Crime & Arrests

Tekashi 6ix9ine is addressing his gym beatdown for the first time ... ripping his attackers as "nothing but cowardly."

The rainbow-haired rapper broke his silence Friday with a social media post saying, "what happen here was nothing but cowardly."

Tekashi says he's not mad about being jumped at an LA Fitness in South Florida, explaining ... "In the street there's no rules so I can't say they were wrong." Still, he says it wasn't a fair fight.

6ix9ine took some more shots at the three men arrested over the attack -- Rafael Medina Jr., Octavious Medina and Anthony Maldonado -- saying ... "Just imagine having nothing to do with a situation and feel obligated to make it your business. (Very weird)."

Tekashi also claims he's been walking around without security for the last two years and says people see him out in public all the time. He says, "I really never hid from anything."

The beatdown sent Tekashi to the hospital but he says he's "happy to be here still."

In his P.S. he takes a parting shot at his attackers -- one of whom law enforcement says is a known gang member -- saying ... "I never knew we respected jumping people. When did that ever become a W???"

Fivio Foreign's reentry into the world of live performances is going rather smoothly ... although on a much smaller scale than the festival set he recently missed.

The Brooklyn rapper rocked the mic for Benny Da Jeweler's birthday Thursday inside the Da Mikele Illagio in Queens, NY ... his first time back onstage since his Rolling Loud health scare cancelation.

Fivio performed his hits "Say My Name" and "City of Gods" and also clowned around at the party with the kids, a great sign ... given everything he told us the last time we spoke to him.

He blamed a body shutdown on missing the festival circuit but credited nothing but plain ol' water for snapping him back into shape.

Benny's beloved by many rappers ... having hooked up Diddy, Ice Spice and Lil Tjay with bling within the past year.

Andrew Tate has been released from a Romanian jail ... after spending 3 months locked up for sex trafficking allegations, TMZ has confirmed.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Andrew and his brother Tristan on their latest appeal of a recent 30-day extension for their time behind bars. The two have filed unsuccessful appeals on previous occasions.

A spokesperson for Andrew and Tristan tells TMZ ... "They will be placed under house arrest while the investigation continues," adding their team is ecstatic about the news. We're told both brothers are excited to be reunited with their families once again, and are thanking their supporters for standing by them.

Andrew and his bro posted a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, simply pointing to Friday ... although it's unclear if either were aware of their upcoming release.

As we reported, The 2 were arrested in December -- Andrew was accused of rape and running a human trafficking ring. The noise surrounding his arrest came directly after he got into a Twitter beef with environmental activist Greta Thunberg.

People were also poking fun at Andrew while locked up ... after saying he saw himself with "a full head of hair" in his reflection -- around the same time a shocking image of him with really thin hair started to make the rounds.

Bam Margera's wife Nikki Margera is looking at possibly filing for some legal protection against him ... this after his recent arrest for public intoxication, TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Nikki's considering filing for a restraining order against the former "Jackass" star, which she hopes would protect her and their 5-year-old son, Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Nikki tells us Wednesday's incident "was scary for me and even more scary for Phoenix," calling it a shame because "the visitation that Bam had with Phoenix the prior day in Hollywood went reasonably well."

She claims Bam arrived Wednesday intoxicated and belligerent -- adding "This is the umpteenth time that Bam takes one step forward and ten steps back."

Nikki's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... they've been trying to work with Bam on setting up regular visitation. However, Glass says that's all contingent on Bam staying sober and treating Nikki with respect -- something he says just hasn't happened.

One of the men arrested in Tekashi 6ix9ine's gym beatdown is a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings gang ... at least according to the deputies who busted him.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff says Rafael Medina Jr., the oldest of the three men arrested for assaulting and robbing Tekashi, is a documented Latin Kings gang member who, for several years, has held a high-ranking position within the gang.

The sheriff says their Gang Unit Detectives have evidence Medina Jr. is an "Inca" within the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Latin Kings ... meaning he's the chapter's president.

And, get this, the sheriff says the Latin Kings have a rich history of being allies with the Bloods Gang ... which is notable because Tekashi famously flipped on Blood gang members in federal court.

What's more, the sheriff says Medina Jr. was convicted on felony charges in the mid-2000s as part of a federal gang RICO case regarding the Latin Kings.

