Crime & Arrests

An actor who appeared in the Oscar-winning film, "Dances With Wolves," was arrested in Nevada for sexually assaulting underage girls and other serious felonies, ending a two-decade crime spree.

Nathan Chasing Horse was rounded up Tuesday by a SWAT team near his home in Las Vegas, where he lives with his 5 wives. He reportedly planned for his wives to take "suicide pills" and prepare for a shootout with police. He was booked in the Clark County Jail for child abuse or neglect, sex assault, sex assault against a child and sex trafficking of an adult.

According to the 50-page search warrant, Chasing Horse targeted young Native American girls and used his good reputation among tribes in the U.S. and Canada to lure them into his secret web. Known as a "medicine man," Chasing Horse performed healing rituals and held spiritual get-togethers ... but it was allegedly all to exploit his victims as the leader of a cult named, "The Circle."

Las Vegas cops say they've identified six alleged victims, some of whom were under 13. Chasing Horse allegedly recorded his sexual assaults and arranged sexual encounters between his victims and other men who would pay him.

The police investigation began with a tip in Oct. 2020.

Sex crime allegations against Chasing Horse stretch back to the early 2000s and not just in Nevada, but also in Montana and South Dakota. Chasing Horse has not been charged with crimes in those other states.

The charges against Amar'e Stoudemire stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident at his home in December have been dismissed ... after prosecutors say the victim did not cooperate with the investigation.

As we previously reported, STAT was accused of striking one of his teen daughters across the face at least twice.

But the 40-year-old adamantly denied the accusations ... saying he would never lay a finger on another human being.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office confirmed to CBS Miami on Tuesday, the charges related to the Dec. 2022 incident have been dropped "due to the failure of the victim to cooperate in the prosecution of the criminal case."

Stoudemire tells TMZ Sports ... "A little over a month ago, my family’s world was turned upside down as I faced allegations that we all knew to be untrue – which I instantly and publicly denied."

"Today, I’m grateful that after a full investigation, all charges were dismissed. Fortunately, my family and most importantly, my incredible children are all doing well. My faith in the goodness we all possess has never wavered and has never been greater. My love for my family is without limits."

He continued ... "I am appreciative of all the respect and support received from family, friends and colleagues. Now that this chapter is closed, I look forward to all the great moments ahead with my family."

Former Tennessee Titans offensive coach Todd Downing has turned himself in ... and will begin serving his 48-hour sentence stemming from his DUI arrest in November.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Downing surrendered to the Williamson County Sheriff's Department Tuesday and is in police custody at the Williamson County jail.

Tennessee Highway Patrol officers claimed Todd was "traveling at a high rate of speed" on Interstate 65 at around 2:30 AM.

Downing was arrested in November ... just hours after the Titans defeated the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football.

Downing, 42, was arrested and booked on DUI and speeding charges.

At the time of Downing's arrest, head coach Mike Vrabel said the Titans have a policy in place that provides rides to members of the org. if they ever need one.

Downing has been in the NFL since 2003 ... starting out as a football systems analyst with the Vikings before working for the Rams, Lions, Raiders, and Titans.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump confirmed that Kamala Harris will also be in attendance at Tyre's funeral.

Tyre Nichols' family is getting support from the one family that probably best understands their pain ... TMZ has learned George Floyd's loved ones will be at Tyre's funeral for a face-to-face meeting.

Famed civil rights attorney, Ben Crump is representing the Nichols family -- just as he did for George's -- and he tells us, several members of the Floyd family will be at the ceremony Wednesday in Memphis.

We're told the Floyds sent their condolences to Tyre's family after he was so badly beaten by Memphis police, he ended up in a hospital and died -- but the families have yet to meet in person.

That will change when they meet up at the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis for the funeral.

Meanwhile, Crump tells us Tyre's family has been invited to join ongoing efforts to get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed by Congress ... and they're all on board.

We're told President Biden -- who spoke to Tyre's mom, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, Friday -- is trying to get Congress to turn its focus back on federal police reform legislation. He's invited Tyre's folks to be part of the push to get it signed into law.

A White House official tells TMZ ... the administration is sending 4 dignitaries to the funeral, including senior advisor, and former Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Crump says Tyre's kin will schedule meetings with lawmakers and continue speaking out in favor of police reform -- 2 things the Floyd family's been doing since George was murdered by Minneapolis police.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House in 2021, but stalled in the Senate. Biden renewed his call to pass the act Friday -- after the Tyre arrest body cam was released -- and is urging Republicans in Congress to help Democrats pass police reform.

