Crime & Arrests

The heroic Florida woman who bravely fought off an alleged sexual predator during her workout is keeping her head up, and not allowing the violent incident to derail her lifestyle ... even in the gym.

Nashali Alma joined "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about the terrifying moment she had to fight off the guy in the gym of her Tampa apartment complex.

She says he was a good 6 inches taller than her, but as we've seen in the video ... Nashali gave him all he could handle. She told us exactly what she did to fend him off.

She says she has gotten an outpouring of love and support in the last few days, since cops released the surveillance footage of the January incident -- and it all has her feeling really good.

As we reported, Nashali was working out in her gym when Xavier Thomas-Jones came to the door and she let him in, thinking he forgot his key.

Minutes later, he charged at her, but the nursing school student wound up giving him a major beatdown ... before eventually breaking free.

Xavier was arrested the next day and charged with sexual battery and kidnapping.

The mother of Tyre Nichols says the 5 former Memphis police officers on trial for her son's death are clearly afraid to face some hard truths ... 'cause she says they won't look her in the eye.

Tyre's mom, RowVaughn Wells, says she's going to be front and center at every court date as the trial unfolds ... but she says, so far, the ex-cops lack the courage to face her.

Former Memphis PD officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith made their first court appearance Friday ... putting them in the same room as Tyre's mom and stepdad. She says they refused to even look her way.

The fired cops were arrested and indicted last month on a slew of felony charges ... second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression ... and on Friday they each pleaded not guilty.

Tyre's mom says she's living a nightmare ... but she's vowing to keep showing up to court in support of her late son and see the trial through to the end.

A Florida woman fought off an alleged sexual predator and gave him a major beatdown before she escaped to safety ... and it was all caught on dramatic video.

Nashali Alma was working out in the gym at her Tampa apartment complex when trouble came to the door in the form of Xavier Thomas-Jones.

Thinking Xavier had forgotten his key pass to the fitness center, Nashali opened the door to let him in and went right back to lifting weights.

For the next 2 ½ minutes, Xavier strangely stared at a wall before turning to walk toward Nashali. All hell then broke loose.

Check out the surveillance video showing Xavier trying to grab Nashali, who pushed him away and ran off with her cell phone in hand.

But, Xavier chased Nashali around the gym as she tried to no avail to call 911 using her phone. Finally, Xavier caught Nashali, put her in a bear hug and threw her to the ground, attempting to commit a sexual act, cops said.

That's when Nashali went all Mike Tyson on Xavier, pummeling him with right and left hooks. She also grabbed Xavier in a headlock and continued to use his head as a punching bag.

The two wrestled on the ground as Nashali allegedly pulled on Xavier's beard, causing him severe pain. She then broke free and dashed out of the gym to contact the police.

Xavier was arrested the next day and charged with sexual battery and kidnapping. Cops said the attack occurred on January 22, but they only recently released the surveillance footage.

New development in the Idaho University murder case ... it was NOT one of the surviving roommates who discovered the carnage in the house, it was a buddy of one of the victims.

Ethan Chapin's best friend is the one who discovered the lifeless bodies of Ethan and his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, laying in the same bed ... this according to NewsNation.

It has been widely reported that one of the two surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, stumbled upon the bodies 8 hours after the slayings and called 911 from her cell phone.

NewsNation clarified that information, saying Chapin's longtime friend used Mortensen's phone to dial 911. The news org has not disclosed the friend's identity.

This indicates the fear the survivors must have been feeling ... locked in their bedrooms for hours after the murders.

As you know, Bryan Kohberger was arrested for the quadruple murder back in December. Kohberger, a former Ph.D student at Washington State University, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

Prosecutors said Wednesday afternoon they are dropping the domestic violence case against former Univ. of Texas men's basketball head coach Chris Beard.

Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza made the announcement in a statement ... saying that after reviewing all of the facts of the case and speaking with the alleged victim, "our office has determined that the felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

A motion to dismiss the case was formally filed earlier Wednesday, Garza said.