TMZ broke the story ... three men beat the crap out of the New York rapper earlier this month while he was in the sauna at an LA Fitness in South Florida. Surveillance video from the gym shows the trio making a beeline for Tekashi as soon as they enter the facility.

According to the arrest affidavit, the guys on video beating 6ix9ine are Medina Jr, his son, Octavious Medina, and a third man, Anthony Maldonado.

The sheriff says Maldonado is a member at LA Fitness and got Octavious into the gym as a guest, Octavious then let his father into the gym.

As for the robbery charges ... the men are accused of taking Tekashi's $3,000 Balenciaga shoes, an iPhone, and the $1,200 key fob to his Lamborghini. They were booked Thursday evening and processed into county jail.

Bam Margera went on a tear, screaming at his estranged wife in a Burbank restaurant as she ate with their child ... minutes before his public intoxication arrest.

The video shows a clearly agitated Bam going nuclear Wednesday on Nikki Boyd, and it appears he's upset because she's not allowing him to spend time with their 5-year-old son, Phoenix.

At one point, Bam tells Nikki, "Phoenix has his own mind." Bam says his son wants to see him and yells at his estranged wife, "Let him have his own mind," punctuating his claim by stomping on the ground.

Before storming out of the restaurant, Bam screams at Nikki, "Why are you making me wait f****** five days? F****** f***!!!"

Remember ... when Nikki filed for legal separation from Bam back in February, she asked for both legal and physical custody of their son ... because she says Bam was not sober during a previous visit with Phoenix.

Folks inside the restaurant tell us Bam came in by himself and approached the table where Nikki and Phoenix were sitting ... speaking with her for a little while before losing his cool.

TMZ broke the story ... cops in Burbank responded Wednesday to a call for a disturbance at a Thai food restaurant, and when they got there they found Bam arguing with his wife. Bam was arrested for public intoxication.

The former "Jackass" star recently vowed to be a more present father, even getting Phoenix's name tattooed on his face.

Tekashi 6ix9ine should be sleeping a little easier tonight 'cause cops say they have the three men who beat the crap out of him in custody!

A rep for the Palm Beach Sheriff Office tells TMZ ... detectives rounded up Rafael Medina, Jr., Octavious Medina and Anthony Maldonado for assaulting and robbing the New York rapper. The suspects were being booked Thursday evening and processed into county jail.

TMZ broke the story ... three men assaulted the rapper earlier this month while he was in the sauna at an LA Fitness in South Florida. Surveillance video showed them make a beeline for him as soon as they entered the gym.

It's unclear if the suspects have any connection with the gang members Tekashi flipped on in federal court.

Despite the threat of retaliation after he testified, 6ix9ine hardly went into hiding once he finished his abbreviated prison sentence. He returned to making music and trolling his enemies on social media.

Even after the gym attack, he claimed he wouldn't increase his security because he saw the incident as a fluke.

It will be interesting to see if he returns to his regular gym routine now that his alleged attackers are behind bars.

Oscar Pistorius will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future ... the former Olympic sprinter and convicted killer was denied parole in South Africa on Friday.

Pistorius had hoped to get an early release this week ... after he served more than half of the 13-year, 5-month sentence that he was given for shooting and killing his girlfriend, 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

But, at the proceedings in Pretoria, officials said he had actually not served the minimum requirement to get parole. Officials said there was some sort of miscalculation of when his formal sentencing actually began, and the hearing would need to be pushed.

Pistorius now will have to wait until August 2024 to reapply for the early release.

Steenkamp's parents attended the hearing to argue Pistorius should remain in prison. According to Sky News, Steenkamp's mom, June, told reporters outside of the venue that she believed the 36-year-old was not remorseful for his actions.

She added that she didn't believe he was rehabilitated either.

The Steenkamps have repeatedly said he belongs behind bars for life.

For his part, Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed "Blade Runner," has claimed he never meant to shoot his partner ... saying he thought she was an intruder.

Donald Trump has been indicted in NYC over his alleged involvement in the Stormy Daniels hush money case -- TMZ has confirmed.

The former President was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury. He will turn himself in, although we do not know the timetable.

The grand jury heard testimony from a slew of witnesses since January ... witnesses that included Trump's former attorney/fixer, Michael Cohen, who served prison time in connection with the Stormy Daniels case. Trump did not appear before the grand jury.

