Crime & Arrests

10:17 AM PT -- A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service tells TMZ ... the incident was "unfortunate," but there was no malice involved, and the marshal reacted appropriately.

We're told ... the dog in question was being aggressive with a working K-9, and the owner of the dog was told repeatedly to control their dog. The agent finally reacted to keep the dog away from the K-9 ... the spokesperson adding, "An uncontrolled, aggressive animal can hinder official duties and threaten safety."

A U.S. Marshal has sparked outrage after he apparently kicked a small dog hard -- twice --while his counterparts made an arrest ... allegedly breaking one of the pup's ribs with the punts.

WREG-TV -- a local outlet in Memphis, Tennessee -- shared the sickening clip ... the vid shows the marshal, clad in tactical gear and blue jeans, turning toward the yapping dog rushing at officers.

Watch the video ... the little dog appears to be nipping at a leashed law enforcement K-9 at the scene ... the marshal boots the dog back toward the parking lot ... the same marshal delivers another swift kick in the courtyard as other officers wrestle with an individual in the foreground ... and the pooch yelps and rushes away before the clip ends.

Finally, an arrest in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping, but it's not one of her captors ... it's a guy the feds claim sent text messages to Nancy's family asking them about bitcoin ... and the FBI says they don't believe the guy has any connection to the ransom note.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say a Los Angeles man named Derrick Callella texted Nancy's daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, "Did you get the bitcoin were [sic] waiting on our end for the transaction."

The FBI says the texts were sent Wednesday, shortly after 'TODAY' anchor Savannah Guthrie uploaded a video of her siblings making a plea to Nancy's captors. In the video, Savannah mentioned the ransom note, begged for proof of life and said they were ready to talk.

A teenage boy in Florida is facing a felony charge over a video that law enforcement says shows him intentionally setting his friend on fire on a beach.

The Marion County Sheriff's office says a 17-year-old kid in a viral video is seen creating a trail of gasoline from a campfire on the sand ... and splashing gas on another boy sitting nearby, causing him to light up. That kid ran into the lake to extinguish the flames.

The victim told his mom he got burned when he tried to throw a water bottle filled with gas into a fire ... but his dad found the video and called the sheriff. Cops later found the gas container in nearby shrubbery ... along with some "empty alcoholic beverage cans."

Sometimes you just gotta dance! A woman suspected of DUI two-stepped her way right into police custody Wednesday night after taking cops on a wild and dangerous chase through Los Angeles.

Watch the video ... the harrowing chase starts with completely reckless driving, featuring death-defying moves, the driver blowing through red lights and pulling U-turns in traffic to evade the cops hot on her tail, before boxing herself in inside a crowded parking lot.

Would she try to plow through the cars in her way? Would she make a break for it on foot? The answer was neither. In pure Bugs Bunny fashion, the woman gets out of her car and does a little boogie!

Although "TODAY Show" Anchor Savannah Guthrie's used to talking about headlines in her line of work, her mother, Nancy, became a trending topic in the United States on February 1, 2026 ... when she suddenly disappeared from her home near Tucson, Arizona.

Here's a look into Nancy's background and how her disappearance has resulted in an extensive search effort from local authorities.

Nancy was originally from the Cincinnati, Ohio area. She grew up around Fort Wright, Kentucky, about five miles south of Cincinnati, according to WLWT-TV.

Nancy eventually moved her family to Tucson in the 1970s, and she described the "laid back and gentle" quality of the Tucson area as one of the main reasons she chose Arizona, ABC News reports.

Her family was dealt a tragedy in 1988 when Nancy's husband, Charles, unexpectedly died from a heart attack.

Savannah spoke about the aftermath of his death during a 2017 episode of 'Today' ... "We were just trying to figure out how to become a family of four when we’d always been a family of five."

Nancy was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31, 2026, at her home in Catalina Foothills, located six miles northeast of Tucson.

A family member reported her missing the next day after she missed church service. A search was immediately launched, which included using drones and dogs.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos later said authorities believed Nancy's home was a crime scene ... and he told us she'd been in her bed at some point during the night before disappearing.

A distressing trail of dried blood was found outside Nancy's front door ... but Nanos has stated authorities have to believe she's still alive.

While TMZ was reporting on the case, we ended up being involved in a way we never expected ... because we received an alleged ransom note demanding payment for Nancy's release. The note was forwarded to the Pima County Sheriff's Dept., who said they were aware of "note(s)" sent to other outlets as well.

President Donald Trump said he intended to contact Savannah Tuesday, and said he'd be willing to provide further assistance in the search effort.

Ryan Routh has been sentenced to life in prison ... months after he was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon handed down Routh's sentence, which includes an additional seven years for a firearm offense, at a Fort Pierce, Florida courtroom on Wednesday, NBC News reports.

Prosecutors called Routh "totally unrepentant" for his crimes in a sentencing memorandum, adding ... "the heinous nature of this assassination attempt -- his selfish, violent decision to prevent the American voters from electing President Trump by killing him first -- that warrants severe criminal punishment."

FYI ... Routh was arrested after he tried to kill Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024, two months after a previous attempt on the presidential candidate's life in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities said Routh brought a weapon --  identified as an SKS-style rifle -- as well as two backpacks and a GoPro camera to the golf course.

The attempt was foiled after a Secret Service agent noticed the barrel of the gun poking through a fence and shrubbery and fired a shot at Routh. Trump was reportedly about 400 yards from the scene on the course.

