Crime & Arrests

Charlotte Hornets hooper James Bouknight lay passed out in his Mercedes-Benz AMG GT with a bag of Doritos and a Glock handgun in his lap before he was arrested for DWI ... a photo obtained by TMZ Sports appears to show.

The 22-year-old former 11th overall pick (2021) was arrested around 2 AM early Sunday morning in a parking deck in Mecklenburg County, NC for driving while intoxicated.

It's a bit misleading, 'cause Bouknight wasn't actually moving at the time of the arrest ... he was allegedly conked out in the driver's seat of his $100K Benz, blocking access to the garage.

Witnesses tell us security attempted to wake up James, but despite repeatedly pounding on the window, they couldn't get his attention.

When they looked through the car's windshield (the tint made it difficult to see through the other windows), security saw a weapon on James' lap -- a .40 caliber Glock 23.

That's when security called the cops ... who responded and were ultimately able to wake up the 6'4" guard and place him under arrest.

Bouknight was booked, before being released on $2,500 bond.

He was NOT charged with any crime relating to the gun ... North Carolina doesn't require a permit to open carry a weapon.

Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight was arrested for allegedly driving while impaired early Sunday morning ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 6'4", 160-pounder was booked around 1:51 AM, according to the Mecklenburg Sheriff's Office in North Carolina. His bond was listed at $2,500.

Bouknight was a star for the UConn Huskies before going 11th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

He averaged 4.6 points in 31 games in his rookie campaign ... including a 24-point performance against the Sacramento Kings.

Bouknight's arrest adds to a hellish offseason for the Hornets ... after star Miles Bridges was accused of abusing his girlfriend in front of their children. Former Charlotte forward Montrezl Harrell -- who recently signed with the Philadelphia 76ers -- was also busted for having marijuana in his car.

The Hornets released a statement ... saying, "We are aware of the incident involving James Bouknight and are in the process of gathering additional information."

"We will have no further comment at this time."

Story developing ...

Tsu Surf is looking at a different fight at the moment ... the renowned battle rapper was arrested in Jersey City by U.S. Marshals on Thursday after the feds indicted him over his alleged involvement with a criminal gang enterprise under the Rollin' 60s Crips umbrella.

TMZ Hip Hop has obtained the 52-page indictment in which Tsu (real name Rahjon Cox) has been charged with racketeering conspiracy and possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felony.

Nine other people have been hit with a litany of crimes in the indictment, including carjacking, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and more.

Feds claim he assisted in the shooting against a rival "Crips" gang member in March 2017 and also used his official Instagram page to coordinate an MMDA drug deal in April 2018.

Prosecutors also claim Tsu Surf had an illegal Beretta Px4 Storm .40 caliber firearm in July 2019 and later jokingly mourned law enforcement seizing the weapon on his IG a month later.

An additional October 2020 date also alleges Tsu Surf was involved in an IG drug deal for marijuana.

A Van Gogh masterpiece was vandalized with tomato soup ... in the name of environmental activism.

Two protesters from the group, Just Stop Oil, made their way to Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" Friday at the National Gallery in London, and hurled a can of Heinz tomato soup at the famed work.

The protesters, who then glued themselves to the wall beneath the 1889 iconic painting, said they chose a can of tomato soup because it symbolizes the dilemma of Brits who are so strapped because of gas prices they won't be able to heat up food in the coming winter.

They said, "The cost of living crisis has been driven up by fossil fuels."

The $85 million piece was not damaged, although the frame did suffer minor damage.

This isn't the first protest using art as a target ... a protester smeared cake over the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris. Another incident of vandalism ... protesters glued their hands on pieces by Botticelli and Boccioni. And, 2 protesters were arrested in Australia a few days back after gluing themselves to a Picasso.

Nikolas Cruz's life might have been spared by a jury, but at least one mother of one of his victims is hoping it's a different story once Cruz is locked up in prison.