The precise charges have not been announced by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, but are expected within the next few days.

Trump is currently in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump will presumably fly to New York City to turn himself in. He has called for protests and the City is on high alert. He has even said there would be "death and destruction" if he were indicted.

It's quite a moment ... Trump is the first U.S. president or former president to be slapped with criminal charges.

Trump allegedly brokered a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, when she was trying to go public about an affair she claims she had with him in 2006. Michael Cohen has said he was at the center of the deal and actually cut the check to Stormy ... he says he was later reimbursed by the Trump org.

45, of course, has denied all of it ... calling both Stormy and Michael liars. He has acknowledged relying on his counsel to resolve an alleged extortion effort, but he's insisted he did nothing wrong or illegal. And, he's already announced he's running for president next year, so it could throw the race for the Republican nomination into chaos.

This isn't the only criminal investigation he's dealing with. There's one underway in Georgia surrounding the 2020 election and Trump's efforts to overturn the results. And, the feds are looking into Trump's former handling of classified documents ... and based on developments this week, it looks like the special prosecutor has an eye toward filing charges.

More bad news for Willie McGinest ... the Patriots legend is now reportedly out of his job at NFL Network -- nearly four months after he attacked a man at an L.A. restaurant.

McGinest had been serving an indefinite suspension from his role as an NFLN analyst over the Dec. 9 beatdown at Delilah ... but, according to Front Office Sports, he was officially let go this week as part of the network's recent wave of big cuts.

We've reached out to NFL Network for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, McGinest's job status is likely the least of his worries at the moment -- he's still facing two felony charges in the case that carry serious prison time if he's convicted on both counts.

He's also been sued by the alleged victim, who claimed he suffered serious and permanent injuries in the melee.

For his part, 51-year-old McGinest said he was sorry for his actions at the restaurant ... saying, "I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility."

Jonathan Majors' attorney says she has receipts regarding the assault claims against her client -- texts in which the alleged victim admits she's to blame, and says she doesn't want the actor prosecuted.

Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry tells TMZ ... the woman in question sent a few texts to the "Creed III" actor hours after his arrest last weekend, "admitting that she was the one who used physical force against him."

In the texts Chaudhry claims the woman sent, she says how angry she was Jonathan had been handcuffed ... and she adds, "Will make sure nothing happens about this. I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone."

The text exchange continued a few hours later, with the woman reiterating she's pushing hard to make sure the D.A. doesn't charge Jonathan for the incident.

Chaudhry says she has turned these texts over to law enforcement.

As we reported, Majors was arrested for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment ... after the woman allegedly saw another woman texting him and tried to sneak a peek at his phone.

Chaudhry told us Sunday she was already working hard to gather evidence disproving the claims, which seems to include these texts ... and she believes there is also video footage from inside the vehicle where the alleged incident went down that will clear Majors.

Joshua Tylerbest -- a contestant on Katie Thurston's season of "The Bachelorette," who actually went pretty far -- has been arrested and charged with having child pornography on him ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the IT consultant was busted last month in Miami -- law enforcement says a Google account registered to him was flagged for allegedly uploading approximately 50 images/videos showing child sexual abuse.

The cops got a search warrant of the Google account and claim they found evidence of Tylerbest interacting with the child pornography images.

Law enforcement says they then searched his residence and seized several electronic items, including his iPhone -- which they claim contained 15 files that fit the bill for child porn. Cops claim the clips include videos of kids -- some of whom are under 10 -- involved in graphic sex acts with adults.

He's now been formally charged with 15 felony counts of possession of materials showing a sexual performance by a child ... to which he has pled not guilty. Tylerbest is due back in court in June.

Like we said earlier, Tylerbest had a little bit of a run during Katie's time as the 'Bachelorette' in 2021. He made it through four weeks but was eliminated after that. There was nothing particularly scandalous about his time on TV and, at the time, he was relatively well-regarded.

He's continued to fraternize with fellow 'Bachelorette' stars, as documented on his social media -- he's hit the town with other contestants who were on the show.

Tory Lanez is not going down without a fight ... he has just asked a judge to throw out his conviction for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, claiming, among other things, prosecutors tried to dirty him up with irrelevant evidence.