Routh fled in an SUV parked nearby ... he was apprehended by authorities later in the day about 50 miles from the club.

Routh left a letter with an admission of guilt at a residence near Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort, which partially read ... "This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job."

Routh represented himself during his trial, and he was found guilty on several felony counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer, in September 2025. Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen in court when his verdict was read.

Track stars Sha'Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman have both entered not guilty pleas following last Thursday's arrests ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Alisia Adamson -- who is representing both sprinters -- entered the plea through docs filed in court on Monday. Richardson was arrested on one charge of dangerous excessive speeding ... and cited for several driving violations.

Coleman was arrested for drug paraphernalia and resisting (without violence) during the traffic stop -- both of which are misdemeanors.

Legal issues continue to mount for Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... 'cause nearly a week after he was arrested in Miami over domestic violence allegations -- TMZ Sports has confirmed an arrest warrant was issued out of Maryland for the troubled boxer.

Court records show Judge Althea Handy issued the warrant Monday on the grounds Davis violated his probation relating to his 2020 hit-and-run that injured four people, including a pregnant woman.

The 31-year-old received 90 days of house arrest, three years of probation, and 200 hours of community service. He was later sent to jail after violating the terms of his home confinement.

Tragedy struck Dog the Bounty Hunter's family last year when his 13-year-old step-grandson Anthony was shot and killed ... and now we've learned Dog's stepson Gregory Zecca has been arrested for the fatal accident.

According to Florida's Collier County Sheriff's Office ... Zecca was determined to have been under the influence of alcohol while he was handling the firearm last July. Law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant charging Zecca with aggravated manslaughter of a child with a firearm and using a firearm while under the influence.

Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a statement ... "This was a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy. Our detectives conducted an exhaustive and thorough investigation, examining every element of what happened through witness statements, forensic testing, subpoenas, search warrants, and more. I commend their hard work and professionalism in uncovering the facts in an incredibly difficult case."

According to the investigation, Gregory was drinking for several hours before sitting down to watch a UFC fight on TV with his son at a friend's house. At the friend's house, Gregory continued to drink and got high on marijuana, authorities say.

Bill Stevenson, the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden, has his name in the news for all the wrong reasons recently ... he's been charged with murdering his second wife, Linda.

Here's a look at Stevenson's background and how he was taken into the hands of the law.

Patrick Mahomes Sr. was arrested yet again on Tuesday -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's pops was busted for a violation of his probation for his DWI sentence after allegedly drinking alcohol.

The 55-year-old former MLB player was booked in Smith County Jail at 8:53 AM ... and he didn't look too thrilled as he posed for another mug shot.

The District Attorney confirmed to us Mahomes Sr. was jailed for a probation violation ... with the probation violation report stating he had a high alcohol reading on his SCRAM alcohol ankle monitor on Jan. 1.

Julia Roberts' sister-in-law Eliza Roberts accused Timothy Busfield of sexually harassing her over 30 years ago ... and now she says the alleged victims in the actor/director's recent child sex abuse charges should not be "vilified."

Photogs caught up with Eliza on Monday as she was headed to the movies in Los Angeles, where she tells us we should all believe the 2 brothers who claimed Busfield touched their private parts while on the set of the TV show, "The Cleaning Lady," in 2022, according to court documents. Prosecutors say the 7-year-old twins were actors and Busfield was the director.

Despite their accusations against the director, the boys originally told investigators Busfield never acted inappropriately toward them.

Don Lemon is speaking out for the first time about his arrest by the feds ... telling Jimmy Kimmel he was bombarded by agents in an elevator in L.A. and was never given the chance to turn himself in ... all so they could allegedly "embarrass" him.

The veteran journalist recounted his Thursday night arrest on federal civil rights charges on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Monday, explaining he was stepping into a hotel elevator after reporting on the Grammys when all of a sudden, he felt himself "being jostled."

Don says the folks trying to arrest him didn't identify themselves at first and failed to show a warrant until he demanded one. He also claims he was never given an opportunity to turn himself in despite his legal team's efforts -- it's all in the clip.

Twitch streamer and rapper Aspen Kartier was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after a video of her seemingly roughing up an innocent pup on the platform went viral.

The 19-year-old streamer -- whose real name is Aspen Easterling -- was cuffed and booked into the DeKalb County Jail Friday night after authorities received numerous complaints over the alleged abuse in the circulating video ... the Brookhaven Police Department tells TMZ.

Brookhaven police officers gathered enough evidence against Aspen to secure a search warrant for her residence as well as an arrest warrant, and she was taken in around 9:30 PM.

Bella Hadid's reported ex-boyfriend found himself in the slammer after having a little too much Friday night fun.

Award-winning cowboy and horse trainer Adan Banuelos was arrested in Texas in the wee hours of Saturday morning for public intoxication, TMZ has learned. He's already bonded out of the Parker County Jail after paying a minor fee of $386.

TMZ has reached out to the Parker County Sheriff for more info and Adan for comment ... so far, nothing back.

Adan caught the spotlight in Hollywood when he began dating the supermodel in late 2023 -- although they reportedly split this month.

Don Lemon has been released from custody after being criminally charged for covering a church protest in Minneapolis, and he made it clear ... this will not silence him.

Lemon told the crowd ... he has been a reporter for 30 years, and he will not stop doing what he has always done -- covering the news.

As we reported, Lemon was arrested Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles, for allegedly co-conspiring with protesters to disrupt a church service in Minneapolis.