Crime & Arrests

A person cops believe to be responsible for shooting a Johnny Cash silhouette, causing a hilarious leak, is in custody and facing felony charges.

Officials arrested Timothy Sled on Monday, for shooting the 50,000-gallon water tank in Kingsland, Arkansas. He's been hit with 2 felony charges, one for criminal mischief and another for impairing the operation of a vital public utility.

Chief Deputy at Cleveland County Sheriff's Department Gary Young tells us they were led to Sled after an investigation that included local surveillance ... and there's still a possibility a second person will be arrested.

The alleged Buffalo shooter once detailed a grisly account of beheading a cat -- an incident that left him feeling absolutely nothing at all.

18-year-old Payton Gendron documented the killing in a digital journal entry on Discord -- which was public for a time before being taken down -- in which he describes slicing up a feral gray tabby cat that was apparently attacking his family's own pet cat in their garage.

He goes on to say he spent the next hour chasing it around and stabbing it with a camouflage knife ... until the animal died. Gendron is said to have also logged times on when it went limp, and how it bled from its mouth.

Doesn't sound like the guy was done desecrating the body ... Gendron went on to say he pounded the cat onto the concrete with its tail, and then cut off its head with a hatchet after about 20 hacks -- with blood splattering on his face.

He then wrote, "Honestly right now I don’t feel anything about killing that cat. I thought I would be in pain but I literally just feel blank," adding ... "Well my cat Paige is safe now from that evil feral cat, may you find bliss from consciousness less."

Gendron ended that entry by noting his cat had hung out with him more than anyone in the last few years, and that he hoped his family would care for it when he was "gone."

Former Cincinnati Bengals star Rey Maualuga has pleaded guilty to two felony charges in his DUI crash case ... but TMZ Sports has learned he was not sentenced to any more time behind bars.

Instead, according to court documents, Maualuga entered into a pre-trial diversion program ... meaning if he keeps his nose clean for the next five years, and completes several other conditions, the charges will be dismissed.

It's a pretty sweet deal for the 35-year-old -- considering he was facing up to 10 years behind bars after he had been accused of drunkenly crashing his Mercedes through mailboxes and front yards in a wild accident in Villa Hills, Kentucky on Aug. 11, 2021.

You'll recall, Maualuga -- who was an All-American at USC before playing nine years in the NFL -- was charged with felony first-degree wanton endangerment, felony first-degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor DUI -- third offense, after cops say he admitted to drinking "a few" alcoholic beverages before the crash.

Prosecutors tell us Maualuga spent 120 days in jail after his arrest and completed an in-patient substance abuse program ... which they said factored into their decision to agree to give Maualuga a pre-trial diversion program after he pleaded guilty to all three charges at a hearing in late March.

In addition to keeping his nose clean, Maualuga must also complete 100 hours of community service, pay some fines and restitution, and submit to random drug testing as part of the program.

The man responsible for slaughtering 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store left no question ... his attack was racially motivated, as evidenced by the hateful messaging emblazoned on his gun.

18-year-old Payton Gendron descended on the Tops store with a black Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle littered with  racist language -- "N****" on its' barrel, "Here's your reparations," "Dylan Roof," "John Earnest" and "SYGAOWN."

"SYGAOWN" is an acronym for "Stop Your Genocide Against Our White Nations." As you probably know, Dylan Roof is the man who killed 9 black worshipers at a South Carolina Church. Earnest killed one woman and shot 3 others in 2019 at a synagogue in San Diego.

Young Thug's controversial YSL record label is far from a criminal organization, according to Joe Moses, who says YSL is a totally legit enterprise.

The "Gang Bang" rapper, who's recorded several tracks with Young Thug, was adamant YSL is NOT a gang when he appeared on the "It's Tricky With Raquel Harper" podcast. Joe says cops and the Fulton County D.A. got this case all wrong because YSL is solely focused on making clothes and music.

As you know, prosecutors in Georgia feel the opposite, having indicted Thug, Gunna and 26 others on a 56-count RICO case -- but Joe says law enforcement is just trying to use YT's lyrics against him because Thug's Black.

Among Young Thug's lyrics listed in the indictment ... "I killed his man in front of his momma, like f*** lil bruh, sister and his cousin," and "my trigger start itching."