Beard was initially hit with a charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation -- family violence ... over his alleged role in a heated confrontation with his fiancée, Randi Trew.

According to court docs, Trew said Beard hit, strangled, and bit her during a Dec. 12 argument in Austin, Texas. Police said they saw visible teeth marks and redness on her arm and an abrasion on her face and leg. They also said she had a cut on one of her thumbs.

Trew ultimately walked back the allegations in a public statement .... saying, "Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that."

She also added, "I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted."

Despite the retraction, UT fired Beard on Jan. 5.

Beard, who was 29-13 with the Longhorns after coming over from Texas Tech in 2021, was "crushed" by the decision, according to his attorney.

NBA guard Bryn Forbes -- who was just waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves last week -- was arrested on Wednesday morning after he allegedly hit a woman "several times."

The altercation, according to the San Antonio Police Department, happened in Texas at around 5 AM after the 29-year-old basketball player and a woman had been out on the town.

Police say the woman told them Forbes had become upset at her while they were out, and when they drove home, the two got into an argument that turned physical.

According to cops, the woman said Forbes struck her multiple times in the confrontation, "causing injury and pain." Police say EMS arrived on scene and provided her with medical attention.

Forbes was arrested a short time later and booked on a family violence charge. Jail records show as of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in custody.

Cops say an investigation remains ongoing.

Forbes went unpicked in the 2016 NBA Draft, but latched on with the San Antonio Spurs as a rookie nonetheless, playing in 36 games.

An already emotional scene was ramped up after a man inside the courtroom lunged at Buffalo mass shooter Payton Gendron during the monster's sentencing hearing.

Barbara Massey, who lost her sister, Katherine, during the attack in May 2022 which left 10 dead, addressed the shooter directly Wednesday inside an Erie County Courthouse. Massey exclaimed, "My sister Katherine Massey was a great person, Kat didn't hurt anybody ... You don't know a damn thing about Black people, we're human, we like our kids to go to good schools, we love our kids. We never go in neighborhoods and take people out."

At that point, a man dressed in grey who was standing next to Barbara pushed her aside and lunged at Gendron, only to be restrained by several officers protecting the murderer.

As the incident happened, you can hear several people in the crowd become emotional ... and both Gendron and the man who lunged at him were escorted out.

Gendron, who is white, killed 10 Black people and wounded several others during a mass shooting at a Buffalo-area grocery store.

Gendron live streamed his brutal attack, carrying out the killings with an automatic weapon inscribed with racist words and phrases -- including the N-word and "Here's your reparations."

He's expected to be sentenced to life in prison -- pleading guilty to charges including domestic terrorism motivated by hate and murder.

The hearing resumed after a brief pause to settle the courtroom.

Connor Smith -- a former MTV star from "Are You the One?" -- is again being accused of trying to engage in sex acts with a minor ... and now, cops are looking for him.

The ex-reality show contestant -- who was prominently featured on 'AYTO' way back in 2015 -- is wanted in the state of Illinois ... where the Lake County Sheriff's Office says they've issued a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of trying to meet a child for a sexual encounter.

According to LCSO, Smith interacted with an undercover detective online for the past several weeks ... thinking the cop was a girl under the age of 15, and allegedly sending explicit material of himself -- and then planning to meet up with the fake kid to engage in sex acts.

Smith is accused of driving to a rendezvous point on Feb. 9 -- where he allegedly scheduled to pick up the would-be teen -- and at this point ... the Sheriff's Office says their officers moved in to apprehend him. However, they say Smith successfully fled in his pickup truck.

The following day, Lake County obtained a warrant for his arrest -- on felony charges of traveling to meet a minor, grooming and disseminating harmful material -- with a judge signing off on a million-dollar bond if he were to be captured and arrested.

LCSO says Smith indicated to them that he'd actually surrender, but note ... he hasn't done so yet. Now, they're warning the public about him -- and asking for tips on his whereabouts.