R. Kelly is no longer facing sex-abuse charges in Chicago, where a prosecutor's decided to drop several pending charges, but that news isn't swinging his mood ... the singer still has plenty of other troubles.

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells us she spoke with Kelly after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she no longer would pursue the case because the disgraced R&B star has already been convicted in 2 federal courts of similar crimes and "is looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again."

Bonjean tells TMZ, “There is no real sense of relief. He is still fighting for his life. He is facing decades in prison." But, she added that Foxx made "the right move" with her decision.

Foxx held a presser Monday to make the announcement, acknowledging that some of the accusers may be disappointed, but "we believe justice has been served."

As we reported ... Kelly was accused of sexually abusing 4 people, 3 of whom were minors, in the Chicago case. Foxx says she will ask the judge Tuesday to dismiss the charges against Kelly.

Sen. Ted Cruz is standing his ground, refusing to apologize to Paul Pelosi for sharing conspiracy theories about the hammer attack ... even after seeing the shocking police video of what went down.

The Senator was at Reagan National Airport when we got his reaction to the body cam showing David DePape smash Pelosi in the head with a hammer -- he called it the "utterly unacceptable" actions of a "deranged lunatic."

Although he was quick to condemn DePape ... Cruz got much quieter when we asked if he'd apologized to Pelosi for supporting, or at the very least, promoting theories suggesting there was something shady about the details of the attack.

In one instance, he reshared a tweet that shot holes in the idea DePape was "some kind of militant right winger" ... despite reports he actually had been posting on far-right political blogs.

As we reported, DePape attacked Pelosi with a hammer inside his and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's SF home.

DePape -- who's since been charged with attempted murder -- told the FBI he was planning on shattering the Congresswoman's kneecaps, because he thought she was a liar.

Despite all that information, the body cam and surveillance videos showing DePape smash a back door to enter the Pelosi home ... Sen. Cruz is refusing to even acknowledge an apology might be appropriate.

More first responders have now been fired in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death ... and this time it's a fire lieutenant and two EMTs who responded to the scene.

The Memphis Fire Department announced Monday it fired three members of Engine 55 ... Lieutenant Michelle Whitaker and EMTs Robert Long and JaMicheal Sandridge for violating numerous policies and protocols during Tyre's arrest.

The department says Engine 55 was dispatched to the scene, and when they got there Tyre was on the ground in handcuffs leaning against a police car.

MFD says their investigation concluded the EMTs, who were called for a person being pepper sprayed, failed to conduct an adequate patient assessment on Tyre ... and after their initial interaction with him, they requested an ambulance, which got there about 15 minutes after EMTs arrived.

All the while, the Fire Department says Lt. Whitaker remained in the fire engine with the driver.

MFD says both EMTs and Lt. Whitaker "violated numerous MFD policies and protocols" and they've all been fired.

As you know, Memphis police brutally beat Tyre and he complained of shortness of breath while being arrested ... he was taken to a hospital where 3 days later, he died. The 5 cops involved in the arrest have been fired and charged with murder.

The charges 5 ex-Memphis PD officers are facing in the Tyre Nichols murder case can, and should, be tweaked based on evidence and what's most likely to secure convictions ... according to an NAACP chief.

We spoke to Van Turner Jr. -- the President of Memphis' NAACP branch -- Monday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the fallout of the release of bodycam and surveillance footage depicting the fatal beating Tyre endured at the hands of officers earlier this month.

There's been talk about a possible defense the officers could argue based on some of what they've been charged with -- 2nd-degree murder and kidnapping -- and how they could potentially be acquitted. So, the question becomes ... are different charges more appropriate?

Turner Jr. says he believes the investigation is still very much fluid and, depending on further evidence that surfaces, it would be totally appropriate to tweak the charges against these men -- potentially upgrading them to felony first-degree murder.

We also asked Van if the release of the bodycam footage has prompted other citizens to come forward about run-ins with MPD's SCORPION Unit -- which has since been disbanded amid outrage.

He says there have been more accounts about the way they conduct their business ... and there's now a wider investigation into whether the way they handled Tyre was SOP for that group of cops.

Bottom line ... there's still a lot of unanswered questions and a lot more accountability that needs to be reached -- and the city of Memphis, not to mention the rest of the country, are loudly demanding it happen sooner than later.

Former University of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was arrested Sunday morning for public intoxication in Dallas, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Dallas PD tells us they responded to a report of a man banging on doors around 6:10 AM this morning. When cops arrived, they located Bennett, 25, and determined he was intoxicated. Bennett was arrested for public intoxication and taken to the City Detention Center.

