A 21-year-old black man justifiably panicked when several cops pulled guns on him and repeatedly screamed, "Show me your hands" ... even though he was clearly already showing them.
The incident played out in Midland, Texas on May 16 but video of the arrest started circulating late last week. It's going viral now due to George Floyd's deadly arrest in Minneapolis, because it underscores the tense dynamic between African-Americans and police ... even during something as minor as running a stop sign.
The young man's name is Tye Anders and the video shows him get out of his car after pulling into his driveway. He immediately puts his hands up and begins repeatedly asking cops why they stopped him. Cops told him he ran a stop sign. Police were barking orders for him to put his hands up ... even though you can see his hands were up. Tye even dropped to his knees and laid on his stomach with his hands out.
Later in the video, you can hear Anders crying and telling cops he's scared before his 90-year-old grandmother walks out trying to defuse the situation. But, even then cops don't approach Anders ... as one officer can be heard asking if there's anyone else in the vehicle.
After Anders lies on the ground, you can hear cops telling him to stand up. Cops ultimately move in to make the arrest. There are erroneous reports the grandmother was tackled by cops, but you can see in the body cam footage she trips over Tye and is helped back up by cops.
Tye was ultimately arrested for evading arrest ... but the manner in which it went down has sparked controversy in Midland, where officials will hold a town hall meeting later Thursday to address it.
The video, of course, amplifies the panic black citizens feel even during routine traffic stops. As we've reported ... new surveillance video showed Floyd shows no signs of resisting during his arrest before he was killed by a cop pressing his knee on Floyd's neck.
Floyd's death led to the 4 officers involved getting fired from the force and it also sparked violent protests throughout Minneapolis and even downtown Los Angeles.
11:46 AM PT -- Centene spokeswoman Marcela Hawn said in a statement, "Centurion and its board of directors are proud of the company’s history of providing outstanding and innovative health-care solutions to this vulnerable population. We look forward to sharing more about our role in the delivery of health-care to these individuals during legal proceedings.”
UPDATE
That clearly didn't sit well with Spiro, who tells us, "Over forty inmates dying in the last few months at Mississippi DOC alone is neither outstanding nor innovative. And it's definitely nothing to be proud of."
Jay-Z's legal eagle is keeping the pressure on Mississippi's infamous Parchman Penitentiary by filing a new lawsuit that calls out the prison's healthcare provider.
As we've reported, Jay's company, Roc Nation, backed a group of Parchman inmates suing Mississippi's Dept. of Corrections over filthy, violent, unhealthy and deadly conditions ... and all of that was before COVID-19 made things worse.
Now, attorney Alex Spiro -- who Roc Nation hired to rep the inmates -- has filed a new lawsuit against Centene ... the parent company of Centurion, which provides healthcare at Parchman. This time, Spiro's client is a Centene shareholder who's seen the brutal news about 40 inmates dying in Mississippi prisons, including Parchman, since December.
The shareholder suspects Centurion's alleged poor care is exposing the company to lawsuits and potentially tanking its stock. In docs, obtained by TMZ, the shareholder calls out Centurion for poor inmate mental health treatment, and a lack of testing in for illnesses -- a glaring issue for prisons amid the pandemic. In short, the suit alleges an "entire breakdown in [Mississippi prisons'] healthcare system."
Parchman, in particular, has been plagued by riots, fires and suicides -- videos from inside the prison showed the dire conditions allegedly exacerbated by the prison being woefully understaffed.
According to the suit, Centurion is actually losing money on its deal with the state of Mississippi -- which the shareholder suspects might be why the company's allegedly bailing on providing proper healthcare at the prisons.
The shareholder wants a judge to force Centurion to open its books to provide a full picture of where money is, or isn't, going when it comes to inmate healthcare.
Obviously, that information could also be crucial for the Parchman inmates' lawsuit. Fair to say, it's no coincidence Spiro is repping the shareholder as well as the prisoners suing Mississippi's DOC.
Jay-Z and Yo Gotti have both vowed they're in this for the long haul ... until the prison conditions vastly improve, and this could go a long way toward that goal.
The killing of George Floyd is starting to have Rodney King-esque levels of repercussions out in Minnesota -- hundreds of people are taking to the street and decrying his death.
Check out this scene right now in Minneapolis, where throngs of people are blocking roads and demonstrating en masse. Several different blocks are completely covered in bodies moving about -- it's surreal to see from a bird's eye view.