A woman accused of murdering her lover and dismembering his corpse attacked her attorney in a Wisconsin courtroom ... and it was all caught on video.

Taylor Schabusiness was calmly sitting in shackles alongside her attorney Quinn Jolly during a competency hearing in Green Bay on Tuesday when things quickly took a turn for the worse.

It started with Jolly asking the court for an extension to give an expert witness time to assess Schabusiness' competency to stand trial. The judge agreed, and then pushed her trial back to May 15 from its original date of March 6.

Schabusiness clearly wasn't feeling the decision and took all of her rage out on Jolly.

Check out this wild footage showing Schabusiness lunging at Jolly and elbowing him in the head as he tried to fend her off. A sheriff deputy sprang into action, tackling Schabusiness and wrestling with her on the ground.

The deputy, along with two other cops, finally restrained Schabusiness and propped her up against a door. After making sure Schabusiness wasn't injured, the deputies led her out of the courtroom.

Schabusiness was charged with murdering Shad Thyrion during sex while she was high on meth in 2022. She allegedly strangled Thyrion with a chain and sliced off his head and penis with a serrated knife. She also reportedly told cops that she had fun looking for his organs scattered about the crime scene.

According to her lawyer, Schabusiness has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated for mental health issues since the 7th grade.

Ryan McKenna is learning life comes at you fast ... 5 years ago he was cheesing with Justin Timberlake in a viral Super Bowl moment at age 13, and on the eve of this year's big game cops say he was drunk and fighting with friends in a California Pizza Kitchen.

Ryan, famous for snapping a selfie with Justin on live TV in front of 113.7 million viewers during the Super Bowl 52 halftime show, had another eventful Super Bowl weekend ... only this time, we've learned he ended up in jail on a felony charge.

According to the arrest report, obtained by TMZ, cops were called to a shopping center in Naples, FL on Saturday night for a report of a man who was drunk and hitting his friend inside a CPK.

When police arrived, officers say a 15-year-old boy told them he was friends with Ryan but they had gotten into an argument that escalated to the point where 18-year-old Ryan stood up and aggressively pushed their table and started yelling obscenities at the boy's girlfriend.

Cops say they were talking to the 15-year-old when Ryan interrupted and started arguing with the boy. Police say Ryan was asked to step away but he kept arguing with the boy until cops got Ryan to calm down, step away and wait.

Police say shopping center security asked to have Ryan escorted off the property ... and while explaining the process to Ryan, cops say his behavior turned aggressive ... waving his arms, yelling and trying to approach the 15-year-old boy.

Cops say they put their hands on Ryan's chest to stop him from confronting the kid, but Ryan continued yelling and grabbed the officers' hands and removed them from his chest.

Police say that's when they tried to place Ryan in handcuffs and detain him ... officers claim he resisted, so they took him to the ground, where they say he continued resisting until finally putting his hands behind his back and getting cuffed.

Cops say Ryan was hauled off to Naples Jail Center and booked for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanors -- resisting arrest and obstruction of an officer.

Playboi Carti was arrested in Georgia for allegedly choking his pregnant girlfriend following an argument over a paternity test.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by TMZ, the woman told police the rapper grabbed her by her throat and pushed her, holding her neck until she could barely breathe. She even told cops she thought she was going to die.

Police say the woman told officers she's been in a relationship with Playboi Carti for 2 years, has lived with him since July 2022 and was 14 weeks pregnant at the time of the alleged incident on Dec. 20.

The woman told cops she wanted to talk to Playboi Carti about the baby and a conversation about a paternity test led to an argument, which she claims escalated to a physical attack. She told police a witness jumped in to try and break up the fight, and when she was able to escape Carti's grasp, she ran to her car ... where she claims he attacked her again.

The alleged victim told cops Carti tried pulling her out of the car and put his hand over her mouth as she tried to use the vehicle's SOS feature to call police. When cops arrived, police say the woman had visible injuries to her neck, chest and back.

