Crime & Arrests

Boston Marathon Bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet -- who lost her leg in the terror attack -- is FURIOUS after an appeals court Friday overturned the bomber's death sentence.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been sentenced to die for his role in the 2013 bombing which killed 3 people and injured more than 250 others, including Haslet.

Haslet -- a professional dancer at the time -- required emergency surgery and lost her left leg from the knee down.

Her comeback story has been nothing short of inspirational -- she trained up and completed the marathon on a prosthetic leg in 2016.

But, after learning that an appeals court had overturned Tsarnaev's death sentence Friday ... she WENT OFF in a heated IG post.

"I’m so livid at today’s ruling by the federal court," Haslet said.

"First and foremost, I cannot emphasize enough, without a shadow of a doubt, that the criminal justice system needs a complete overhaul to stop racial profiling, and the death penalty is used in far too many cases of injustice. AND. The death penalty should be used in this particular case."

"This terrorist admitted in court he was guilty of crimes committed against our country. He confessed, with his brother, to a man who testified in court that their plans were to drive to New York and bomb the city too. This terrorist gave the finger when asked if he felt guilty."

She added, "He is a threat to all of us and he needs to die."

As for Tsarnaev, the appeals court believed some of the jurors in his trial were not completely truthful about how much information they had about the case while being selected.

The death sentence was vacated -- BUT there will be a new penalty phase of the trial where it's possible the new jury could still sentence him to death.

Nicki Minaj's husband really wants to be there for the birth of the couple's first child ... a once-in-a-lifetime moment he might have to miss due to his pending criminal case.

Kenneth Petty just submitted legal docs, obtained by TMZ, begging the judge to modify the terms of his pretrial release conditions so he can travel with Nicki periodically on business as her manager and attend the upcoming birth of their baby.

As you know ... Kenneth recently registered as a sex offender in Cali after getting arrested for allegedly failing to do so when he moved to the state with Nicki. Some of the terms of his pretrial release -- he has a curfew and his travel is restricted to California.

According to the docs, Kenneth wants the judge to tweak his release conditions so he can be by Nicki's side if she gives birth outside his curfew hours.

Kenneth says the U.S. Attorney's Office and pretrial services office don't oppose his request, so now it's up to the judge to sign off.

As we reported ... Nicki announced her pregnancy earlier this month, and it looks like she's at least 6 months along. So the baby could be coming soon.

BTW ... Kenneth's status as a sex offender stems from a 1995 New York conviction for first-degree attempted rape. Petty pled not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, and a judge recently gave him permission to surf the web.

Now, Kenneth's hoping to go 2-for-2 with the judge.

Some of the most high-profile celebs, politicians and business leaders can thank a Florida teen for hacking their Twitter accounts ... according to cops, who've busted the alleged mastermind.

Graham Ivan Clark was arrested Friday morning in Tampa following an investigation into the hack that appeared to be part of a massive Bitcoin scam ... and the 17-year-old is facing a whopping 30 felony charges.

The State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough County says Clark is responsible for the July 15 hack, which as we reported, saw Twitter accounts for Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Kanye West, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos, Mike Bloomberg and Kim Kardashian tweeting out a message asking users to send $1,000 to the same Bitcoin address in return for $2,000.

The scheme was pretty lucrative ... authorities say the hack reeled in more than $100,000 in Bitcoin.

Clark was arrested and booked shortly after 6:30 AM Friday ... according to jail records.

While Clark is only 17 years old, Florida law allows minors to be charged as adults in some cases of financial fraud.

Twitter says the hackers fooled its employees into handing over high-level administrative credentials over the phone in a "spear-phishing attack," which allowed the hackers to target other Twitter employees with access to account support tools and ultimately tweet from the celeb accounts.

Kids these days.

A former Buffalo State football player is fighting for his life after being shot during an altercation at a liquor store Monday ... and cops have released the shocking footage in hopes of catching the suspect.

NYPD officials say a fight broke out between Malachi Capers -- a former D-end at Buff. State -- and another man after the two bumped into each other inside 136 Deli & Grill in Queens.

You can see in surveillance footage of the incident ... Capers brushed up against the man's shoulder -- and then the two exchanged words.

Eventually, fists started flying ... and that's when the former football player tackled the guy to the ground outside the store.

When the man was able to free himself from Capers' grasp ... you can see in the video, he pulled out a firearm and shot the 20-year-old in the stomach.