Joe says this is merely a case of a rapper describing or reflecting on things that happen in his community, and he believes Thug shouldn't be punished for his art.

What's more, he explains why all his dealings with Young Thug over the years lead him to believe the man has a heart of gold.

Cleveland Browns fullback Johnny Stanton is praising his primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng, for sacrificing his life in the Laguna Woods shooting ... honoring the man for his heroic actions.

Officials say 52-year-old Cheng was killed as he tried to stop the gunman who opened fire at the Geneva Presbyterian Church on Sunday. 5 others were injured in the shooting ... and cops say if Cheng hadn't taken action, there would have been "numerous additional victims."

Stanton -- who grew up in California before reaching the NFL in 2018 -- paid tribute to Cheng on Twitter minutes ago ... after realizing Cheng is the man who helped him out with regular checkups over the years.

"I just found out the person killed in the Laguna Woods shooting yesterday was my primary care physician, Dr. John Cheng," Stanton said.

"Absolute hero," Stanton added. "He attacked the gunman and helped save so many in that church. I just wanted his name to be known."

"He will be missed."

Ezra Miller gave cops a stern warning during their arrest in Hawaii, don't hurt their wrists ... and get their pronouns right or face hate crime charges.

More police body cam has surfaced from the March incident where Miller allegedly went after several bar patrons, getting busted for disorderly conduct and harassment.

The footage starts with Miller in handcuffs complaining of pain in their wrists, and telling cops they need to be careful, as Ezra's a musician and any damage to the nerves in their wrists could be catastrophic to their music career.

Then things get even more tense as Ezra's being transported to the police station, when one of the officers addresses Ezra as "sir" Ezra fires back, saying, "I'm not a sir. I'm transgender nonbinary."

The cop says he was only trying to be respectful, but Ezra continues, "If you fail to do that again, it is an act of intentional bigotry and it is a technical hate crime according to U.S. Federal law."

Once at the station ... Miller continues to complain about pain in their wrist, but is much calmer than during the drive over.

Another man responsible for selling Mac Miller the fentanyl that contributed to his fatal overdose will be behind bars for a long time.

Stephen Walter, 49, was handed a 17.5-year sentence after pleading guilty to distributing the fentanyl that ultimately resulted in Mac's death back in September 2018.

Another man ⁠— 39-year-old Ryan Reavis ⁠— also pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge and was sentenced to more than 10 years behind bars. The case against a third man by the name of Cameron Pettit remains pending.

As we reported, Miller died of a fatal concoction of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol and Walter told the courts and Mac's family he was "truly remorseful" for his actions.

An April 2022 tweet from independent stats collector chart data claims Mac is the best-selling rapper of the decade so far, perhaps indicative that his popularity hasn't wavered with the fans.

UFC legend Cain Velasquez was just denied bail again ... after the man he's accused of shooting back in February claimed he suffered serious injuries in the alleged attack.

A Santa Clara County judge denied Velaquez's request for bail in a courtroom on Monday ... following a nearly one-hour-long hearing.

During the proceedings, Velasquez's attorneys argued -- according to reporter Nolan King -- that the 39-year-old should be granted bail ... and said the former fighter would be willing to post $1 mil as well as have full-time supervision and/or electronic monitoring while out from behind bars.

But, prosecutors claimed Velasquez shouldn't be granted it ... saying Cain is still a threat to the alleged victims in the case.

Later during the hearing, one of the alleged victims, Paul Bender -- the stepfather of Harry Goularte, who's accused of molesting one of Velasquez's family members -- claimed he suffered nerve damage and more after Cain shot at him while he and Goularte were driving on the road.

Bender -- appearing via a video conference call -- claimed a bullet injured him so badly, he has damage to his fingers and can no longer work.

"I am fearful for my life as well as the lives of my family," Bender told the courtroom, according to King.

Ultimately, following the testimony, the judge at the hearing denied Velasquez's request for bail. Cain is now slated to remain behind bars until at least June 10.

As we reported, Velasquez -- who was also previously denied bail at a hearing in March -- has been in jail since he was arrested for allegedly firing multiple rounds at Goularte and Bender in a fit of anger.