Things don't appear to be getting too out of hand at the moment, but we're sure law enforcement (and the public) is keeping a close eye on how things play out in the hours to come.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced 4 cops have been fired over George Floyd's death. The police chief, who made the announcement during a Tuesday news conference, did not identify the officers involved. Mayor Jacob Frey said, "This is the right call."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey just delivered some strong remarks about the death of the African-American man, George Floyd, who had an officer's knee on his neck for several minutes -- and his message is clear ... this cop failed by all accounts, and the victim should NOT have died.
Mayor Frey says, "Being Black in should not be a death sentence." He goes on to say, "When you hear someone calling for help, you're supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense." Frey added, "All I keep coming back to is this: this man should not have died."
Frey went on to say that the victim's life mattered, and that regardless of what the investigation revealed ... it doesn't change the simple fact that what happened is wrong. He also issued an apology to the African-American community and the family of the victim in Minneapolis, saying he was so sorry.
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo also came to the podium and backed up what the Mayor said. He also implied the knee technique was not one sanctioned or taught at the police academy there, and also discussed why the feds were set to investigate.
A Minneapolis man is dead after a police officer put his knee on the man's neck and kept it there, despite pleas by the man that he couldn't breathe, and now the FBI is on the case.
It happened Monday night, when cops were responding to a "forgery in progress." Police arrived and saw the suspect sitting in a car. According to the Department, the man resisted arrest so he was placed in handcuffs, adding "he appeared to be suffering medical distress."
The Police Dept. added, "At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident."
What the P.D. did not address ... is the video, and it's incredibly disturbing.
You see the man on the ground in cuffs, as an officer puts his knee on his neck and the African-American man cries out, "Please, I can't breathe." The officer doesn't budge, as another officer passively watches.
It's apparent the man is in distress, as a passerby screams, "That's bulls***, bro. You're stopping his breathing right there, bro. Get him off the ground, bro," adding the officer was "enjoying it."
The man becomes motionless, an ambulance shows up and the man is taken to a hospital where he died.
The officers, whose bodycams were on and activated during the incident, were placed on administrative leave and the FBI is now investigating.
Cliff Alexander was such a star H.S. basketball recruit ... one cop remembered him during the former NBA player's gun arrest this month -- and the interaction was all caught on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.
Alexander was pulled over at around 9:30 PM CT on May 6 in Chicago, Ill. after cops say he blew through a stop sign ... and shortly after, one officer realized who exactly he had detained.
"Oh, you're that hooper!" the cop said, before asking him about his high school recruiting ranking.
FYI -- Alexander was largely considered the top prospect in the country back in the 2014 recruiting class ... right alongside future Duke Blue Devil Jahlil Okafor.
In the video, you can hear the officer actually asks Alexander about the battle for the No. 1 spot with Okafor ... and the interaction is kind of funny.
"I remember that sh*t!" the cop said. "That's crazy! ... You went to Kansas, right!?"
Of course, the stop didn't go so well for Alexander outside of that convo ... cops say the 24-year-old illegally had a loaded firearm under his seat, which one officer said appeared to be a "Glock 21."
Alexander also admitted to cops during the stop he had "like 6 grams" of weed on him ... and you can see in video, he explained to an officer he stuffed it in his pants because "I'm paranoid."
Eventually, Alexander was arrested and booked on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also hit with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign -- but he was NOT booked on drug charges.
Alexander -- who spent just one season in the NBA after a disappointing first year at Kansas and now plays professionally overseas -- is due back in court in July for a hearing in the case.
12:33 PM PT -- 5/23 -- Ryan's mug shot has been released, and he looks none too pleased to be in police custody. BTW, the guy's still in a jail cell as of Saturday.
Ryan Leafhas been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, CA ... TMZ Sports has learned.
The former NFL quarterback was taken into custody around 2 PM PT on Friday, May 22nd.
According to jail records, he was booked for domestic battery -- and bail was set at $5,000.
As of now (the time of this post), Leaf is still in custody.
44-year-old Leaf is listed on his booking sheet as 6'6", 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
We're working on the details ...
Of course, Leaf was the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft -- but his career flamed out fast and his life fell apart soon after.
Leaf has been arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary ... but he had sobered up and became a program ambassador for an organization that runs sober houses in multiple cities including L.A. and N.Y.
He's recently been covering college football for ESPN.
A North Carolina man named Jesushas confessed after vandalizing a local church's historic stained glass window ... this according to cops.
