Crime & Arrests

Maryland men's basketball assistant coach Bruce Shingler has been suspended ... after he was arrested in October for allegedly soliciting a prostitute.

The University announced the punishment this week ... hitting the 40-year-old with a 30-day ban. In a statement, the school said Shingler had been barred "for a violation of his employment agreement."

The suspension comes just three months after Shingler was arrested in Prince George's County ... where cops say he tried to pay an undercover officer $80 in exchange for sex.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say Shingler responded to a "women seeking men" ad posted by an undercover cop on a website police say is known to be used for prostitution.

Cops say Shingler eventually agreed to meet up at a local hotel and tried to exchange the cash for sex. Authorities say in the docs that once he handed over the money, he was arrested.

Court records show Shingler has since been hit with two charges of soliciting a prostitute.

Maryland interim head coach Danny Manning did not want to comment on the situation beyond the school's statement following the team's win over Northwestern earlier this week.

"Our athletic department will handle everything from there," Manning said.

More trouble for Tammy Sytch -- aka WWE Hall of Famer, Sunny -- who was arrested this morning in New Jersey for allegedly unlawfully possessing a weapon and making terroristic threats, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show 49-year-old Sytch was arrested in Keansburg, NJ and taken into custody at the Monmouth County jail at 11 AM.

The exact nature of the alleged crimes are unclear, but records indicate the wrestling legend was hit with 3 charges -- 2 for illegally possessing a weapon (it doesn't appear the alleged weapon was a firearm) and 1 charge for terroristic threats.

The NJ statute reads ... "A person is guilty of a crime of the third degree if he threatens to commit any crime of violence with the purpose to terrorize another or to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly, or facility of public transportation, or otherwise to cause serious public inconvenience, or in reckless disregard of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience."

The nature of the alleged threats are not currently known.

FYI, New Jersey doesn't have felonies and misdemeanors. They have degrees. The lower the degree the more potential jail or prison time a defendant faces.

The weapons charges are classified as third degree, while the threats charge is 4th degree. If convicted, the weapons charges each carry a possible 3-5 year prison term. The threats charge carries up to a 1-year sentence.

Unfortunately, Sytch has had many issues with the law over the years. Back in February 2019, Tammy was busted for DUI ... the 6th time she was arrested for the charge.

She also spent significant time behind bars ... doing about 8 months in jail in 2018.

After her release, Sytch went to rehab and vowed to stay clean.

At least one of Young Dolph's murder suspects also used his gun to carjack the Mercedes-Benz used as a getaway car in the fatal shooting ... according to cops.

The suspected killer's alleged crime spree is all laid out in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... and police say the carjacking went down in Memphis, a week before Dolph's murder.

In the docs, cops say a woman in a white Mercedes-Benz told them she was approached by 2 men armed with AR-style guns and they demanded her car. She also told cops one of the men hit her with the muzzle of a gun before she got out of the car and fled on foot.

And, get this ... cops say the woman told them one of the men ended up chasing her down because he couldn't start the car, forcing her back inside the ride at gunpoint and hitting her on the back of the head with his gun and demanding she starts the car.

Police say one of the men drove off in the white Benz, while the other followed in a dark-colored sedan ... and the Mercedes was used in a series of crimes, including Dolph's murder.

Remember ... detectives tracked down the getaway car to a Memphis-area home shortly after Dolph was killed.

In the docs, police say they dusted the car for fingerprints and got a match for Cornelius Smith.

As we previously reported, the other suspect, Justin Johnson, also has a connection to the Benz ... because he shot a music video at the home where the car was found.

Geno Smith was allegedly a huge jerk during his arrest on Monday ... with cops saying he threatened them and even told one, "you have a little d**k."

Washington State Patrol officers spelled out the allegations in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, claiming the Seattle Seahawks quarterback was combative and argumentative with them through much of the process of his arrest.

In the docs, cops say they pulled over Smith at around 2 AM in King County -- just hours after Seattle finished beating the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday -- after they claim they clocked his Rolls Royce going 96 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.

Officers say Smith was also driving erratically and changing lanes without signaling ... and during questioning, they say he reeked of booze.

Cops say Smith told them he had consumed wine before getting behind the wheel -- and then became upset with them during ensuing field sobriety tests.

In the docs, officers say Smith argued with them ... and eventually decided to stop doing the tests altogether. That's when cops say they arrested him and took him back to the station -- where they claim he made a comment about a cop's penis size.

One of the officers wrote in the docs, "I joked with him about how my wife thinks I work too much. Somehow he said that's because 'you have a little d***.'"

