Crime & Arrests

The mother of George Floyd's daughter is coming to grips with the fact he's going to miss every milestone in their child's life ... and it's heart wrenching to see.

Roxie Washington had tears streaming down her face Tuesday as she stood alongside 6-year-old Gianna at Minneapolis City Hall. Through her sobs, Roxie hammered home the point ... Gianna's father was taken away from her abruptly and brutally.

Referring to Derek Chauvin, and the 3 other ex-cops as yet uncharged ... Roxie said they all get to go home and be with their families, but Gianna will never again go home to her father.

Roxie really broke down when she talked about George never getting to see Gianna grow up, graduate and walk down a wedding aisle.

You can see, feel and hear how the loss is taking a toll on George's loved ones ... and Roxie is still wondering why some of the others have not been arrested and charged.

You'll recall, George's younger brother, Terrence, was in Minneapolis Monday, calling for peace and an end to the riots and looting -- and earlier today, hundreds of Houstonians rallied for George who was from there.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has filed a complaint against the Minneapolis PD in the wake of George Floyd's killing.

Governor Tim Walz announced the launch of the civil rights investigation, which will look into last week's incident involving the 4 officers who arrested Floyd ... in which one of them, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes, and long after he became unresponsive.

All 4 officers have been fired and Chauvin's been arrested and charged with third-degree murder ... but the other ex-cops have not been charged yet.

The investigation will not only focus on the Floyd incident, though. Gov. Walz says it will examine the practices, policies and patterns of the department over the past 10 years to determine if police have engaged in systemic violations of human and civil rights.

Here's Chauvin's mug shot after getting transferred to Minnesota's only Level Five maximum-security prison.

Derek Chauvin -- the former Minneapolis PD officer charged with the murder of George Floyd -- has a new jail cell for now ... he's been transferred to a maximum-security prison.

Chauvin's been sent to the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights near the city of Stillwater, after spending part of Sunday at the Hennepin County Jail. It's protocol for inmates to get new mug shots when they're transferred.

The ex-cop was originally held at the Ramsey County Jail after being arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.

According to the Department of Corrections ... the Oak Park Heights prison is the highest custody level in Minnesota's system, and several inmates -- like Chauvin -- need a higher level of security.

DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell says this kind of transfer is not uncommon -- the same thing happened when former Minneapolis cop, Mohamed Noor, was taken into custody in the killing of Justine Damond -- and it was requested by the Hennepin County Sheriff.

Chauvin was one of 4 officers fired over Floyd's death, but so far he's the only one arrested and charged. Chauvin was the cop who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for close to 9 minutes ... including more than 2 minutes after Floyd was unresponsive.

Still, there's outrage that the other cops have still not being arrested. The entire incident -- along with other cases of black people being unjustly killed -- has incited several straight days of protests, riots, looting, violence and destruction across several major cities in the U.S.

Faith Evans has found herself in some legal trouble ... 'cause we've learned the singer was arrested after allegedly attacking Stevie J.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Faith was arrested earlier this week at around 1 AM after cops got called to their L.A.-area home. We're told Faith and Stevie got into a heated argument, and at some point, it turned violent.

Our sources say when cops showed up they noticed visible marks and scratches on Stevie's face. It's unclear what triggered the argument. But, in any event ... cops arrested Faith and booked her for felony domestic violence. Faith bonded out later that day.

The arrest comes nearly a year after the couple desperately tried to downplay rumors their marriage was in trouble. As we first reported ... there was palpable tension after our camera guy got the couple leaving the Essence Festival in New Orleans.

Our guy asked them if there's trouble in paradise after Faith and Stevie unfollowed each other on social media ... not to mention Stevie's cryptic string of tweets from, "Drunk people always speak their truth," and "Ones insecurities can damage them" to "All that glitters ain't gold" and "Cherish what you love just know nothing will last forever."

Joe Exotic's meteoric rise from farm boy to 'Tiger King' fame is all laid out in an upcoming comic book ... and TMZ has the first look at Joe's origin story and its special edition cover.

TMZ obtained a couple pages from Michael Frizell and TidalWave Production's new project, "Infamous Tiger King," which hits the shelves at the end of June, and it's pretty wild.

The graphic novel (AKA serious comic book) picks up where 'Tiger King' left off, with Joe behind bars and Jeff Lowe running the zoo ... and it depicts Joe as a larger-than-life character as it dives into his crazy journey from rural Kansas to pop culture icon.