Police arrested Jesus Jose Arellano after he used a foot-long sandstone rock to smash a Tiffany glass window at Grace Moravian Church. The stained glass window, which dates back nearly 100 years to 1925, now has a 2-square-foot hole thanks to Jesus.
Cops say Jesus confessed to his sins when he was arrested the day after the vandalism -- in a nearby cemetery, no less. Jesus was charged with injury to real property.
Jesus had to work pretty hard to vandalize the church ... cops say he used the sandstone to break through 6 inches of Plexiglass before smashing the stained glass window.
Neil Ruth, the church's pastor told WXII the Grace Moravian is a symbol of kindness in its Mount Airy community, and he found it odd Jesus would do such a thing.
Ruth says the congregation is upset by the vandalism, but also concerned about Jesus.
Denzel got out of his car, talked to the man and brought him to safety on the sidewalk. Denzel was wearing a protective mask, but the man he was helping was not. Despite the risk, he needed help and DW was the man for the job.
Police arrived and as they talked to the man as Denzel continued to comfort him. The man was detained -- not sure why but possibly to make sure he was okay -- then released. It's not clear, but it seems he didn't know who Denzel was, but we do ... a real nice guy.
7:20 AM PT -- Authorities say Bryan was cutting off Arbery while Travis and Gregory McMichael were chasing Ahmaud.
UPDATE
According to new docs, Bryan "did attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority, by attempting to confine ..." adding, Bryan was "utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions during the above time frame, with the intention of confining and detaining Arbery."
UPDATE
So, the felony is false imprisonment, and if such a felony results in someone's murder, that person can be charged with felony murder.
UPDATE
5:40 AM PT -- 5/22 -- TMZ has just obtained Roddie's mug shot.
UPDATE
3:21 PM PT -- Attorneys for Ahmaud's parents -- S. Lee Merritt, Benjamin Crump and L. Chris Stewart -- tell TMZ ... the family is relieved Bryan has been taken into custody.
UPDATE
The legal team says ... "We called for his arrest from the very beginning of this process. His involvement in the murder of Mr. Arbery was obvious to us, to many around the country and after their thorough investigation, it was clear to the GBI as well."
UPDATE
The lawyers say the family's "thankful for the diligence of the GBI and the way in which they tirelessly pursued the evidence in this case."
William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who recorded the video of Ahmaud Arbery's killing, is now the third suspect to be arrested for the young man's murder.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation just announced the arrest, saying Bryan's been hit with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
As we reported ... Roddie claimed he was simply a witness to the slaying and had zero involvement with what went down between Arbery and the 2 men previously arrested for his murder -- Gregory and Travis McMichael.
Bryan said after his video leaked online that he was fearful for his life and was receiving death threats. The GBI said Bryan and his video were under investigation, and he was initially named in the police report for allegedly trying to block Ahmaud during the chase while he was jogging. Bryan denied any involvement, though.
As we told you ... Arbery's family and legal team strongly believed Bryan was involved in the incident, along with the McMichaels, and wants him to face justice.
Dave East got a lot of support from some onlookers, but it wasn't enough to spring him free after a nasty back and forth with NYPD.
East and a group of friends were in Queens early Friday morning traveling in an SUV. Law enforcement sources say the driver of the SUV turned without signaling, so cops pulled the vehicle over. We're told officers smelled a strong odor of weed as they approached the driver's side.
East -- who was sitting in the backseat -- clearly thought the turn-signal justification for the stop was BS ... so he became agitated, questioning the stop.
That's when a crowd began to form around the SUV. Cops asked for ID, which the driver forked over, but neither East nor the other passenger provided ID.
Cops tell us they found 7 bags of weed in the vehicle. Both East and the other passenger were taken in. East got a summons for disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of marijuana. It's unclear why the driver was not taken in as well.
Dave East's attorney, Stacey Richman, tells TMZ, "I don't perceive that this will result in a criminal conviction, because it does not appear that Dave has been charged with a crime. Under New York law, disorderly conduct and unlawful possession of marijuana are violations -- not crimes."
Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams was arrested in Georgia this week after cops say they found weed in his car during a traffic stop.
LESS THAN AN OUNCE.
Yep, the 24-year-old -- a 3rd-round pick out of Auburn in 2017 -- was initially pulled over Tuesday around 6 PM when cops say he was driving around with suspended registration.
During the stop, the officer smelled weed and searched the vehicle -- turning up less than an ounce, according to the police report.