"I said, wow, maybe that is the problem, then he said you have a little d***, 'you have little d*** syndrome.'"

Cops say Smith ultimately refused to take a breath test, so they took him from there to the hospital to have his blood drawn.

But while at the medical facility, they say the 31-year-old refused to have his blood taken and then became enraged.

"I'll f*** every one of y'all up," one officer says Smith told them.

Another officer said Smith told them, "you don't want to see me out of these cuffs, you don't want to know what will happen."

Officers say they eventually had to put restraints on Smith's arms and legs in order to take his blood ... and claim the entire time Smith said, "that we were going to regret this and that we would all be famous for this."

After the blood was successfully taken, cops say they took Smith back to the station and booked him on a DUI charge.

Smith -- who's set to be an NFL free agent this offseason -- released a statement late Monday afternoon following the arrest, urging his fans to not rush to judgment.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith -- who started three games for Seattle this season -- was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of DUI in Washington ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol tells us ... Smith was pulled over at around 2 AM in King County -- just hours after the Seahawks returned home from beating the Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday.

According to law enforcement, Smith was initially stopped for speeding ... and was booked into the King County Jail a short time later.

Records show he was released after about seven hours in custody.

Further details surrounding the arrest are unclear ... we're working on it.

Smith played in a total of four games this season while Russell Wilson was out with a finger injury. He recorded a 1-2 record and logged 702 passing yards and five TDs.

The former 2nd-round pick is slated to be a free agent this offseason.

Britney Spears may be a free woman, but that's not the case for her ex Jason Alexander ... he's been tethered to probation after pleading guilty to stalking, TMZ has learned.

According to the Franklin Police Department, Jason was arrested on Dec. 30 and taken to the Williamson County Jail in Tennessee. He was eventually charged with violation of a protective order and aggravated stalking.

District Attorney General Kim Helper tells TMZ ... Jason pled guilty to misdemeanor stalking on Jan. 4 and was given 11 months, 29 days of probation. As part of the deal, he'll have to undergo a mental health screening and submit to random drug screenings.

Helper added Alexander won't be allowed to have any contact with the female victim. The nature of their relationship is unclear.

As you might recall, Britney and Jason dated back in '04. They abruptly got married in Vegas ... but that lasted all of 55 hours and the marriage was annulled shortly thereafter.

Jason later claimed Britney's team forced them to end the relationship and made it hard for the two to communicate afterward ... and while she seems to be in a better place these days, Jason's clearly struggling.

Last January, he was hit with a DUI and other charges related to drug possession ... later in August, he was arrested for trespassing into a "non-secure" area at a Nashville airport.

Kendall Jenner has a new issue with a man attempting to get onto her property, and while he was arrested ... he's already back on the streets, as it's becoming more and more challenging for cops to keep people safe.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ 31-year-old Arnold Babcock was stopped inside Kendall's gated community earlier this week by security. He claimed he was looking for Kendall, and we're told it's not the first time he'd been in the area trying to find her.

The community security detained Babcock until cops came, who then arrested him for trespassing. However, he was released a short time later without being charged.

Our law enforcement sources say L.A. County D.A. George Gascon's office rarely files charges on trespassing cases, which is increasingly frustrating to cops.

We're told the rank and file feel that without charges or consequences ... suspects have more of an incentive to commit crimes again.

The D.A. tells TMZ ... "Our office charges trespassing cases when appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances."

It's not the first, second or even tenth time a member of the Kardashian/Jenner family has had to deal with men attempting to get in their homes or on their property.

As we reported, it was back in March when a man jumped in Kendall's pool naked before he was arrested -- and just last month a man was arrested near Kylie's home trying to make contact.

Babcock is still under investigation for his other alleged incidents involving Kendall.

A Doja Cat fan is behind bars Sunday after making a bomb threat at her concert.

Doja Cat was performing at a concert in Indianapolis Saturday night, when the impatient fan wanted to cut the line to get inside.

A Deputy Police Chief told the IndyStar, "A fan wanted to advance in line so he exercised very poor judgment and told those around him in line he had a bomb in his backpack."

Cops were called and no explosives were found, but the guy was arrested for unrelated, outstanding warrants.

It's always insane for anyone to make such a threat, but especially in these times... and not just because of the political landscape. After the Astroworld tragedy, lots of people are on edge at concerts, so something like this predictably will cause chaos.

A concertgoer posted this ...  "Just waited 4 hours to see doja cat for their [sic] to be a literal bomb threat(???) scariest moment of my actual life the ground was covered in ice we were all running and slipping around literally so scary."