Joe's nemesis, big cat animal rescuer Carole Baskin, even graces one of the covers alongside him ... and another features a tiger wearing a crown and Joe's signature earrings.

L.A. Chargers LB Kyzir White is accused of driving like a maniac earlier this year ... and now, he's officially facing a charge of reckless driving over the incident, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs, 24-year-old White was stopped in Orange County, Calif. back on March 14. Specific details of what went down during the stop are still unclear -- we're working on it.

But, in the docs, prosecutors claim White was going 100 MPH ... and also made an unsafe turning movement while on the road.

White was officially charged shortly after the incident with one misdemeanor count of reckless driving -- which carries a maximum of 90 days in jail and a fine if convicted.

Court records show White was also hit with speeding and "unsafe turn or lane change" infractions.

We've reached out to White's camp for comment ... but so far, no word back, yet.

White was a fourth-round pick by the Chargers in the 2018 NFL Draft ... and he's started 10 games for the team since.

Derek Chauvin, accused murderer of George Floyd, has a camera focused on him round-the-clock, and cops check on his cell regularly -- all the hallmarks of a suicide watch.

A source at Ramsey County Jail in St. Paul, MN -- where Chauvin is detained -- tells TMZ, he was brought in late afternoon Friday, and didn't make eye contact with anyone upon his arrival ... before beginning the check-in process.

We're told Chauvin was put through an unclothed body search to look for any hidden contraband. Then, he put on a jail uniform and they led him off to a single cell in a special wing of the facility for high-profile cases.

For now, our source says Chauvin is in isolation and being watched constantly. There's a camera in his cell watching him 24/7, as well as guards monitoring the feed 24/7. On top of that, he's getting checked on in-person every 15 minutes.

While our source wouldn't use the term suicide watch to characterize Chauvin's circumstances -- other law enforcement sources tell us, yes, that's effectively what's happening at the jail.

That's not to say officers there believe Chauvin is suicidal, per se -- we're told the 15-minute checks are standard for that section of the jail ... but in the same breath, our sources say they want to make sure nothing happens to him while he's in custody.

Our source says Chauvin will be in his cell 23 hours a day -- with one hour of rec time in an enclosed area. He has access to books, pencils and paper -- not much else. He's also got a bed bolted to the floor with a pillow sewn to it.

We're told, as of Friday, the jail staff was unaware of any threats against Chauvin's life. He faces 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter charges for kneeling on George's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Although George Floyd's alleged murderer's been arrested, his family still might not see justice served ... according to Eric Garner's mother, who's been down this very road.

Gwen Carr tells TMZ ... she has her doubts about the system working in Floyd's favor, because she went through this nightmare when her son was choked to death during his 2014 NYC arrest.

Gwen says the cops involved in George's killing absolutely deserve to be held accountable, but she's warning Floyd's family not to bank on it, because she sees it as a roll of the dice in these cases.

Eric's mother tells us she's pleased Derek Chauvin -- the fired cop who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds -- has been charged with murder. However, she also believes Minneapolis police were playing politics when they fired and arrested Chauvin.

Gwen says more needs to be done to stop the widespread riots, and while she's not promoting or condoning the violence, she tells us she understands folks' frustrations all too well. She's been there.

As you know ... the footage of Eric's death infamously captured his final words, "I can't breathe."

His mom says she thought it was a slam dunk the involved officers would be charged with murder because her son was killed on camera -- but only one cop was ever arrested, and all charges were eventually dropped.

Eric's daughter, Emerald Garner, tells TMZ ... police would think twice about killing unarmed black people if there were laws specifically for cops involved in incidents like Garner's and Floyd's.

Eric's mother added some friendly advice for the Floyd family -- she's encouraging them to not sit on the sidelines and let law enforcement handle the case.

Gwen says, in her experience, George's loved ones must speak out to anyone who will lend an ear -- especially lawmakers -- and adds they should not be discouraged by the uphill battle they're already facing.

George Floyd had the weight of 3 full-grown men on him -- not just Derek Chauvin on his neck -- when he was killed ... as a new angle of the deadly incident reveals.

The video, obtained by NBC News, is from the opposite side of the street from the original video ... so, for the first time, we can see the other 2 now ex-officers, who not only subdued him in handcuffs ... but kept him pinned down for more than 8 minutes.

Throughout the 16 seconds of video, you can hear George saying he can't breathe and begging, "Please let me stand."

In the horrific original video, we only saw Chauvin with his knee on George's neck. This new clip was shot sometime earlier.