Capers is now reportedly in the hospital battling critical injuries.

Now, the NYPD says it's looking for the gunman -- who officials ID'ed as Jeffrey Thurston -- and is asking for any help in finding his location.

Buffalo State head coach Christian Ozolins, meanwhile, released a statement to multiple media outlets regarding the shooting ... saying, "Malachi was a well-liked member of our football family during his freshman year in 2018 and has remained a friend to many in our program as he has continued his education at Buffalo State after leaving the team due to on-going injury issues."

"We have him in our thoughts as we wish for a speedy and full recovery."

A woman in Michigan is now facing the music after setting a Jeep on fire ... as she now sits injured, behind bars.

Sydney Parham made news for all the wrong reasons last week in the Detroit suburb of Harrison Township ... where she's allegedly seen on video dousing a black Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire. When the jeep ignited in flames, Parham got more than she bargained for as the explosion of flames knocked her back.

Parham was arrested for arson and is in jail in lieu of $20,000. As for why she torched the Jeep ... the owner of the SUV, Avery Stephens, says he's got no idea.

Ex-NFL star Dana Stubblefield was just found guilty of raping a mentally disabled woman stemming from a 2015 incident ... and now he faces up to life in prison.

49-year-old Stubblefield was first arrested back in May 2016 after officials say the former 49ers superstar raped a woman he found on a babysitting website and had invited to his Santa Clara, CA home for a job interview.

Stubblefield had argued the sex was consensual -- and claimed he can prove it with a lie detector test.

He was initially hit with 5 felonies -- but in January 2018, prosecutors uncovered evidence they believe proved Stubblefield used a gun to commit the alleged rape. Bail was revoked and he was remanded back into custody.

He spent the next several weeks locked up in Santa Clara County Jail.

The case ultimately went to a jury -- and Monday, following a 9-month trial, Stubblefield was formally convicted of forcible rape while using a gun. He now faces 15 years to life in prison.

Stubblefield was a 1st-round NFL Draft pick in 1993 and went on to make 3 Pro Bowls. He was a key part of the 49ers 1994 team that beat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Back in 2016, Stubblefield's attorney Ken Rosenfeld told TMZ Sports the accuser was lying in an apparent shakedown.

"Dana Stubblefield is being unfairly targeted due to his celebrity and wealth by someone with full motivation to lie," Rosenfeld told us at the time.

"The clear motivation here is money."

Stubblefield was remanded into custody after the verdict was read. His next hearing is not until August 29.

Stubblefield was married at the time of the incident — but his wife filed for divorce right before the rape allegations went public. They have 2 children together.

Two gym owners in NJ who refused to shut their doors despite official orders were arrested at their facility Monday ... and now, people are FURIOUS!!

Both protesters and supporters had been posting up in front of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, NJ for days after the owners made it clear they would not comply with a state COVID-19 order requiring non-essential businesses to close up.

Things really got intense on Friday when a judge issued a court order demanding the owners vacate the premises and cease operations immediately.

But, Ian Smith and Frank Trumbetti refused -- and it all came to a head on Monday when several law enforcement agencies swarmed the gym and again, asked both men leave.

They again refused -- so, they were both arrested on site.

According to one witness, K9 units were on scene to help out. But, it does not appear things got out of hand.

Prosecutors in Camden County say 33-year-old Smith and 51-year-old Trumbetti were taken to a local jail and formally charged with "1 count of 4th degree Contempt, 1 count of Obstruction, and 1 count of Violation of a Disaster Control Act."

Both men have since been released from custody.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff -- who's been vocal about HATING all of the COVID shutdowns and masks, etc. -- went to bat for the gym owners shortly after their arrests saying, "Ian Smith has taken the bullet for all of us."

Ex-UCLA player Craig Lee -- a key piece of one of the school's best recruiting classes ever -- is breathing easier today ... the former Bruin just cut a plea deal with prosecutors in his attempted murder case, and is only getting probation.

We broke the story ... Lee -- a top UCLA recruit in Jim Mora's famed 2013 class -- was arrested last year after law enforcement says he was involved in an altercation at a weed dispensary that turned violent.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, officials say Lee and at least 2 other men entered Kings Palace Marijuana Dispensary in Jurupa Valley, Calif. on June 30, 2016 ... when someone from the group shot a store employee.