A livid Lori Alhadeff, mother of Alyssa Alhadeff, spoke to us shortly after Judge Elizabeth Scherer read the jury's recommendation of life without parole. Lori suggests the jurors may have decided against the death penalty because Cruz allegedly suffered from mental illness, or his rough upbringing ... but as far as she's concerned he knew exactly what he was doing.

That's why she says once Cruz is officially sentenced, she'd like to see one of the prisoners he's locked up with "take care" of him ... and she's not saying that in a nice way.

Lori says the jury's decision was both awful and disgusting, and you could see those emotions Thursday morning on the faces of several family members in court.

As we've reported, the jury recommended life in prison for Cruz ... after they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty.

Cruz murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School back in 2018. Lori's daughter, Alyssa, was just 14 when she was gunned down.

Lori says it's just not fair Cruz gets to live behind bars and enjoy all the amenities in prison like watching TV, while she has to visit her daughter at a cemetery. She says he's a sick animal who doesn't deserve redemption ... and shouldn't live another day.

Since her daughter's death, Lori and her family have set up an organization, called Make Our Schools Safe in an effort to keep teachers and students safe in school.

Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates was deeply emotional as he sat handcuffed in the back seat of a cop car ... breaking down in tears and talking to his mom on the phone right after his gun arrest, footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

18-year-old Bates -- one of the top prospects in the class of 2021 -- was pulled over in Superior Township, Michigan after allegedly running through a stop sign around 10:45 PM on September 18.

During the traffic stop, Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies -- who immediately recognized Bates -- told him there was a strong scent of weed coming from his vehicle and asked if there were guns or drugs in the Mitsubishi Outlander.

Bates -- who was driving without a license -- initially claimed he didn't, but eventually came clean ... admitting he had marijuana and a gun, putting his hands up and complying with the officers.

The 6'9", 190-pounder was then placed under arrest and put into the back seat of the cop car. While his vehicle was being searched, cops allowed him to use his phone ... and he called his mother to apologize for the arrest -- breaking down in tears in the process.

During the search, cops found what appeared to be a bag of marijuana ... as well as the gun.

Emoni's mom, Edith, calmed him down during the phone convo ... and then handed the phone over to a man, who seemingly said he is the owner of the gun.

The man appears to ask if cops found "my stick in your car?" ... to which Bates replied, "Yeah."

Bates was hit with two felonies -- carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm -- but on Thursday, Bates' attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN he expects the charges to be dismissed after agreeing to a plea deal.

Haney says he will plead to a misdemeanor count of attempted illegal transportation of a weapon ... which will be dismissed off his record if he completes a diversion program.

The school confirmed the news to TMZ Sports ... saying, "The Eastern Michigan University department of athletics has received notification that there is an agreement between the Washtenaw County prosecutor's office and Emoni Bates' defense team that would result in the felony charges being dismissed."

Anna Sorokin is fresh out of ICE custody and spending her time on house arrest ... and she thinks a second chance is something that she's earned -- even if others don't see it that way.

Anna joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" ... and she thinks her trial taking place in the U.S. -- mixed with America's obsession with the true crime genre -- is what boosted her popularity, saying her story is all about getting another chance.

Of course, it would be a really tall order for ICE to give her the green light to stay -- as you know, she was found guilty of multiple fraud charges back in 2019 ... including 4 counts of theft services and 3 counts of grand larceny while pretending to be a German heiress named Anna Delvey.

Anna chalks her crimes up to a simple mistake ... and she makes the argument she should be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Anna's required to stay at home and rock an ankle monitor ... only to step out under the watchful eyes of immigration officials or her parole officer.

These are NOT Charlie Brown's "Great Pumpkins" -- Customs agents uncovered a huge amount of meth tucked inside a bundle of everyone's fave Halloween gourds.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed their big find in a statement Wednesday ... noting its officers have seen "just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception" -- saying they discovered more than $402K in liquid methamphetamine inside the pumpkins.

The 4 winter squashes, found at Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Texas, held a total of 44 pounds of the drug which was packed into 136 different condoms.

The officers seized the meth and the car that was carrying the pumpkins ... and the driver was turned over to Maverick County Sherriff's Office for further investigation.