A fan was also freaked out ... "We were considering leaving before the bomb threat happened. Saw the front of the line push everyone back and dipped out of there. Not going back."

By the way ... another, smaller incident once the concert began. Doja Cat stopped the show for a short while because 2 fans were fighting.

The man suspected of gunning down Young Dolph says he's waving the white flag to the authorities over the charges against him -- charges of which he says he's innocent.

23-year-old Justin Johnson took to his social media page Saturday to both profess his innocence, and to also announce he'd be turning himself into the cops. The strange part ... he says he won't be doing so until Monday.

Using his rap IG account, going by the stage name Straight Drop, Johnson writes ... "Turning Myself In Monday @201 I'm Innocent I'll Be Back Sooner Than You Can Blink." Shortly before this message, he posted a video of a local news package that covered his criminal history ... which included an interview with a criminal court judge from Shelby County, TN.

The judge recounts how Johnson had previously carried himself in a separate case, making it seem like he was compliant and, later, a well-behaved prisoner after accepting his fate ... only to be released on probation early. Johnson seems to think the judge's words here are actually vouching for his character, because he wrote ... "Next time post the REAL… BS ass Blogs."

Of course, Johnson's timeline of taking the weekend to himself definitely isn't gonna fly with the feds ... who are actively pursuing him in a manhunt right now, and probably don't want to wait until Monday to have the guy in their custody.

It's unclear where Johnson is at the moment, but he obviously has access to his Instagram page, and presumably his phone too. By the same token, he's also eluded the cops thus far -- so perhaps he really is on his own schedule at this point.

As we reported ... Johnson was announced as the prime suspect in Dolph's killing, and he's currently wanted on a slew of charges -- including first-degree murder.

He also appears to have shot a music video once upon a time at the same home where the authorities retrieved what they believed to be the getaway vehicle used the day Dolph was shot and killed.

The lawyer for Travis McMichael claims the judge in the case was pressured by the President, former Presidents and celebrities to hand down the harshest sentence.

Attorney Jason Sheffield tells TMZ, he believes the die was cast from the jump, saying the "decision-makers" were under a microscope. He says he's referring to the police, prosecutors, judge and jury.

Sheffield says anyone who voiced sympathy for his client was criticized and threatened, adding, "So the decision-makers face the same fate if they don't acknowledge the narrative that has been perpetrated by Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, as well as the national media, former presidents Obama, Trump and [current President] Biden, and top-level sports athletes and entertainers."

All 3 defendants were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery. Travis and Gregory McMichael were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after the judge described their lack of remorse and callousness. William "Roddie" Bryan was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Sheffield calls the sentence "scripted, because nobody wants to be on the other side."

Former President Barack Obama said of the case when he spoke at an HBCU graduation ceremony during the pandemic, "We see it when a Black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn't submit to their questioning. Injustice like this isn't new."

Donald Trump called the cellphone video showing the horrific murder "very disturbing."

President Biden's statement ... "Ahmaud Arbery's killing -- witnessed by the world on video -- is a devastating reminder of how far we have to go in the fight for racial justice in this country."

Raiders rookie Nate Hobbs will likely return to the football field against the Chargers on Sunday ... less than a week after he was arrested for DUI.

Las Vegas interim head coach Rich Bisaccia updated the media on Hobbs' status Wednesday ... saying based on what the team knows at this time, the 22-year-old will not be punished prior to the Week 18 matchup.

"We take [the arrest] extremely serious, organizationally and certainly within our team," the coach said. "Based on what we've learned at this time, we expect Nate to play."

"It's a legal matter, and other than that I really have nothing else. We'll leave it at that."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hobbs was arrested after cops say he was found passed out behind the wheel of his car parked in the exit ramp of a Vegas hotel early Monday morning.

Hobbs' attorneys, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, addressed the arrest ... saying, "The facts and circumstances related by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to the news media leave serious concerns that this does not qualify as a DUI under Nevada law."

It's a surprising move by the team, especially when Hobbs' former teammate, Henry Ruggs, was charged with 2 counts of felony DUI after he was accused of driving drunk and crashing his Corvette into the vehicle of 23-year-old Tina Tintor, who burned to death after her Rav4 caught fire, according to officials.

YG's been suspected of robbery for nearly two years now, but he finally has an answer on whether he'll be prosecuted ... and that answer is a resounding no.

The L.A. District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against the rapper because it says there wasn't enough evidence to link him to the crime ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ.

