Crime & Arrests

John Geddert -- the coach of the legendary 2012 Team USA gymnastics team -- has been charged with multiple counts of human trafficking and sexual assault and faces up to life in prison.

... and there's a connection to disgraced Team USA doctor and convicted sexual predator Larry Nassar.

63-year-old Geddert was the head man in charge when the Fierce Five squad won gold at the 2012 Games in London. The team was comprised of superstars Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber.

But, law enforcement officials say Geddert shouldn't be celebrated as some great coach -- claiming he's a scumbag who sexually assaulted an unidentified person in 2012 who was between the age of 13 and 16.

The specifics of the allegations are still unclear -- but the charges he's facing are horrifying.

In total, Geddert is facing 20 counts of human trafficking, 2 counts of sexual assault, 1 count of racketeering and 1 count of lying to a peace officer.

As for the Larry Nassar connection ... Nassar was the team doctor for the 2012 gymnastics team. Nassar also treated gymnasts at the Michigan gym, Twistars, which was owned by Geddert and his wife until they sold it just a few weeks ago.

It's relevant because prosecutors say Geddert lied to investigators in 2016 when they were looking into Nassar's criminal conduct -- and Geddert allegedly said he never heard anyone complain about the doctor.

Geddert probably saw the criminal charges coming ... Michigan State Police raided his home in early 2020.

Team USA suspended Geddert when the Larry Nassar story broke several years back. Geddert told people in 2018 he was retiring from coaching.

A woman dressed in a ball gown and heels went off-roading in South Beach, slammed into a store, nearly hit someone ... then casually fled the scene, but cops still nabbed her.

The bizarre hit and run went down shortly after midnight Tuesday, and a witness recorded the aftermath of the crash, where he says a homeless woman on the street was almost run over.

The decked-out driver appears to be unscathed and surprisingly calm ... especially as she gets her gear out of her smashed-up Dodge Charger and orders a ride.

She continues to ignore the incredulous crowd as her Uber shows up and she hops in ... but she doesn't get too far.

Police arrive at the scene and enlist the help of the guy who recorded the incident, and he helps ID her as other officers appear to be arresting her.

Pro soccer player Jonathan Suarez -- who just signed a deal to play in the MLS -- was arrested on Tuesday after a woman claims she was sexually assaulted by the athlete and his brother at the same time.

Officials confirm the 24-year-old Orlando City SC player and his older brother Rafael Suarez Jr. were taken into custody late Tuesday after an alleged incident at Rafael's apartment in the Orlando area.

According to an arrest affidavit from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the alleged victim and a friend met with the Suarez brothers at a local Topgolf driving range ... and later went back to Rafael's apartment to play beer pong.

The alleged victim told police she went to Rafael's room to engage in consensual sex -- but Rafael let his brother in to "get in on the fun" and that's when things went sideways.

The woman claims she REJECTED both men and tried to stop the sexual activity -- but she claims the soccer player forced her to perform a sex act on him and then told his brother to resume having sex with the woman against her will.

After the incident, the woman went to police -- and the case was kicked over to a Special Investigation Detective.

Officials say, "The victim provided more information and evidence supporting the allegation to the Detectives. Based on the information provided by the victim, Detectives were able to positively identify Jonathan Suarez-Cortes and Rafael Suarez Jr., as the suspects involved in the incident and developed probable cause for their arrest."

Jonathan and Rafael were arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail for sexual battery ... where they are being held without bond.

The OCSO posted video of the arrest ... showing the two men in handcuffs and white jumpsuits as they are taken to jail.

Major League Soccer released a statement on Jonathan's arrest ... saying he has been immediately suspended from play as the league investigates the situation.

"Major League Soccer will remain in close communication with the Orlando City SC, local law enforcement, and the MLS Players Association during this investigation."

"MLS will make further determinations concerning the player’s status as more information becomes available."

Jonathan Suarez was a high school soccer star in Fontana, CA and signed a pro contract to play in Argentina when he was 18.

He went on to play professionally in the top soccer leagues in Mexico -- with teams like Cimarrones de Sonora, Querétaro FC and Pumas UNAM.

He arrived in Orlando in February to begin a stint with the Orlando City SC team -- but now, obviously, those plans are on hold.

Bobby Shmurda has reason to bust out the Shmurda Dance ... he's no longer behind bars after getting sprung early.

The rapper was released from New York's infamous Clinton Correctional Facility just before 8:30 Tuesday morning, which is about 10 months earlier than expected.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shmurda will now be under parole supervision for the next 5 years until Feb. 23, 2026.

As we reported ... Bobby got his conditional release date bumped up by the prison's Time Allowance Committee, which made the call after reviewing his behavior and participation in prison programs. It looks like Shmurda got early release for essentially staying out of trouble in the prison.

