Crime & Arrests

The man prison officials say stabbed Tory Lanez multiple times says he thought the rapper was coming to take his life, claiming Tory put a price on his head ... and he simply acted in self-defense.

We had a prison phone call with Santino Casio, who was already serving a life sentence when the Tory attack went down ... and, while he's not denying the stabbing, he says it's not as simple as some might think.

Casio told us he heard rumors through the prison grapevine that Tory had a bounty on him ... and, shortly after, Casio ran into him and thought he saw a suspicious lump in Tory's pocket.

"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has been released from prison.

Hannah was serving 18 months after being convicted by a New Mexico jury ... and the state's Department of Corrections tells us she was let out of prison on Friday morning.

Authorities tell TMZ ... HGR will be on parole for one year as part of her "Rust" sentence and she has 18 months of probation on a separate firearms charge.

Young Thug needs to brush up on his definition of snitching, because what Kid Cudi did with Diddy does not make him a rat ... at least according to Touré.

The music journalist joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and we asked him about Young Thug labeling Cudi a "rat" for testifying against Diddy in court.

Touré says Young Thug's got it twisted when it comes to what is and isn't snitching ... and he schools us too.

Kim Kardashian is grateful that French authorities took her case so seriously ... showing deep gratitude to those who secured convictions of several men who robbed her at gunpoint.

The reality star and mogul thanks authorities in the country and tells us, "The crime was the most terrifying experience of my life, leaving a lasting impact on me and my family. While I’ll never forget what happened, I believe in the power of growth and accountability and pray for healing for all. I remain committed to advocating for justice, and promoting a fair legal system.”

Her legal team -- consisting of Michael Rhodes, Léonor Hennerick, and Jonathan Mattout -- also released a statement... saying their client appreciates the court's decision -- and lauding her for her courage in confronting the people who held her captive all those years ago.

It's judgment day for the "Grandpa Robbers" gang of suspects accused of stealing $10 million worth of jewelry from a tied-up Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016 ... 10 defendants received their verdicts Friday.

Eight people have been found guilty, and two were acquitted. The accused ringleader, 69-year-old Aomar "Old Omar" Ait Kedache received an 8-year prison sentence, with 5 years suspended ... three others received 7-year sentences, also with 5 years suspended. With time served in pretrial detention, none of the guilty individuals will be sent to prison, The Associated Press reports.

Two men wearing police uniforms and masks overpowered a concierge outside Kim's Hôtel de Pourtalès apartment, broke into her room, bound her with zip-ties and tape, and left her in the bathroom, before absconding with her jewelry -- including a $4-million diamond engagement ring from her then-husband Kanye West.

Jussie Smollett is speaking out after striking a pretty sweet deal with the Windy City to close his hate crime hoax situation there ... and he's ready to put this behind him, while getting a few parting shots in.

The "Empire" star says ... "What I have to do now is move forward. I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family with the name of truth."

TMZ broke the story ... Jussie donated $50,000 to charity to settle a civil lawsuit the City of Chicago filed against him seeking restitution for the expense of investigating his 2019 hate crime hoax.

Jamie Foxx is once again addressing the wild conspiracy theory that Sean "Diddy" Combs tried to kill him in 2023 -- when he suffered a serious medical emergency he later confirmed was a stroke.

The actor and comedian spoke on the rumor during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable Thursday, confirming the disgraced music mogul -- who is currently in the middle of a sex trafficking and racketeering federal trial in NYC -- did not try to off him.

However ... he admitted he did "flip" over one theory -- that doctors were trying to clone him, but make him white, so he could "sell better overseas" -- while he was hopped up on a mix of doctor-prescribed drugs.

Diddy's defense team just entered a bunch of glamour shots of Cassie as evidence in the criminal trial ... and their point is her career wasn't hurt by the Diddy freak-offs, as Cassie and prosecutors have claimed.

Check out the photos ... Cassie's all glammed up doing photo shoots, working on music videos, going to events and rubbing elbows with major celebrities.

Diddy's defense is using the photos to rebut prosecutor's claims and some of Cassie's testimony ... where she said she spent all her time doing freak-offs and recovering from the sex romps that her career was stifled.