As we reported, Chauvin maintained his knee on George's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds ... according to the criminal complaint. Also, for 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time, the 46-year-old man was non-responsive.

The complaint also says one of the other 2 officers, seen in this new video on George's back and legs, suggested they flip him on his side when he said he couldn't breathe.

Chauvin's mugshot has just been released.

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter, and according to the complaint he created "an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd."

The D.A. announced the charges Friday and said Chauvin is in custody, but the other 3 officers are still under investigation and no charges have been filed ... at least not yet.

According to the complaint, an officer approached George Floyd's car and ordered him out at gunpoint, claiming he passed counterfeit currency. Once Floyd put his hands on the steering wheel, the cop holstered his gun.

The complaint says George "actively resisted being handcuffed." Once in cuffs, however, he became compliant, according to the complaint.

The complaint is based, in part, on the various body cam videos the D.A. reviewed. Cops told George he was being arrested for passing bogus money, and then walked him across the street to a squad car, where George "stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic."

At that point, according to the complaint, Chauvin arrives on scene in his squad car. According to the complaint, cops made several attempts to get George in the back of the squad car, but he would not voluntarily go and struggled.

While standing outside the car, George repeatedly said he could not breathe. This is before Chauvin put his knee on George's neck.

At 8:19 PM, Chauvin pulled George out of the squad car and Floyd went to the ground, handcuffed. There are 2 other officers on George's back and legs -- you can't see them in the video, but this is the moment when Chauvin placed his left knee on George's neck.

George keeps saying, "I can't breathe" and "Mama" and "please." The officers said to George, "You are talking fine." One of the other officers said, "Should we roll him on his side?" and Chauvin replied, "No, staying put where we got him."

Another officer said, "I am worried about excited delirium or whatever." Chauvin said, "That's why we have him on his stomach."

At 8:24 PM, George stopped moving, and at 8:25 PM video appears to show him cease breathing or speaking.

At this point, another officer checks George's wrist for a pulse and says, "I couldn't find one." None of the officers moved from their position. At 8:27 Chauvin finally removed his knee. In all, Chauvin had his knee on George's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds ... 2 minutes, 53 seconds of that was AFTER GEORGE BECAME UNRESPONSIVE.

According to the complaint, "Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous."

The autopsy says George had underlying medical conditions, including coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease. The M.E. said, "The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death." These are preliminary findings pending toxicology tests.

The M.E. does say there were no "physical findings to support diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation."

The 3rd-degree murder charge carries a max sentence of 25 years.

Music producer David Jassy says a magical thing happened while producing a mixtape inside San Quentin State Prison -- rival gang members found common ground in their love for music.

The award-winning producer, and formerly incarcerated man at San Quentin, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to download us on his groundbreaking achievement, a 17-track mixtape written, recorded and produced inside one of America's most notorious prisons.

David says the project, dubbed "San Quentin Mixtape, Vol. 1," quickly brought together members from rival sets within the highly-segregated prison.

When he started making beats on a keyboard inside his cell, David says he noticed inmates from different gangs congregating outside -- a super rare occurrence for any prison, let alone San Quentin.

David seized on the opportunity and ran with it ... pairing rival gang members on the same tracks to further boost camaraderie and ease years of tensions.

In the end, David managed to get 17 different inmates to rap about their struggles behind bars without using profanity, while teaching them the ins and outs of the music industry, production and artistry.

The end result goes way beyond creating a record -- as David told us the inmates learned valuable skills they can use in the future. In other words ... true prison reform.

The mixtape dropped Friday on all streaming platforms ... and as we first reported, David already got a huge shout-out from Kim Kardashian, who had visited him at San Quentin before Governor Gavin Newsom commuted his sentence just a couple months ago.

Stephen Jackson is at the forefront of the fight for justice in the killing of his friend George Floyd ... saying he's going to do whatever it takes to make sure the officers are convicted.

The ex-NBA star revealed this week that he's known Floyd for more than 20 years ... saying they even called each other "twin."

Jackson -- alongside Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, rappers Bun B and Trae The Truth, and actor Jamie Foxx -- gave an emotional speech at a news conference in Minneapolis on Friday.

"I'm here because they're not gonna demean the character of George Floyd, my twin," Jackson said.

"You can't tell me when that man had a knee on my brother's neck, taking his life away with his hand in his pocket that that smirk on his face didn't say, 'I'm protected.'"

"You can't tell me that he didn't feel that it was his duty to murder my brother and then he was gonna get away with it."