Playboi Carti [real name: Jordan Carter] was arrested for felony aggravated assault.

Former New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley -- who helped Tom Brady win a Super Bowl in the 2014 season -- was arrested in Mississippi over the weekend, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The running back was booked late Saturday night/early Sunday morning on two charges in Natchez, according to a Natchez Police official.

It's not yet clear what the allegations are against Ridley -- but records show he was released from custody on Sunday.

Ridley, who was born in Natchez, was a Patriots third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played for New England for four seasons -- recording his biggest year in 2012, when he rushed for 1,263 yards and 12 TDs.

He went on to play for the Jets, Falcons and Steelers.

Drake is trying to put the kibosh on getting deposed in the XXXTENTACION murder trial — and he's making some legal moves to try to get out of it.

The rapper filed a motion, through his attorney Bradford Cohen, asking the judge to set aside the subpoena requiring him to sit for a private deposition in late February.

As we reported, the judge was persuaded by arguments made by defense attorney Mauricio Padilla to call Drake as a witness in the case. Padilla represents Dedrick Williams, one of three defendants charged with killing XXX. The murder trial for the 3 men began last week.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Padilla sent Drake a ZOOM link for the deposition without putting it under seal, which could have compromised Drake's security given that he’s an international star.

Several days later, the docs say Padilla filed a notice with the court but failed to include details on how the ZOOM interview with Drake would be conducted. As a result, Drake says the subpoena was procedurally defective.

Per the motion, Drake also claims his name never appeared in the investigative files and there's nothing to suggest he has any relevant knowledge about the case ... he believes it's unreasonable to ask him to sit for a deposition and says doing so is just an attempt to "add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event."

The BTK serial killer is back on police radar ...but this time we're told it's to see if he has any connection to the disappearance of an Oklahoma teenager back in 1976.

BTK (real name: Dennis Rader) tells TMZ…he was interviewed January 20 by Osage County Sheriff, Eddie Virden and three other investigators at El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. That's where BTK is serving 10 life terms for killing 10 people from 1974 to 1991. He was captured in 2005 after sending police taunting letters using the moniker, "Bind, Torture, Kill."

Rader said the Osage County cops wanted to know if he was involved in the disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on June 23, 1976. Kinney was reportedly last seen leaving Osage Laundromat and getting into a beige 1965 Plymouth Belvedere with two people under suspicious circumstances. No one has been arrested.

BTK said police thought he might have a connection to the Kinney case because he was actively committing murders in Wichita, Kansas, during that time frame. Wichita is only about a 2-hour drive to Pawhuska.

The killer also said cops asked him about his connection to Oklahoma and the Boy Scouts. BTK admitted he was in Oklahoma as a Boy Scout, but several years before and after 1976.

BTK categorically denied any involvement in the Kinney case.

Sheriff Virden confirmed to TMZ…he and the other investigators visited BTK in prison to interview the serial killer in a roundabout way regarding the Kinney case.

Virden said investigators were pursuing leads and doing their due diligence to see if BTK fits into the Kinney case considering his criminal activities around that time.

Virden said, “There’s similarities between the time frames. She disappeared in daytime – most of [BTK's] stuff occurred in daytime hours. Some of the stuff that motivated [BTK] -- there are similarities,” but Virden declined to further elaborate.

During the interview, Virden said he also gathered personal information from BTK about his early life, military service and his murders.

Michael Irvin was pulled from NFL Network's Super Bowl coverage after he was accused of misconduct by a woman in a hotel lobby, but now two alleged witnesses are coming to the Hall of Famer's defense.

TMZ Sports spoke to Phil Watkins, a man from Australia, in Arizona on Thursday, who says he watched and listened to the interaction between 56-year-old Irvin and his alleged accuser, an interaction he described as "positive" and "friendly".