Officials say a security guard in the store returned fire ... and that's when they say Lee and the other suspects bolted out of the place.

After an ensuing 3-year-long investigation into the incident ... law enforcement claimed the whole thing was a robbery gone wrong, and say a key witness told them Lee's role in it all "was to grab drugs and money and run."

Lee was eventually hit with 3 felonies by prosecutors ... including attempted murder, attempted robbery, and accessory for allegedly aiding the others to flee.

But, a rep for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office tells TMZ Sports Lee agreed to a deal this month ... pleading guilty to the accessory count.

In exchange, the prosecutors agreed to drop the other 2 charges.

We're told Lee was sentenced to 80 days in jail ... but was given credit for time served and won't have to spend another day behind bars.

Lee was also hit with 36 months of formal probation ... but prosecutors say if he keeps his nose clean for two years, he'll have the opportunity to have the felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor.

As part of his probation terms, Lee, among other things, cannot possess a firearm or leave the state without first getting permission.

A dude from Michigan figured a prosthetic face mask making him look super old would allow him to steal a fortune at several casinos, with the help of some fake driver's licenses and other personal info from elderly victims.

John Colletti, who is 55, needed to look a lot older, and the prosthetic face mask did the trick, but for safe measure, he wore hats, glasses and even surgical masks. He went to the MGM Grand Casinos last year in Michigan and Kansas and withdrew a fortune at the self-service kiosks ... this according to the federal complaint.

The feds say at least 10 people were victimized and Colletti stole more than $100,000.

The FBI cracked the case with the help of a search warrant, and they found a lot, including 4 prosthetic face masks, flash drives, counterfeit money and books on how to commit a crime without getting caught.

A San Jose cop has been benched after dragging a woman across a parking lot face first.

It went down at a McDonald's parking lot. A Door Dash driver recorded the brutal arrest while it was already in progress. You see the cop kick the woman -- who is already on her knees. Then, as his partner aims his gun at her, the cop tackles her to the ground and drags her a good distance. Mind you ... she was already handcuffed.

You hear children in the woman's car crying as McDonald's customers scream at the officers to stop.

Retired judge LaDoris Cordell, who has heard use of force cases, told CBS San Francisco, "If anyone wanted a prime example of use of excessive force by a police officer, this incident is one."

The San Jose PD released this statement ... "Officers used force during the arrest after the suspect failed to comply with their commands. The department has initiated an internal investigation into this incident."

The death of Alonzo Brooks is still a mystery, but his mom believes the cold case is heating up and they're close to getting some real answers ... thanks in large part to the national attention it just received.

Maria Ramirez tells TMZ ... as bittersweet as it may be, the timing of the pandemic, along with the story of her son's murder featured on the rebooted "Unsolved Mysteries" series on Netflix, has been beneficial to the investigation.

Alonzo's mother says it got so many viewers -- along with so much interest and support -- because of the current situation in the country ... and she has faith it's going to lead to cracking the case and providing her with some closure.

As we reported ... there have already been some major developments this week in the murder case. Brooks' body was exhumed in Topeka, KS as tips have continued to pour in.

Alonzo was found dead in a creek in May 2004, about a month after he went missing, after attending a party in La Cygne, KS, at which he was one of only a few Black people.

Law enforcement had no suspects or solid answers for the family and the case went cold until the FBI reopened it this month. It's now calling Alonzo's death a hate crime ... offering a $100k reward for info leading to an arrest.

"Today is Opening Day, which means it's a great day to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor."

That's a tweet from the official Tampa Bay Rays Twitter account ... using the biggest day of the season to bring justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed by 3 police officers in her Louisville home.

The Rays made the impactful statement early Friday morning ... hours before kicking off their season against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Not only did the team make waves with the tweet ... the Rays are also committing $100,000 to local groups fighting systemic racism.

"Systemic racism is real," the team said. "Let’s unite for positive change."

The MLB as a whole has shown solidarity with Black Lives Matter at the start of the season ... with kneeling demonstrations, video messages and jersey patches.

Players -- including Dodgers star Mookie Betts and several S.F. Giants -- took a knee during the national anthem before their game Thursday to symbolize a need for change in the country.