Adams was arrested and booked into the Houston County Jail for possession of marijuana, driving without insurance and driving with a suspended registration.
Adams posted $2,900 bond and was released after about 2 hours in custody.
"The Packers are aware of the matter involving Montravius Adams," the team said in a statement ... "We will refrain from making any further comment as it is an ongoing legal matter."
Adams has played in 37 NFL games for Green Bay since he was drafted in '17 -- though he only recorded 11 total tackles in 2019.
"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva is reeling from the fatal car crash that killed his friend, YouTube star Corey La Barrie ... according to his attorney, who's confident Daniel will beat a murder charge.
Sources close to Daniel tell TMZ ... Silva had been working hard all day leading up to the deadly crash, and showed up to Corey's birthday party totally sober. We're also told Daniel was only at the party for 2 hours, but was seen drinking White Claw hard seltzer.
We broke the story ... Daniel was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree murder after wrecking a black McLaren sports car earlier this month. Corey, his passenger in the car, died from injuries suffered in the crash. They had just left Corey's 25th birthday party.
Daniel's attorney, Mike Cavalluzzi, tells TMZ ... "This is a horrible tragedy and our hearts go out to Corey's family and friends. We are reviewing all of the evidence and will reserve comment for a later time. For now, it is most important that everyone involved is given time and space to grieve."
Remember ... our law enforcement sources say witnesses claim Silva allegedly tried to flee the scene but was stopped by bystanders. Witnesses also say Daniel was drinking before getting in the driver's seat, but he has NOT been charged with DUI.
We're told Cavalluzzi believes prosecutors will not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Daniel was driving drunk. He says the crash was nothing more than a horrible accident.
Aaron Judge's GF brought up her relationship with the Yankees star during a DUI arrest in February ... straight-up asking officers during the stop, "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"
It's all in new police video obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows Judge's longtime GF, Samantha Bracksieck, name-dropping the NYY outfielder several times to arresting officers.
And, spoiler alert ... it didn't go so well for her.
Here's the deal ... the 26-year-old was pulled over at around midnight on Feb. 25 in Scottsdale, AZ after cops say they spotted her driving without her headlights on.
During questioning ... video shows she admitted to an officer she drank two glasses of wine at Mastro's Steakhouse before getting behind the wheel.
When cops suspected her of being too drunk to drive ... they put her through field sobriety tests and administered a breathalyzer. And, after they say she bombed the tests and blew a .12 ... they put the cuffs on her.
That's when Samantha became standoffish toward officers ... telling them, "Do you understand what you're doing right now?"
"I just need to get home," she added. "Do you know who my boyfriend is?!"
The officers responded, "We don't."
"This is going to be bad for me," Sam continued. "I'm just saying that right now."
Officers didn't even ask a follow-up and put her in the back of a squad car ... but that's when she pulled the Judge card a few more times to another cop.
"My boyfriend is not in a spot where I should be, like, having this happen," Bracksieck said. "He's like a public figure. So, like, me being arrested for, like, having two glasses of wine is not okay."
Bracksieck continued, "My boyfriend is in the spotlight of New York media in general. And, now here I am handcuffed here in Arizona ... like, that is not good."
The cop clearly didn't care all that much ... and eventually took Bracksieck to the station, where officers say in the police report they tested her breath two more times -- claiming she blew a .169 and .181.
Prosecutors ultimately hit Samantha with five charges over the incident, including extreme DUI -- which is classified as a BAC of .15-.19.
Samantha -- who's due in court for a hearing on the case in June -- is facing jail time and fines if she's convicted.
We've reached out to Bracksieck and the Yankees for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.
Fetty Wap's estranged wife is blowing the lid off what led to their divorce ... alleging the rapper was an alcohol and drug abuser who cheated on and beat her, but Fetty's calling BS.
Leandra Gonzalez filed legal docs claiming Fetty -- government name Willie Maxwell -- beat her face to a pulp less than a month after getting married back on August 3, 2019 in Toronto. She also claims the marriage was severely impacted by his drug and alcohol abuse.
According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Leandra claims they got into an argument that turned physical. She claims Fetty struck her in the face with a closed fist causing her pain, bruising, and a black eye.
Leandra claims the substance abuse was a problem during their short marriage. As for the adultery claims ... Leandra claims Fetty engaged in extra-marital affairs with several women. What's more ... Leandra claims back on New Year's Eve, Fetty traveled to the Bahamas with a woman with whom he'd been having an on-going affair. Leandra also claims about a month before that trip, Fetty got the name of one of his mistresses tattooed on his wrist.