Watkins says he was hanging out with his buddies, taking photos with the Hall of Famer outside the hotel where Michael was staying. As they walked inside, the witness says Irvin was approached by a woman as he was trying to go to the elevator.

Sources close to Irvin say this is the woman who made the allegation against him.

We asked Watkins to describe what he saw.

"It was a positive, friendly conversation. They had a brief interaction, it was 30, 40 seconds, he kept his distance at all times, stood about a meter away from her, they ended with a handshake and he literally turned around and went to the lift."

We doubled down, asking if there was anything that could've been interpreted as being improper.

"Not at all. Not at all. There was a little bit of laughter. Obviously a jovial conversation. Nothing untoward for me to actually take notice of what was going on," Watkins said.

We also talked to a second alleged witness, Bryn Davis from Philadelphia, who echoed Watkins' story.

"We walked back to go into the bar, [Irvin] went straight to go to his hotel room, and I guess somebody that worked there, I don't know if it was a waitress or a bartender I guess came up and said, 'Hey Michael Irvin.' And he said, 'Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Michael' and shook her hand."

"The crazy part was it was like a 30-second interaction. It could've been a minute. I didn't really think much of it 'cause it was just a fan kind of thing."

Davis provided our photog with the photograph he took with his friends and Irvin.

Later in the week, Davis says he was in shock when he read Michael had been accused of misconduct because they'd just taken a photo together. But, then he says he realized he'd witnessed the alleged incident and was shocked.

"I woke up I guess this morning and saw this thing that said, 'Michael Irvin [misconduct]', and I was like, God, I just took a picture with that guy, I can't believe it.' and then I read it and it was from the night I was there and I was like, this is baffling, cause I saw it and I never witnessed something like that happen before."

Asked to describe the interaction again, Davis repeated ... "It was about a 30-second interaction that was jovial, like a fan interaction, and she went back to work."

We asked Davis if anything he saw would explain Irvin being booted from NFLN.

"That's why this morning I felt sick when I saw it because it's the first time I was ever, firsthand experience where something like that happened that was just fabricated. It was a totally normal conversation."

"And the bar was relatively packed. It was a quick conversation in a crowded area. He went on his way and I never thought about it again."

Davis also explained why he's decided to speak out.

"I'll say this, man. I'm from Philadelphia. I grew up and Michael was our enemy. But he's a super, super, super nice guy, and that's why I felt like I needed to say something only because he's a good dude and to have that happen and have your livelihood or career taken is crazy. It's not fair so it was worth coming out and saying something."

As for the specifics of the allegations, virtually nothing is known about what the woman says happened.

We broke the story on Thursday ... Irvin is seeking $100 million from the Renaissance, accusing the hotel of "railroading" him in an attempt to unjustly cancel him.

Michael briefly spoke on the radio earlier in the week and said he was "totally perplexed" by the situation.

We reached out to the police to ask if an investigation had been launched ... and they referred us to the NFL.

Despite the horrifying images that came out of Vontae Davis' arrest earlier this month ... his older bro, Vernon Davis, tells TMZ Sports the ex-NFL star is now "doing well" and taking steps to remedy a "very tough situation."

Vontae was put into custody in Broward County, Fla. on Feb. 4 after cops say he drunkenly crashed his Tesla into the back of a disabled Toyota truck. In photos and video we obtained from the scene, you can see Vernon's younger brother appeared to be asleep on the highway following the accident -- and then seemed to struggle to stay awake during ensuing questioning.

At one point, a cop grew frustrated with the ex-Indianapolis Colts cornerback ... and told him, "You almost killed somebody."

Vernon told us out at a Super Bowl event in Arizona on Thursday night that he's spoken to Vontae since everything went down ... revealing, "he said he was doing well."

"He's just taking care of everything behind the scenes," the former 49ers star tight end added.

As for what he told his bro ... Vernon said, "I just told him I'm going to keep him in my prayers and continue to wish him the best and hope that he continues to do the right thing."