Tory's lawyer, famed criminal defense attorney Jose Baez, claims in legal docs obtained by TMZ, prosecutors submitted a shirtless photo of Tory with a firearm tattoo on his chest. During trial, prosecutors said it was merely for identification purposes, but Baez is calling BS, saying prosecutors used the photo to underscore to the jury his client had a fondness for weapons.

There are numerous other grounds ... notably Baez says it was a reversible error for prosecutors to threaten to present Tory's rap lyrics to the jury.

And there's this ... Baez says the jury heard an 80-minute interview prosecutors had with Kelsey Harris -- Megan's friend who was in the car the night of the shooting. The audio was devastating to Tory's case, but Kelsey later recanted a lot of what she said in that interview.

Baez also says it was wrong to admit an Instagram post that included a comment from one of Megan's producers, claiming cops had matched bullets from Tory's gun to the fragments in Megan's foot.

Another claim ... it was wrong to allow statements Megan made to cops that Tory said to her immediately after the shooting, "Please don't say anything because I'm on probation."

Tory is facing 22 years in prison for three felony firearms violations. He's scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Ice Spice is not the victim of a chain-snatching, but rather the target of a big ol' attempt at clout-chasing for Internet fame!!!

Video of a man claiming to have possession of Ice's icy "Queen" necklace made its rounds across social media Wednesday -- and while many fans reacted with concern for Ice, the whole drama was merely a TikTok user looking to make a viral breakthrough.

The TikTok user fended off a wave of backlash ... we mean, he was bragging about robbing a woman for her chain 😐 ... and a source close to the "Munch" rapper doubled down against the shenanigans, assuring TMZ Hip Hop that Ice has never even owed such a piece.

"Queen" branding actually belongs to Nicki Minaj ... and a closer dive through Ice's jewelry box reveals the Bronx-bred rapper rocked her custom "Isis" name pendant the past couple of years as her star power grew.

In January, she dropped her "Like..?" EP and upgraded to her current $100k chain and showed it off when she pulled up on Kim Kardashian and North West ... for an authentic viral TikTok moment.

Bam Margera was arrested after allegedly making a scene at a restaurant where his estranged wife and son were eating ... and cops say Bam was drunk in public.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police in Burbank got a call around 3:45 PM Wednesday for a disturbance at a Thai food restaurant, and when officers arrived they found the "Jackass" star arguing with a woman, with the dispute getting louder and louder.

Our sources say when police got to the restaurant, Bam was unable to take care of himself and was arrested and booked for misdemeanor public intoxication.

There's video on social media showing Bam at the restaurant, and he's clearly upset. The footage shows Margera walking in and out of the restaurant while cops look on.

At one point, in the clip posted to Instagram Live by comedian Evan Breen, you see Bam take a seat on a curb while he speaks to officers.

One witness told us Bam's estranged wife, Nikki, and his 5-year-old son, Phoenix, were also inside the restaurant ... but cops aren't saying if Nikki was the woman arguing with Bam.

TMZ broke the story, Nikki filed for legal separation from Bam back in February -- after she claims he didn't appear to be sober during a visit he was supposed to have with Phoenix.

We were also the first to report Bam's domestic violence arrest earlier this month after a woman claimed he kicked her.

Bam has vowed to be a more present father as of late, even getting Phoenix's name tattooed on his face.

There was a full moon during the Texas A&M vs. Texas baseball game on Tuesday ... when a shirtless field intruder decided to disrupt the contest and expose his ass cheeks for all to see!!!

The wild moment went down amid the Longhorns' 5-2 win over the Aggies in College Station ... when the dude -- wearing what appeared to be a Darth Maul/Star Wars mask and holding a "Longhorns Suck" sign -- made his way onto the grass and through the infield.

The streaker then dropped his sign and pulled his shorts below his waist for several seconds ... before making a mad dash for the outfield.

It's actually pretty impressive -- the intruder showed off his speed and endurance throughout the stunt ... and successfully hopped over the centerfield wall after several attempts.

Unfortunately for him, the fun was over right after he jumped the fence ... 'cause a cop was already waiting for his arrival.

The chaos ended with the intruder getting on his stomach and putting his hands behind his back. We've reached out to law enforcement for more information.

Guess the game was not all it was cracked up to be.