Fetty denies he was ever physically, verbally or emotionally abusive in the marriage. The rapper also denies abusing booze or weed. He also flatly denies ever taking a trip to the Bahamas with another woman or getting a woman's name tattooed on his wrist.
An Atlanta man allegedly used the coronavirus pandemic to get outta work ... the feds say he lied about testing positive for COVID-19 and sent in a fake medical excuse letter.
Prosecutors say Santwon Antonio Davis left work back in March when he said his mother was exposed to COVID-19, and then falsely claimed he tested positive for the deadly virus.
His scheme allegedly didn't end there ... the feds say Davis even submitted a falsified letter to his Fortune 500 company, which ended up raising alarms.
Davis' medical excuse letter looked like a fake to the feds -- there were no test results included in the document and it didn't specifically say he had been treated for, or even diagnosed with, COVID-19 -- so they investigated and say they discovered he was making it all up.
Prosecutors say Davis eventually admitted he never contracted the virus ... and the feds say there is no record of him ever receiving treatment for COVID-19 ... he was charged with wire fraud.
The alleged ploy was pretty costly ... the feds say it cost the company at least $100,000 to sanitize the entire workplace and quarantine other employees.
Luke Hill -- one of the top recruits in Oregon's 2020 football class -- was arrested this week ... after he allegedly attempted to murder his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
FYI, 18-year-old Hill is of the one best high school cornerbacks in the country. He signed his National Letter of Intent with Oregon months ago ... but the school says they parted ways in the spring. They have not explained why they parted ways, but they're probably glad they did now, based on the allegations.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say they responded to a call of a shooting in Prince George's County, Md. -- near where Hill played his high school ball -- at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
While on the scene ... cops say the victim told them he was playing basketball when a white car with window tint pulled up and fired on him.
Fortunately, cops say the victim told them nobody was injured by the gunshots ... and went on to say his girlfriend had received menacing messages from Hill -- whom she had had a prior relationship with -- just an hour or so before the incident.
According to the docs, the victim explained Hill had messaged his GF about their relationship and had stated he was "trying to find out where the victim lives."
Cops say when they went to Hill's home after they wrapped up investigating at the victim's ... they saw Hill pull up in a white vehicle that matched the victim's description -- and after they detained him, they obtained a warrant to search the house.
That's when officers say they recovered three firearms from Hill's residence ... including a Glock 22 handgun that was located in a hidden compartment in Hill's bedroom, behind Univ. of Oregon football recruiting letters.
Officers say the caliber of fired shell casings they recovered at the victim's residence matched the gun in Hill's room ... and they arrested the football player shortly after.
In Hill's mug shot, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the guy wasn't exactly a happy camper.
Prosecutors have since hit the 5'11", 175-pound defensive back with EIGHT charges ... including felony first-degree attempted murder and felony assault.
The Univ. of Oregon has told multiple media outlets Wednesday it had parted ways with the football player earlier this spring prior to the arrest... despite receiving his National Letter of Intent earlier in the recruiting cycle.
Hill was previously expected to be one of the Ducks' best incoming freshman in 2020 ... he had picked to play at Oregon over reported other offers from major schools like LSU, Auburn and Florida.
A Waffle House customer allegedly attacked and then shot a cook who told him to put a face covering on or he wouldn't be served ... and the man's now facing an attempted murder charge.
27-year-old Kelvin Watson was arrested Monday morning in Aurora, Colorado for the shooting. He was booked on a charge of attempted first-degree murder.
Cops say Watson made back-to-back visits to the Waffle House -- which was offering carry-out orders -- on Thursday and Friday after midnight, and both nights employees claim he was hostile toward them because they told him to put a mask on or he would not be served.
On Thursday, Watson allegedly pulled out a gun and placed it on the counter, telling the cook ... "I could blow your brains out right now."
When Watson returned the next night, the cook told him he would not be served, and Watson allegedly responded by slapping the cook and chasing him toward the back of the restaurant.
According to court docs ... Watson yelled at the cook, "You better shut the f*** up and serve me," before shooting him once in the chest/abdomen area outside the Waffle House. The cook told police he called 911 while running toward his home.
Fortunately, the cook was taken to the hospital and survived the shooting. A Waffle House spokesperson says he was released Friday afternoon.
Though Aurora does not have a mandate in place for wearing face coverings in public places, the health department that covers the city has strongly advised to wear them in public places.