The second week of testimony in the Diddy trial is in the books ... and prosecutors continued to try and prove their racketeering case against Diddy, with the help of Kid Cudi.

Cudi took the stand Thursday and told the jury about a couple incidents from his 2011-12 love triangle with Cassie and Diddy ... including a break-in at his home and a Molotov cocktail dropped in his Porsche.

Kid Cudi said Diddy broke into his home and rummaged through his Christmas gifts after finding out he was dating Cassie ... and he said he was convinced Diddy had something to do with his Porsche getting torched too.

Justin Bieber is one of the millions of fans ready to see Chris Brown rage on stage -- and gave him a warm welcome back on the 'Gram!!!

C. Breezy racked up over a million likes with his "first day out" post, a pic of him hopping off a private jet fresh from out of the slammer after he posted over $6 million in bail.

Biebz dropped into the comment section and wished him a "welcome home" under Chris' "Cook, remain humble" caption ... these pop megastars have been tight for years!!!

Todd and Julie Chrisley are still locked up ... but, reality television producers are working around that -- 'cause they're going to have a small part in their family's upcoming show.

The Chrisley family's new reality show -- a still untitled project -- was announced by Lifetime yesterday, with a release scheduled for later this year. The show will follow the family as they struggle to navigate life while Todd and Julie remain locked up for many years to come.

However, don't think this means Todd and Julie won't make an appearance on the show ... 'cause production sources tell us phone calls they make from prison will air on the series.

Suge Knight has no doubt Diddy would have shot at him if Diddy tracked him down at a famous restaurant in L.A. ... but his story will never be heard at Diddy's trial, even though it feels pretty important to the prosecution's case.

The former Death Row Records owner tells TMZ ... his rivalry with Diddy was so bad back in the day, Diddy would have had no choice but to use a gun if their paths ever crossed in public.

That almost happened back in 2008 at Mel's Drive-In ... because Diddy's former personal assistant testified this week he went to the famous diner to get cheeseburgers for Diddy, and bumped into Suge.

Joe Exotic and his husband Jorge Marquez Flores are speaking out for the first time following the latter's deportation from America Saturday ... and they both confirm their final goodbye was "pretty emotional."

The "Tiger King" star and his better half tell TMZ they knew the day they'd be ripped apart was coming -- so they made sure to treat every day like it was their last.

Jorge -- who spoke to TMZ from a friend's house in Mexico -- gave a glimpse into their last weeks together, recalling their frequent trips to the library and gym ... even noting they bonded as they worked on their English and Spanish skills together.

Nicole Brown Simpson's sister is making a bunch of comparisons between the trials of O.J. Simpson and Diddy ... and she sees a lot of similarities between her sister and Cassie.

Tanya Brown says the Diddy trial feels a lot like O.J.'s "Trial of the Century" ... mainly because of abuse allegations and the power dynamics of both couples.

Cassie gave four days of intense testimony last week in Diddy's federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial in NYC, and Tanya says folks following the case should not be quick to judge Cassie because they haven't walked in her shoes.

A former makeup artist for Diddy and Cassie just testified for the prosecution in Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial in NYC ... and she told the jury she saw injuries to Cassie's face after an altercation with Diddy following a Grammys party at Prince's house.

Mylah Morales says during Grammys weekend in 2010, she went to a party with Cassie at Prince's Los Angeles estate ... and then they went back to a hotel room. She says Diddy burst in and asked, "Where the f*** is she?"

Morales told jurors Diddy went into a room where Cassie was and shut the door ... and Morales said she heard screaming and yelling. She testified Diddy stormed out and then a "distraught" Cassie emerged with a swollen eye, busted lip and knots on her head.

Kid Cudi didn't let Diddy allegedly orchestrating the fire-bombing of his car ruin his love for Porsche ... judging from the cheeky song title he picked for his last album's lead single.

The hip hop star released the track "Porsche Topless" for his "Insano" album back in June 2023, over a decade after his convertible literally had its roof blown off by a Molotov cocktail.

At the time of its release, Cudi told listeners to envision “Imagine ur floating high up in the bright blue sky on a nice warm summer's day” ... clearly pushing down the bad memories of seeing his beloved car cooked extra crispy in his Hollywood Hills driveway.