Bennett, 25, had been training for the NFL Draft in Fort Worth, TX. The 5'10", 190 lb. quarterback is all over the place when it comes to mock drafts ... with some writers and "experts" having him drafted in the early mid-rounds, to not being picked at all.

He's not the prototypical professional QB, but Stetson's one of the most accomplished college signal-callers ever. SB lead his UGA Bulldogs to a perfect 15-0 season, an SEC title, and a National Championship this season (they won back-to-back National titles) ... after starting his college career as a walk-on.

Bennett didn't win the Heisman (Caleb Williams, USC), but was a finalist for the prestigious award this year. He took home the Manning Award, given to the best college QB in America.

Bennett likely would've been in Alabama this week for the Senior Bowl, but turned down an invitation to play in the game, instead reportedly telling game officials he wanted to focus on preparing for the NFL Combine.

Al Sharpton went in on the fired Memphis police officers accused of murdering Tyre Nichols, saying the fact the 5 ex-cops are all Black makes the situation even worse.

We caught up with the Reverend on Friday outside NBC Studios in NYC ... and he didn't mince words after the release of police body cam footage showing Tyre's deadly assault.

The Rev told us ... "I want to make it clear: these five officers are Black does not make it less. In fact, it's more egregious that some black cops in a town where MLK gave his life, that's where he was killed, would do this is outrageous."

Of course, Al was referring to the fatal shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN, on April 4, 1968. James Earl Ray confessed to the murder and died of liver disease in prison.

What's more, the Rev said the ex-officers did a disservice to Black people trying to change the justice system from within ... "We fought to get them on the [police] force to correct the force, not to do this."

He also took a swipe at Congress for failing to pass into law the 2021 George Floyd Act, which would have increased accountability for police misconduct.

The Rev said ... "I put this at the feet of those that would not vote for federal law after George Floyd, there were no laws changed!"

Floyd, as you know, was infamously killed in 2020 by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of the homicide and sentenced to decades behind bars.

Al wrapped things up by urging anyone protesting in Tyre's name not to engage in violence. He said if they do riot it will only help the accused officers defend themselves in the criminal case.

Memphis police just released the graphic body cam footage from Tyre Nichols' brutal arrest -- and the video is every bit as disturbing as Tyre's family and law enforcement have described it.

In the clips, pulled from both body cam and overhead cameras, you see officers swarm Tyre -- demanding he get down and give up his hands. Although he's laying on his side with an officer on top of him, he's hesitant to lie flat on his stomach.

One officer threatens to deploy his Taser, and after about a minute-long struggle ... Tyre gets up to start running, and one of the cops fires his Taser, but he gets away.

About 7 minutes later, they catch up to Tyre in a residential neighborhood, and this is when it gets brutal. While he's pinned to the ground -- reportedly about 100 yards from his family's home -- Tyre repeatedly yells, "Mom!!!"

Then one officer kicks him twice, and another yells, "Watch out, I'mma baton the f**k out you," and then strikes Tyre twice before they pull him up on his feet.

While 2 officers are holding him with his hands behind his back ... another punches Tyre 5 times with a closed fist, sending him back down to his knees again.

Eventually, officers get Tyre handcuffed, put him up against a police cruiser and he writhes in pain for nearly 20 minutes before going limp.

As you know, the 5 Memphis PD officers stopped Tyre on Jan. 7 on suspicion of reckless driving ... but from the start, the cops were hyper-aggressive. Even the video does not make it clear why things got violent that quickly.

Once other officers show up to the scene, one of the cops involved in the beating says Tyre attempted to grab for another officer's gun -- causing them to unleash on him.

After the vicious beating ... Tyre was rushed to St. Francis Hospital because he was complaining he was short of breath. He was admitted in critical condition, and died in the hospital on January 10.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Tyre's family, reviewed the body cam footage with the family days before it was released, and likened the horrific scene to the beating of Rodney King in 1991.

The 5 Memphis police officers involved in the traffic stop -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith -- have been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

They also face additional charges of official misconduct, official oppression and aggravated kidnapping. Four of the 5 have posted bail and were released as of Friday morning.

Tyre's cause of death has not been released and the incident is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The graphic footage of cops beating Tyre Nichols has Memphis City Council Chairman Martavius Jones at a loss for words, and instead, he was overcome with emotion on live TV.

CNN's Don Lemon interviewed Jones after the brutal police body cam footage was released to the public ... and Jones tells Don the video is especially hard to watch because everyone knows Tyre dies in the end.