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon was arrested AGAIN on Wednesday ... this time, in connection to an open assault case for a 2020 incident in Manhattan.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 39-year-old was being processed in Queens after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son multiple times at the airport on Monday, when NYPD ran a background check and discovered an open investigation for misdemeanor assault in Harlem.

We're told the case stems from an alleged incident on March 13, 2020 ... when Ben is accused of getting in a heated argument with an adult female friend and grabbing the cell phone in her hand.

Sources tell us a scuffle ensued ... in which Ben allegedly injured the woman's finger and eye, causing pain and swelling.

The woman went to police and filed a report ... and the case remained open.

Shortly after Ben made bail at his arraignment in the airport case, he was then taken into custody on Wednesday and taken to the Harlem precinct for processing.

While it's another legal issue for Gordon, his attorney, Joshua Kirschner tells TMZ Sports he believes the former Bulls star's name will be cleared in the case.

"It’s very early in the case and we believe he will be completely exonerated once the investigation is complete," Kirschner says.

Former NBA star Ben Gordon allegedly punched his son in the face multiple times at an NYC airport after the 10-year-old boy dropped a book, a witness told police.

As we previously reported ... the 39-year-old former 3rd overall draft pick (2004) was taken into custody Monday night around 9 PM, and now we've learned more about the retired hoopers' alleged actions.

A witness -- an American Airlines employee -- told Port Authority PD they watched Gordon strike his minor son in the "face multiple times."

Police responded to the area ... and when they arrived, Gordon told them the boy was his son. The child was taken to a local hospital where he was examined. It's unclear if he sustained any injuries.

Cops say they attempted to put the 6'3" former professional athlete in handcuffs, but he refused, flailing his arms and twisting his body in an attempt to not be handcuffed. Gordon allegedly said, "I am not going with you guys."

In the struggle, two cops say they were hurt ... one sustained a knee injury, and the other an injury to their arm and wrist. Both officers were treated at the hospital.

To make matters worse for Gordon, he wasn't even supposed to be with his son in a different state ... 'cause there was a restraining order put in place by an Illinois judge in May 2018.

According to police, Ben was prohibited from "committing physical abuse" against his son, as well as from taking him out of the state.

The alleged incident happened in Queens, New York.

Gordon was hit with 9 charges.

- Assault in 2nd degree (2 counts)
- Criminal contempt
- Assault in 3rd degree
- Resisting Arrest
- Criminal Contempt in 2nd degree
- Endangering the welfare of a child
- Attempted assault in 3rd degree

It's not the first time the former NBA player, who also won an NCAA championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004, has been in trouble with the law ... but Ben had seemingly kept his nose clean the last few years until the alleged airport incident with his son.

Gordon was arraigned Tuesday night in the Queens County Criminal Court ... he's due back in a New York City courtroom later this month.

A Florida bodybuilder has been charged with the gruesome death of his ex-wife this week ... after being accused of incinerating her body in a backyard.

43-year-old Ian Christopher Baunach -- a former Marine -- was arraigned on Monday on first-degree murder charges in the death of Katie Baunach.

The last time Katie was seen alive was on September 29 ... when a friend claims she said she intended to go to Ian's to get some of her things, but never returned.

Police were called to Ian's home the next day, where they discovered Katie's car parked outside, but he refused to let them in. Once officers revisited the residence with a warrant, Katie's car was gone.

Once inside Ian's home ... detectives say they noticed signs of a struggle and evidence of blood stains.

Officers say they also found an AR-15 upper receiver and 13 silencers, a Glock Model 27 .40 caliber pistol inside a plastic bag on a bookshelf inside a safe. Katie's engagement ring and wedding ring were there as well.

Detectives say they found human remains outside of Ian's home -- including a jawbone with a tooth still intact -- in a fresh burn pile that smelled like flesh, according to docs ... which was near a 50-gallon barrel.

The bodybuilder contends he never killed her, claiming she disappeared. Ian, however, did admit the two got into an argument over another woman.