A little white boy came storming over to the home of a Black family in Texas with a whip in hand and a beating in mind, it seems, and the whole thing was captured on video.

This is wild ... the Ring footage was taken from the front porch of Dee and Carissa Nash's home near Dallas, and it shows what they claim is a neighbor's kid from nearby coming over in a fury, allegedly in search of their 9-year-old daughter -- and making his presence known.

As you can see ... the young boy, who can't be more than 7 or 8 himself, bangs on the front door with his free hand -- and then takes some cracks at it with his whipping hand.

Carissa then opens the door and chastises the boy, telling him to get off her property and threatening to call the police. It appears the kid scrams after that. Sadly, the confrontation wasn't over just yet -- further video shows them facing off with the boy's purported father.

Dee handles this chat, and right off the bat ... it ain't pretty. The man is denying culpability and demanding to see evidence -- according to the Nashes, this boy allegedly scratched their car after Carissa told him to beat it -- and both Nash parents offer to show him.

However, it doesn't appear the guy's truly interested ... he tells 'em to get off his property and makes a big fuss about a plant that Dee may or may not have been stepping on.

The Nashes also claim the man who answered the door had a gun on him, and that he seemed poised to use it. According to reports, the police were in fact called over this -- and this guy was apparently arrested and booked on charges of deadly conduct.

The father has been named in some outlets, and we've confirmed a man by that name was arrested Friday/bonded out ... but the details are still hazy, and it's unclear if it's the guy depicted here. Kaufman County Sheriff's Office refused to release more info until Monday.

Earl Thomas was arrested Friday night in Texas after he was spotted at a bar ... just days after a judge issued a warrant for the former NFL star after the DB was accused of violating a protective order on multiple occasions, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the 33-year-old 7x Pro Bowler was taken into custody around 8:30 PM in Orange County, TX by Orange County PD after the agency received a phone call from a bar patron who spotted Thomas in the establishment.

Officers responded, and Thomas was cuffed and taken to the Orange County Jail ... where he currently remains.

Bond has not yet been set, according to online records.

And, because Thomas allegedly contacted the woman multiple times, he could be hit with a third-degree felony -- a charge that can carry a decade-long prison sentence, if convicted.

The bust comes about two weeks after a judge issued a warrant for the former Seahawks star, after Earl allegedly violated a protective order twice in 12 months by threatening a woman and her kids over texts, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Thomas' attorney previously told the local Austin paper his client was simply communicating with his estranged wife about their kids, something he says he is permitted to do under the order.

The original protective order was issued in 2021, when Earl was ordered to only contact his ex using an approved co-parenting app. But, according to the allegation, not only didn't the NFL star use the app, but he also allegedly sent menacing messages, threatening violence.

The arrest comes during a time when Thomas -- the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft -- is attempting to get back into the NFL.

Earl, a 5x All-Pro and Super Bowl champion, hasn't played since the 2019 season when he started 15 games for the Baltimore Ravens.

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman was first to report the arrest.

Gunna was a busy man before surrendering to authorities in his RICO case ... carving out time to see family and making sure his business plans were in line before turning himself in.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... it was important for him to see his relatives before going to jail ... we're told he's big on family and has a lot of close relationships, especially with his mother.

Gunna also had to get his business affairs in order, because his music is really hot right now and he's got a No. 1 album in "DS4Ever" ... and it's not exactly easy to run a biz behind bars.

Before his arrest, we're told Gunna was in the middle of releasing visuals for his popular single "Banking On Me" and his focus before going to jail was tying up some loose ends with release dates, music videos and other biz affairs related to his new tunes.

As you know ... Gunna was booked on RICO charges Wednesday in Fulton County, and his lawyers are claiming he's innocent and hammering police for using his lyrics against him in a 56-page indictment.

Family and music aside, Gunna's facing some serious charges ... and our sources say he also wanted to huddle with his legal team to make sure they're all on the same page on how to prove his innocence.

Young Thug's incarceration for allegedly running a crime syndicate is not going well ... in fact, his attorney says the famed rapper is being put through hell.