"American Crime" actor Johnny Ortiz is facing a real-life attempted murder charge for his alleged role in an L.A. drive-by shooting ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Ortiz and another man, Armando Miguel Navarro, allegedly tried to kill a man named Brian Duke in a gang violence-related incident. Though Navarro's the one accused of pulling the trigger, prosecutors also hit Ortiz with an attempted murder charge ... now we know why.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... witnesses on the scene gave a description of the car, which was pulled over about an hour later in L.A. with 4 people inside, and Ortiz driving.

We're told all 4 were taken into custody, but the D.A. only charged Ortiz and Navarro ... the other 2 were released.

Our sources say prosecutors have some video evidence linked to the shooting.

Ortiz has also costarred in "McFarland, USA" with Kevin Costner, and with Aaron Paul in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie." He was arrested in late May and is still locked up, being held on $1,120,000 bail.

Great news for Ed Oliver ... the Buffalo Bills' rising star is getting his DWI and gun charges dropped because of insufficient evidence, prosecutors confirmed to TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old former first-round pick -- who had a rock-solid rookie season for Buffalo last year -- was arrested back on May 16 in Montgomery, Texas after cops say he was drunk driving.

Officers claim witnesses told them they saw Oliver swerving and driving dangerously at around 9 PM ... and they say when they eventually caught up to Ed, he was doing 80 mph in a 45 and illegally passing people.

Cops say when they pulled Ed over, they noticed a "moderate" odor of alcohol and said Oliver had bloodshot and glassy eyes.

The officers also say Oliver had an open can of Bud Light in the driver's side door ... and claim the guy bombed sobriety tests.

Cops also say they found a pistol in his car after searching his ride.

Eventually, Oliver was arrested and charged with class B misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and class A misdemeanor "unlawful carry weapon."

But, prosecutors told us Wednesday they filed a motion to drop the charges after the testing for drugs/alcohol came back negative.

Oliver's attorney, Gary E. Patterson, elaborated to Fox 26's Mark Berman, saying, "The charges against Ed Oliver are being dismissed by the district attorney in Montgomery County (because of) the lack of evidence."

"The blood results came back and they were totally negative. He had no drugs at all in his system..So everybody know it's not the attorney that's getting him off. They had no evidence."

As for the gun charge, Patterson told Berman, "It gets automatically dismissed because it's only illegal to have a pistol in your vehicle if you're intoxicated or if you get charged with another criminal act. So when the DWI is dimissed, it's not illegal to have a pistol with you."

Oliver himself weighed in on the news, writing on his social media page, "Now y’all go back and read this article knowing that all my blood work came back clean!!!but I had a beer can between my legs get the f*** out of here how does a 5’8 officer see inside a window above his head anyway how do 5 cop cars show up before I take a sobriety test huh"

This dog is in desperate need of a new owner after the pitiful excuse for a man picked up his pet and slammed it the ground ... which got him arrested, temporarily.

This happened in downtown Vancouver, and luckily, worried bystanders shot this video and sent it to the local SPCA. The dog, a pit bull, was barking while its owner argued with a cyclist. Witnesses say the dog had lunged at the cyclist ... possibly at the behest of the owner.

But, watch ... after the argument ended, the owner picked up the helpless dog -- above his shoulders -- and threw it down on the concrete sidewalk. The dog yelped and was clearly distressed.

You can hear the horrified witnesses, who immediately called police. Officers reportedly arrested the owner, but later released him without charging him. However, an investigation is still ongoing. It's unclear if police have seen this video.

Get a load of this tool ... completely losing his mind, hurling the n-word at 2 Verizon employees all because he apparently hated their prices.

The disgusting incident went down July 15 in Stafford, Virginia where a Verizon employee recorded this man named Robert Colonna going berserk. Colonna was so pissed about something not working -- and its cost -- that he hurled a loogie at the closed door, and then started dropping n-bombs as he screamed at the workers.

The staffer who posted the video explained it this way ... "[He] assaulted me before entering store throwing phones inside store then picking them up leaving the store claiming he had something else for us. I IMMEDIATELY locked the door behind him."

The employee, who is heard on the phone with either cops or corporate, goes on to say, "He used racial slurs and spit at me. I know his name is Robert. Robert initially pulled up to the store in a company truck making a hard stop in front of [the] store before jumping out and assaulting me while I was holding the door for an elderly man. He was only charged with Disorderly conduct. When police arrived I asked about assault charges. Robert stated he tripped before he hit me..true but his intentions before he tripped was to hit me I believe...as you can see what I mean."