Ian was taken into custody two days after Katie's death -- and was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, destruction/concealment of physical evidence, and cremating a dead body.

Ian pled not guilty to the charges in Tampa court this week.

Last month, Katie filed for a restraining order against Ian ... after accusing him of abusing one of their children. Ian was also arrested on charges of domestic battery by strangulation in November 2021

The cop who shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu at a San Antonio McDonald's has surrendered to authorities and has been charged with 2 felonies ... this as Cantu fights for his life.

25-year-old rookie police officer James Brennand has been charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault by a peace officer.

Cantu was eating a burger in the parking lot of Mcdonald's when Brennand spotted him and recognized his car ... Brennand said the driver had evaded police the day before the shooting.

Erik remains unconscious on life support ... according to his family. The family gave an ominous statement Tuesday, "There is no improvement in his condition. The last two days have been difficult, and we expect more difficulty ahead, but we remain hopeful."

Brennand approached Cantu's car, opened the driver's door and ordered Cantu out. Cantu put it in reverse and the cop began shooting multiple rounds, striking him several times.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison ... this after he was convicted of providing the drugs that led to Tyler Skaggs' death.

A federal judge in Texas just announced the sentence.

Kay, 48, had been facing a minimum of 20 years ... and up to life behind bars.

The longtime L.A. media relations official was initially arrested back in 2020 ... after authorities alleged he had given pills laced with fentanyl to Skaggs -- which ultimately led to the pitcher's tragic passing.

Officials claimed they had text message conversations between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose -- which prosecutors used as evidence to show the two talking about drugs.

Kay was indicted in 2020 on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. He was found guilty of the charges in Feb.

As we reported, Skaggs passed away in his hotel room in July 2019 just before the Angels were slated to take on the Rangers in a series in Texas. Toxicology results revealed he died from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone.

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon is in trouble with the law again -- the former Sixth Man of the Year was arrested at an airport on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 39-year-old Gordon was placed in handcuffs around 9 PM while waiting for a flight from LaGuardia in New York to Chicago. Two officers were injured during the arrest, according to the New York Post, although further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

The 2004 third-overall pick in the NBA Draft was transported to the Port Authority police department for processing ... and an aunt took the son to a local hospital to get checked out.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004 ... and went on to average 15 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his 11-year career.

He has had several legal issues off the court -- he was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly freaking out in an apartment building and pulling the fire alarms.

Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up a man in an apartment.

Gordon spoke out about his battles with depression in 2020 ... saying, "I was obsessed with killing myself," but sought help to better his mental health.

Adnan Syed will stay a free man, after all -- prosecutors in Baltimore are dropping the charges for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend ... after releasing him from prison last month.

Syed, who's case gained national attention on the "Serial" podcast, had served 22 years in prison for the 1999 murder of his then ex-GF Hae Min Lee when State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced the previous prosecutors on the case had failed to pursue 2 other possible suspects in the case.

As a result, Adnan was set free ... but Mosby made it clear he could still be retried for Lee's murder. In fact, she appeared on "TMZ Live," and said it was likely a new trial would be scheduled.

Adnan has always maintained his innocence ... and now he'll remain a free man.

A televised high school football game abruptly cut to commercial Friday night after a flurry of shots rang out outside an Ohio stadium.

Check out this footage showing two rival teams running a play on the field when at least 12 gunshots were fired nearby. None of the players seemed to notice until the crowd freaked out and started to scatter. As players and fans ran for their lives, the broadcaster quickly announced, "We're going to break."

Another video showed people jumping from the stands and taking cover on the ground after the gunfire.

Toledo PD said 3 people were shot outside the stadium of Whitmer High School, which was playing Central Catholic HS. The victims -- 1 student and 2 adults -- were not seriously wounded, but taken to a hospital.

Investigators reportedly arrested 2 suspects and were searching for 2 more. A motive has not been disclosed.

Officials from the Washington Local Schools District issued a statement, saying no one in the crowd was injured and all guests had been screened prior to the game.