Thug's lawyer filed an emergency motion in hopes of getting him released immediately on bond. Why the urgency? Well, attorney Brian Steel says the YSL honcho is being held in total isolation in a windowless cement compartment with only a bed and a toilet.

He adds the cell has an overhead light that remains on 24 hours a day, preventing Thug from getting any sleep. Further, Steel says Thug has no access to media or opportunity to exercise, shave or have any human contact.

And, don't get him started on the menu -- according to his attorney, Thug is getting a tray of inedible "food." Steel included the quotes around food sarcastically.

While it sounds like he's basically describing a stereotypical jail cell, Steel says the conditions violate Thug's Constitutional rights -- in particular, the 8th and 14th Amendments ... barring states from inflicting cruel and unusual punishment.

As we've reported, Thug, Gunna and 26 other YSL associates were arrested following a 56-count racketeering indictment in Fulton County, GA. The group is accused of engaging in gang activity that includes drug and weapons possession, assaults, robberies and even murder.

WWE legend Tammy Sytch has been thrown back behind bars ... a judge just revoked her bond at a hearing on Friday morning.

Sytch initially posted the bond on May 7 ... one day after she was arrested for allegedly killing a man while driving drunk in March in Florida.

Prosecutors, though, argued that Sytch should not have been given bond -- calling her a danger to the community -- and in a Volusia County courtroom Friday morning, a judge agreed ... revoking it and putting her back in jail.

Sytch is expected to remain behind bars until at least her next court hearing on May 31.

As we reported, Sytch has been hit with eight criminal charges -- including DUI causing death -- after officials accused her of drunkenly causing a fatal car crash on March 25.

According to court documents, prosecutors say she had a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher when she crashed her car into a stopped vehicle on United States Highway 1 in Ormond Beach. Prosecutors say the collision ended up killing a 75-year-old man.

Gunna's still locked up, but there's one company reaping the benefits of his clothing choice as he turned himself in ... customers are flooding its site to look like their favorite rapper.

Gunna was booked on RICO charges Wednesday in Fulton County, and while his mug shot appeared to be a little fuzzy, some eagle-eyed fans couldn't help but notice the logo on the hoodie he was wearing -- it's a brand called LaRopa.

We spoke to a rep for the clothing company who tells us the day Gunna's mug shot was released, the brand saw a 15% increase in sales for the hoodie, compared to a normal day.

Not only did sales jump on Wednesday, the trend continued Thursday as well ... with a 24% increase for the top.

We're told Gunna doesn't have a stake in the company ... he just happened to be wearing it during his arrest. However, he's not the only celeb to have rocked LaRopa in the past ... Playboi Carti, Bella Hadid, Erika Jayne and Young Thug -- who is also locked up on related charges -- have all been spotted in LaRopa before.

As Young Thug, Gunna and dozens of other YSL members stare down pages of racketeering and gang charges ... they're getting a wave of public support from famous friends in rap.

Leading the charge was Lil Keed — the 2020 XXL Freshman and YSL affiliate NOT busted in the 56-count RICO indictment. The 24-year-old is adamant the Young Stoner Life label is many things, but definitely not a gang.

Keed calls his YSL comrades more of a "family" and a "lifestyle" ... but not a criminal org.

Georgia prosecutors feel the opposite, having thrown an 88-page indictment at Thug, Gunna and 26 other associates; accusing the organization of murder, receiving stolen property and even ordering a Fulton County jailhouse hit on rival Atlanta rapper, YFN Lucci ... who was stabbed in February.

Keed's comments mirrored those of longtime Young Thug collaborator, super-producer Metro Boomin, Post Malone and Meek Mill.

Thug and Gunna's lyrics are being combed through as potential evidence -- a notion that set off Young Metro on Twitter.

Post, who worked with Thug on his own hit 2020 album, "Hollywood's Bleeding," also had nothing but love for the cause and gave an eternal vow of support to both Thugga and Gunna.

Meek Mill also bashed the RICO laws and vouched for Thug's character. Meek doesn't blame the artists themselves, but the influence they carry and how it affects individuals looking from the outside in.

The Dreamchasers CEO joined forces with the likes of JAY-Z, Fat Joe, Killer Mike and more in January to propose the "Rap Music on Trial" bill to prevent lyrics from being used as circumstantial evidence.