Bobby had been in custody since December 2014, and was initially sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison after copping a plea deal back in September 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. He got credit for around 2 years of time served before the sentence.

Shmurda had an eventful time in lockup, racking up 11 violations, including allegedly having a shank, drug possession and fighting ... but it looks like he turned things around recently to score his early release.

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

Trick Daddy's taking a plea deal in his Miami bust for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, and now he's finally able to put the case behind him.

The District Attorney's Office tells us Trick cut a deal ... pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and getting credit for time served. In exchange, we're told the DUI charge was dropped.

We broke the story ... police bodycam footage from the rapper's January 2020 arrest showed a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill. Cops also said he also bombed a field sobriety test, and the video shows him slurring his speech while playing the celeb card.

That didn't really help him, however there was only a trace amount of cocaine -- so he got a very low level, third-degree felony. The D.A. tells us he's not on probation, either ... the plea deal closes case.

Octavius Johnson, famous for his work in "Ray Donovan," got busted for assault with a deadly weapon ... after cops say he threw a fire extinguisher at a female jogger.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers in Burbank responded to a call that a man had allegedly thrown a fire extinguisher at a jogger when they encountered Octavius, whom cops say fit the description of the suspect. We're told cops tried to detain him, but he refused to comply and led police on a brief foot chase.

Cops caught Octavius and arrested him after the alleged victim ID'd him as the culprit. We're told officers recovered a fire extinguisher, and Octavius was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

Octavius allegedly continued his rampage inside a Burbank Police Department holding cell ... we're told he vandalized the phone inside the cell, violently striking the phone box with the handheld receiver.

Our sources say the assault case was presented to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office but the DA referred the case to the Burbank City Attorney's Office, which rejected the case due to insufficient evidence and a witness who would not cooperate.

We're told the Burbank City Attorney will now review the vandalism allegation for possible misdemeanor prosecution.

A man who allegedly attacked and injured several New York Transit officers was wrestled to the ground and pummeled ... and the takedown was captured on video.

The incident went down Tuesday in a subway station. Cops say Alex Lowery was smoking a cigarette which is a violation of MTA rules. They approached him and escorted him out of the station, but as they walked up a flight of stairs to the exit, Lowery allegedly spat in an officer's face.

Lowery began to struggle with the cops, and allegedly punched one of them in the face and head-butted another officer. Cops say Lowery and one of the officers tumbled down the stairs and Lowery again punched a cop in the face.

The Transit cops subdued Lowery, and when he was on the ground an officer threw 11 punches at his head.

Several officers were injured. One had lacerations to his head and injured his knee. Another officer injured his elbow in the struggle.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump went on the attack, saying, "What we're seeing all over America is EXCESSIVE abuse of power by police! Regardless of what happened, NOWHERE in police procedures does it say to punch a suspect in the face multiple times! Police need to be held accountable for their actions, not just when someone is killed!"

Former MLB star Johnny Damon has a clear view of jail after his DUI arrest ... it sucks.

Damon was released Friday and told reporters on his way out of the police station, "Jail sucks, handcuffs are worse. Jail is horrible."

The former Red Sox player gave a rambling and confusing explanation of his arrest, intimating he was not drunk behind the wheel and, at the same time, apologizing for his conduct.

The 47-year-old was pulled over early Friday morning after cops allegedly saw his SUV swerving on the road in Windermere, Florida. Police say his speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet. They also say he admitted to drinking earlier in the evening. His wife allegedly was combative with cops.

TMZ Sports has obtained the police body cam footage from the Chad Wheeler arrest -- in which you can hear the desperate struggle to subdue the NFL lineman after officials say he nearly killed his girlfriend in a violent bipolar episode.

The video starts on the evening of Jan. 22, with police literally kicking down the door to the home in Kent, Washington where Wheeler was living with then-girlfriend Alleah Taylor. Taylor had called 911 claiming Wheeler had beaten and strangled her within inches of her life.

Once cops enter the home, the video goes dark -- police redacted the in-home footage for various legal reasons but the audio paints a crystal clear picture of the chaos that ensues.

"Put your f**king hands behind your back," one officer screams at the 6'7", 315-pound athlete ... "If you don't comply, you're going to get hurt."

Wheeler sounds relatively calm at first, considering the circumstances -- but the cops insist he is resisting arrest and repeatedly order him to stop fighting back.

At one point, Wheeler says to the cops, "Please don't shoot me."

Cops continue to accuse Wheeler of resisting arrest -- at one point you can hear an officer deploy a taser, which Wheeler basically brushes off.

Wheeler then begins to yell for his girlfriend, screaming ... "Alleah, please … Alleah … please I love you … Please stop … I love you … Alleah."

Again, cops say Wheeler continues to disobey orders -- and escalate their threats against him.