It's interesting though because it sounds like YG might have been on the scene during whatever the heck was happening. In the docs, the D.A.'s Office says, "Not enough evidence of what defendant did to aid and abet the crime. Presence during the crime alone is not sufficient."

We still don't know exactly what this was all about to begin with -- YG was arrested in January 2020 during an early morning raid on his house. Cops came heavily armed, with weapons and warrants, but, at the time, his powerhouse attorney, Joe Tacopina, assured us his client would be cleared.

It took a while, but turns out he was right ... Tacopina says the D.A.'s decision is a happy Christmas gift for his client. He tells us he actually had conversations with the D.A. over this matter, and got them to see the light -- namely, that YG hadn't done anything wrong ... and that charging him wasn't in anyone's best interest.

Tacopina thinks cops had a grudge against YG, and we're simply hassling him.

David Koechner might not be too different from the guys he plays in movies -- because the dude spent New Year's Eve in a cell for drinking and driving ... this according to cops.

The 'Anchorman' and 'Office' star was busted for suspected DUI and hit and run Friday in Simi Valley, CA -- where he got picked up by the local cops around 3 PM PT ... well before midnight. Koechner was booked into Ventura County Jail around 5 PM PT ... and his vehicle was towed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police got a call for an erratic driver, which a patrolling officer located -- only to find David behind the wheel. We're told he was given field sobriety tests, which he didn't do well on ... and got hauled in for drunk driving and allegedly hitting a street sign with his car.

Per online records, he was released early the next morning ... around 5 AM PT. He's got a court date in March to answer for this arrest.

There's no question it's Dave here. All his info lines up with what we know about him publicly ... same DOB, same height (6'2"), from Missouri, occupation as an actor, etc.

Of course, David is known for playing party animals ... especially when portraying Champ Kind, or even Todd Packer from "The Office," both of whom are known for boozy adventures.

DK hasn't had any other run-ins with the law that we're aware of -- this seems to be his first DUI, at least in Cali. We've reached out to David's camp ... so far, no word back.

The Netherlands is in a full lockdown again over COVID, and when people took to the streets in Amsterdam to voice their displeasure ... cops quite literally unleashed the hounds.

A major clash between Dutch riot police and protesters went down Sunday in Amsterdam, where thousands of people were dispersed by force ... and a lot of it at that. Officers, who were decked out with shields, helmets and batons, were given the green light to go town on folks -- as they were all violating local orders against forming large crowds.

It didn't take long before cops used dogs, you see one shot of a German Shepherd clamping down on a guy's arm ... which looks painful as hell.

A reported 30 or so people are said to have been arrested during all the mayhem. And of course, some left with some serious bruises, you see one dude walking away and getting his legs smacked by a cop using a baton.

We know critics of Bill Cosby's overturned conviction would love to see him back in prison, but surprisingly ... a bunch of his former cellmates feel the same way, though not for the reasons you'd think.

It's not a matter of jealousy, according to Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt ... who tells us Cosby's old buddies at SCI Phoenix reach out to him about 3 times a week. Instead, he says the prisoners are missing their guru, of sorts.

As you know ... Cosby was sprung from prison back in June ... something he obviously celebrated, but his fellow inmates might not have been thrilled.

Wyatt says Cosby had become the voice of reason within the prison walls -- solving disputes between inmates, dishing out advice and pushing education as a means to improve their lives.

He also claims Cosby encouraged them to show corrections officers and the warden they could be good citizens on the inside, and they were ready to do the same when released or paroled.

Ironically, the disgraced comedian who'd once been called, "America's Dad" ... now seems to hold that title with the inmates at the Pennsylvania State Prison.

Wyatt fields most of the calls from inmates, but says Cosby tries to get on the line as much as he can to say hello from time to time.

While Cosby's enjoying his newfound freedom, we're told his former fellow inmates want him to return to SCI Phoenix as a motivational speaker.

MTV's Darrell Taylor has been busted for public intoxication, after someone called cops complaining of a very drunk man lying in an apartment hallway ... TMZ has learned.

It all went down earlier this month in Burbank ... when someone in the apartment complex called cops about a man who was allegedly stumbling around and ringing doorbells.

When officers arrived, they found 42-year-old Taylor – a multi-time winner of MTV’s "The Challenge" – flat on the ground in front of one of the units -- so drunk they had to take action to protect him.

Cops arrested Taylor, and he was later booked on a charge of public intoxication and later released.

Darrell tells us he was trying to get back to his hotel and got lost. He says he went down the wrong street and apparently ended up at the apartment complex by accident.