That thought made it impossible for Jones to finish his sentence -- he broke down in tears, and needed a few minutes to compose himself.

As Don points out, lots of folks are having the same reaction to the video ... which shows cops punching, kicking and beating Tyre with a baton after pulling him over.

Tyre ended up in a hospital after the vicious beating ... and he died 3 days later.

Police body cam footage from Paul Pelosi's hammer-wielding home burglar attack has been released ... showing the 82-year-old getting struck in the head by a hammer.

The footage, released Friday, shows officers approach Paul and Nancy's home. Paul opens the door, standing next to his attacker, both men have their hands on the hammer in an effort to control it.

The attacker breaks away, holding the hammer, and immediately strikes Paul in the head with the weapon. Both men fall to the ground as police move into the house and take the attacker into custody. Paul is totally out cold from the impact.

As we reported, Paul was asleep at his San Francisco home in October when suspect David DePape broke in ... later telling the FBI he was planning on shattering the then-House Speaker's kneecaps because he thought she was a liar.

DePape allegedly brought zip ties, tape and rope for Nancy -- who was in D.C. during the attack.

Pelosi made a 911 call, reportedly speaking in codes to the operator while alerting them something was wrong. Cops said they saw Pelosi fighting with DePape over a hammer when they arrived, which is when he got hit in the head.

The suspect's been charged with attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official and their family -- and, if convicted, he faces 13 years to life.

Since the attack, Paul's had successful brain surgery, and attended a few public events where he seemed to be well on his way to making a full recovery.

Attorney Ben Crump, representing Tyre Nichols' family, is detailing the horrors of the brutal beatdown he saw in body cam footage from the incident ... telling us what he expects will happen once it's released to the public Friday night.

Crump will join us on "TMZ Live" Friday, in a preview from his interview, he says police will provide multiple angles of the incident, as well as graphic audio ... calling the clip, which he watched privately with the Nichols family, heartbreaking.

He tells us officers disrespected Tyre constantly in the clip, despite the 29-year-old asking them if he can just go home -- Crump believes it'll instantly strike a chord across the country.

As for what's next, Crump thinks peaceful protests will go down in Memphis  -- but he digs deep into the rough comparison between these 5 Black officers getting arrested swiftly and countless investigations into similar situations with white officers dragging out.

As we reported, Crump likened the horror of Tyre's beating to that of Rodney King back in 1991 ... and the public believes a response in terms of protests could be similar, too.

Drake's Los Angeles mansion came under attack after a man allegedly broke in, alerting the rapper's security, who in turn called the cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, officers responded Thursday night to Drake's home after his security reported seeing an unknown man leaving the house -- carrying something in the process.

We're told the suspect had disappeared by the time cops arrived, and a search around the neighborhood started. Our sources say just a few hours later, a man matching the suspect's description was spotted walking down a street.

Cops stopped and arrested the man -- who we're told was carrying an item from the home -- which is believed to have been taken from Drake's place.

Our sources say Drake was not home at the time of the break-in.

This isn't the first time Drake's had to deal with an intruder -- TMZ broke the story, a man was arrested at the same place back in July for misdemeanor trespassing ... with the 23-year-old suspect claiming the 36-year-old rapper was his pops.

Rodney King's daughter knows Tyre Nichols' family is going to be in a world of hurt for a long time once the world sees the extent of their loved one's fatal beating ... and she's offering some advice before the body cam footage is released.

Lora King tells TMZ the pain her family went through after her father was brutally beaten by cops was indescribable -- adding the whole thing continues playing on a loop in your head after seeing the video, as Tyre's family has.

While she's trying to offer them some guidance, she also notes nothing can really prepare them for just how heartbroken they'll be while going through the legal process, and watching the public's reaction.

Lora was only 7 years old when the police brutality against her dad sparked nationwide outrage, which eventually erupted with massive riots when the involved LAPD officers were acquitted.

King died in 2012 of an accidental drowning in his pool.

Attorney Ben Crump -- who is repping Tyre's family and saw the body cam video of the arrest -- called the clip "appalling" and "heinous" and likened it to the beating of Rodney King.

All 5 officers involved in Nichols' death were promptly fired, and on Thursday, arrested and charged with second degree murder. Each of them face additional charges that include official misconduct, official oppression and aggravated kidnapping.

As the nation braces for the release of the Memphis PD footage, and the possibility of social unrest ... Lora advises Tyre's family, "There's no way to be normal after this."