The officer -- Derek Chauvin -- has been arrested and charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter ... and Jackson says he will fight to make sure all officers involved get proper punishment.

"I'mma use everything I have to get a conviction, to get all these motherf**kers in jail. Excuse my French, I'm angry. I'm a proud black man."

Drop the mic, you're going to jail.

That's exactly what happened to CNN reporter Omar Jimenez right in the middle of covering the Minneapolis riots over George Floyd's killing ... but the cops are now saying, oops.

Jimenez was live on the air, just after 5 AM Central Time, when 2 Minnesota State Police officers in riot gear took the mic out of his hands, placed zip ties around his wrists and took him into custody.

At the time, he was standing on the mostly empty street in front of Minneapolis PD's 3rd Precinct which went up in flames Thursday night. State troopers had just arrived on the scene to clear the area, and you could hear Jimenez clearly identify himself as a CNN reporter ... and he also said he and his crew would move wherever cops needed them to go.

The cops weren't in the mood to talk, clearly, and arrested Jimenez and his crew -- but a couple hours later, they were released.

The Minnesota State Patrol says 3 CNN staffers were arrested because officers were "clearing the streets and restoring order." They say all 3 were released "once they were confirmed to be members of the media."

The irony here is pretty obvious -- a black reporter gets arrested while covering riots sparked by the fact a police officer has NOT been arrested for killing a black man, on camera.

CNN's pissed because Jimenez and his crew identified themselves as media while ON THE AIR, mind you. The network says Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had to step in to expedite the release of their staffers.

It's getting heavy.

"The Vampire Diaries" star Zach Roerig was allegedly a mess in more ways than one over Memorial Day weekend -- when he got busted for DUI, cops say he urinated in his jail cell.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Zach was busted Sunday around 2:30 AM in Montpelier, Ohio. Police tell us, officers noticed Zach's pickup truck did not have a front license plate, so they pulled him over.

Our sources say when the officer went up to the driver's side window, cops noticed Zach's slurred speech and bloodshot eyes and say he reeked of booze.

We're told police conducted several field sobriety tests during which Zach told the officer, "This is very hard, I can't do this when I'm f***ing ..." and his voice trailed off. The cop asked what he meant, and we're told Zach replied, "When I can't have a beer."

Cops arrested Zach for misdemeanor DUI. When they took him to the station, our sources say he was placed in a holding cell, where he ended up peeing. Long night.

Suspended MLB pitcher Felipe Vazquez -- who's already behind bars and facing more than 20 felonies in a child sex case -- has been hit with a new child porn charge in St. Louis, according to reports.

Remember, 28-year-old Vazquez was arrested back in September for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in 2017 ... and was also charged with sending nude pictures and videos of himself to the victim.

In docs, obtained by the Trib, Vazquez was charged with a count of "furnishing pornographic materials to a juvenile" in February ... a Class A misdemeanor.

According to the docs, the act allegedly went down from Vazquez's hotel room on July 16 ... when he sent nudes and a video of himself masturbating to a 15-year-old girl.

Worth noting ... the Pirates beat the Cardinals 3-1 that same day, and Vazquez recorded the save for Pittsburgh.

The Westmoreland County, PA Assistant DA told the Trib he believes the minor is the same girl at the center of Vazquez's other charges.

Tyler Judson -- a Tulane Univ. football player -- was arrested Monday ... this after he was accused of punching a woman so hard in the face at a Louisiana Waffle House, she required a trip to the hospital.

The mother of the alleged victim told WWL-TV her daughter was at the popular restaurant in Zachary, LA in the early morning hours of Memorial Day ... when a fight with Judson broke out.

The mom claims her daughter didn't know Judson prior to the incident and didn't start it ... but says she was punched by the Green Wave safety anyway -- causing severe injuries.

The woman says her daughter suffered "multiple facial fractures" and will require surgery to fix the issues. She also says the 18-year-old's eyes were still swollen shut as of Wednesday.

Jail records show Judson was arrested and booked on a charge of felony second-degree battery Monday. Records also show he bonded out shortly after.

Tulane Univ. said in a statement to media outlets it's suspending Judson immediately, saying, "Tulane Athletics is aware of Tyler Judson’s arrest."

"He has been suspended indefinitely from the Tulane football program. Tulane Athletics will have no further comment at this time."

Judson -- a redshirt freshman -- appeared in four games for the Green Wave in 2019, logging three total tackles.

He came to Tulane as a fairly touted national recruit, reportedly picking the school over offers from Baylor, Ole Miss and others.