Hughes, used a paving stone to smash a kitchen window and climbed inside the house.

We're told an alarm went off and it woke Eminem. Em got up and found the intruder in his living room. The intruder was detained and the guards came a-runnin' and grabbed the guy.

Police were called and rushed to the home ... Hughes was taken into custody and booked on charges of first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of a building -- both felonies.

It didn't appear the intruder was trying to steal anything ... seems he wanted a face-to-face with Em.

Hughes is still being held on a $50k bond at the Macomb County Jail.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Telvin Smith has been arrested in Florida ... jail records show he was booked Wednesday on a charge of "unlawful sexual activity with certain minors."

Details surrounding the case are unclear ... we're working on it, but records show the 29-year-old was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and processed at 5:20 p.m. ET.

Jail records also show the 6'4", 215-pound ex-linebacker had his bond set at $50,003.

Remember, back in November, officials swarmed his home -- and according to police records obtained by TMZ Sports, it was because they received "information regarding a case of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors."

Now, seems something significant has happened in the investigation ... with cops arresting Telvin on a similar charge Wednesday.

Smith was a stud for the Jaguars after being selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft ... starting 69 games from '14 to '18 while making 1 Pro Bowl appearance.

He famously abruptly retired prior to the 2019 season ... writing on social media that he "must take time away from the game & get my world in order."

Kansas City Chiefs star Bashaud Breeland -- who had an interception in Super Bowl LIV -- was just busted for weed possession, open container and resisting arrest, officials confirm.

28-year-old Breeland -- fresh off inking a new, $4.5 million deal to stay with the Chiefs this off-season -- was booked around 1:30 PM on Tuesday in Charlotte, NC.

According to the York County Sheriff's Office, Breeland is facing multiple charges -- resisting arrest, open alcohol container in motor vehicle, alcohol in motor vehicle with seal broken, possession of 28g or less of marijuana, and driving without a license.

The South Carolina native was booked into York County Jail, where he remains in custody, according to records.

Breeland was a 4th-round pick to the Washington Redskins after 3 seasons with Clemson ... playing 4 seasons in D.C. before a brief stint with the Green Bay Packers.

Breeland had a team-high 7 tackles and picked off Jimmy Garoppolo in the Super Bowl ... helping Kansas City win its first Super Bowl since 1969.

We've reached out to the Chiefs for comment ... so far, no word back.

Teshaun Hightower -- a Tulane men's basketball star who just declared for the 2020 NBA Draft -- was arrested this weekend for felony murder, records show.

Officials believe the 22-year-old is involved in the April 8 shooting death of a man in Stockbridge, GA. Cops say the Green Wave star is one of six people who they believe contributed to the murder.

Law enforcement has not yet released further details surrounding the shooting.

Hightower was arrested Saturday at 9:50 PM, according to jail records, and was booked on 8 charges, including felony murder and felony aggravated assault. No bond was listed for the NCAA star.

Tulane announced in a statement shortly after his arrest, "Upon learning of Teshaun’s arrest this afternoon, he was immediately dismissed from the Tulane basketball program."

Hightower had just declared himself eligible for the NBA draft on April 18 ... this after he posted a monster season in 2019-20.

The shooting guard/point guard started 29 games for the Green Wave, averaged 34.3 minutes per game and posted a team-high 15.9 points per game.

Hightower also logged 4.6 rebounds per game ... and had intended to come back to the school if his NBA draft prospects weren't favorable.

No mooning over Miami -- this half-naked woman was topless -- but she did serve up her own version of a Grand Slam ... destroying at least 100 plates in a SoCal Denny's.

The topless woman was caught on video Thursday around 11:20 AM grabbing plates from a large stack in the seating area of the Hawthorne, CA restaurant ... and smashing the hell out of them.

Her rampage went on for at least a couple minutes as patrons and employees yelled for her to stop. Her only reply was, "Shut the f*** up, man" -- and then quickly back to the bang-up work at hand.

Police showed up while she was still in the middle of her plate-chucking riot, and eventually controlled the situation and detained the woman.

Cops tell us they'd gotten a call about a woman at a bus stop taking her clothes off, and arguing with people before making her way into the Denny's.

We're told she was detained and will undergo a mental evaluation -- cops believe she was under the influence of something.

BTW, the Denny's is closed for regular dining due to the coronavirus, but still open for online order pickups -- which, luckily, don't require plates.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is getting super close to releasing new music ... because he's begging the judge to let him shoot music videos in his own backyard.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi's legal team is asking Judge Engelmayer to allow the rapper to spend up to 2 hours in his backyard once a week to work on music videos.

As we first told you ... Judge Engelmayer released Tekashi from prison early following 69's plea to get out to avoid being infected with the novel coronavirus. He's now serving out his time on in-home incarceration.

In the docs, Tekashi's lawyers say his probation officer is aware of the request and has no objection ... so 69 just needs the judge's stamp of approval too.

Remember ... Tekashi scored a lucrative record deal back in October, and now it sounds like new music is dropping soon,

"Straight Outta Compton" star Jason Mitchell has just been arrested in Mississippi on felony weapons and drug charges ... TMZ has learned.

The actor was booked into Harrison County Jail Wednesday and he's facing four felony charges ... according to online records.

Jason, who played Eazy-E in the N.W.A biopic, is facing two felony charges for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, plus two more felony charges for possession of a weapon by a felon.

Jail records indicate Jason was busted with two guns, including a Glock 19 pistol and a mini Draco AK47 semi-automatic pistol.

We reached out to Jason's camp ... so far, no word back.

The man suspected of killing the stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris is now accused of going ballistic in jail last month ... allegedly attacking and biting officers in a fit of rage.

According to court records obtained by multiple media outlets this week, officials say Ibraheem Yazeed -- who's been charged with capital murder in the death of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard -- acted out after he was being escorted back to his jail cell on March 23.

Officials say 3 corrections officers were handling Yazeed at the Lee County Detention Center in Alabama when he became combative.

Yazeed allegedly refused to enter his cell ... and when one of the officers attempted to tase the 30-year-old, he began swinging and kicking.

When other officers arrived to help subdue Yazeed ... he bit one of them in the leg, according to court docs.

Yazeed has now had a 2nd-degree assault charge added on to his case over the incident.

As we previously reported, Yazeed is accused of kidnapping Blanchard at an Auburn gas station in October and killing her.

Trick Daddy had a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill when cops pulled him over in Miami ... and then he bombed his field sobriety test.

TMZ's obtained bodycam footage of the rapper's arrest for cocaine possession and driving under the influence ... and you can clearly see the moment police discover what they say is cocaine residue on the inside of a dollar bill.

As you can see in the video ... cops are counting Trick Daddy's money on the trunk of his rental car when a white powdery substance starts falling like snow out of a crumpled dollar bill.

As we reported ... Trick Daddy was busted back in January and was booked for DUI and cocaine possession.

In the bodycam footage, Trick Daddy appears to have bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. Cops ask him if he had anything to drink, and after saying he'd had a few drinks a couple hours ago, TD bombs a field sobriety test in a parking lot.