"You're gonna get f**kin' tased if you don't knock this s**t off right f**king now, you understand me?"

"You're gonna get the f**k knocked out of you, so knock it the f**k off."

Wheeler responds, "Please, I'm sorry, I'll do whatever you guys want" -- to which an officer replies, "Then stop f**king fighting!"

Finally, cops are able to place Wheeler in handcuffs and explain to him he's going to jail.

Wheeler was eventually hit with three criminal charges over the incident -- including 1st-degree domestic violence assault. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

The NFL player -- who blamed all of his actions on a "manic episode" -- pled not guilty to the charges at a hearing in a Washington courtroom.

Despite his explanation, Alleah Taylor told CBS News she thinks Wheeler should spend time behind bars for the attack, which left her with serious injuries.

"I still have to regularly get my concussion checked. I have bolts and a steel plate I'm gonna have forever in my arm. I'm gonna have to deal with this the rest of my life."

Kellen Winslow Jr. agreed to be sentenced to 14 years in prison next month ... he modified a deal with prosecutors Friday to avoid an even lengthier sentence behind bars.

The former NFL star was facing up to 18 years in prison -- a result of being convicted in a 2019 rape trial ... and also because months later, he pled guilty to raping another woman.

But, a spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that Winslow reworked a part of his Nov. 2019 pleas to avoid the maximum penalty.

The spokesperson tells us Winslow modified one of his guilty pleas from sexual battery to assault with intent to commit rape.

Now, Winslow is due in court on March 3 to receive his official sentencing.

As we previously reported, Winslow had been accused of sexual misconduct -- including multiple allegations of rape -- by five different women.

Winslow was initially hit with 12 charges over the allegations ... and he had faced up to LIFE behind bars if convicted on all counts.

Ex-MLB superstar Johnny Damon was arrested for DUI in Florida early Friday morning -- and cops say his blood-alcohol level was more than TWICE the legal limit.

The 47-year-old -- who played for the Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees -- was pulled over by the Windermere Police Dept. (in the Orlando area) around 8:15 AM.

During the stop, cops say Damon showed signs of intoxication and at some point, they tested his blood alcohol level which came back at "greater than or equal to .20."

The legal limit to drive is .08.

Damon was arrested and booked on multiple charges including driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence.

Damon was hauled to a nearby station where he posed for a mug shot -- and spent time in a holding cell.

Damon is a 2-time World Series champion and made 2 All-Star teams during his 18 seasons as an MLB player.

After his playing days, Damon appeared as a contestant on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2014 as well as competing on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018.

Damon was one of the key cogs in breaking Boston's famous World Series draught -- banding together with his "idiots" to win the title in 2004.

He later left Boston to play for the rival NY Yankees -- and cut his famous long hair in the process.

Story developing ...

George Floyd's murder trial is set to begin next month -- pandemic be damned -- and the courtroom's setup shows extensive coronavirus precautions are being made.

Here's the first look at the 18th-floor courtroom at the Hennepin County Government Center, where on March 8 ... former Minneapolis PD officer Derek Chauvin will stand trial for Floyd's murder.

The room's been set up for COVID-19 safety, with what looks like socially distanced seating for the jury, plexiglass dividers for the attorneys, judge and those who take the witness stand ... and hand sanitizer everywhere.

As we've reported ... Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death. He's seen in the horrific arrest video with his knee pressed on Floyd's neck for roughly 8 minutes, including nearly 2 minutes after he stopped breathing.

The man who allegedly assaulted the 52-year-old Chinese mother of Olivia Munn's friend has been arrested ... and the actress is thanking the Internet for helping cops nab the guy.

According to the NYPD ... Patrick Mateo from Queens was arrested Thursday and booked on charges of assault and harassment.

Cops say they responded to a 911 call Tuesday for an assault outside a bakery. According to police ... the suspect got into a verbal dispute with the 52-year-old woman, then pushed her and caused her to hit her head. The incident was captured on surveillance cam before the guy fled the scene.

Munn put the word out on social media Wednesday that her friend's 5'3" Asian mother had been attacked, and shared a photo of the suspect in order to try to generate tips leading to his arrest.

Olivia's tweeting out praise, saying ... "F**k this guy. The internet is undefeated. Thank you thank you thank you." She added the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #ProtectOurElders.

Law enforcement sources tell us the alleged victim told cops she was waiting in line at the bakery when her attacker approached and began yelling at her. The woman was transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa says he's still incredibly embarrassed by his recent DUI arrest -- and says the criticism that ensued has been nothing short of "torturous."

There 76-year-old MLB legend was arrested for drunk driving in Phoenix, AZ back in February 2020 (after leaving a dinner with some L.A. Angels staffers during Spring Training).

Cops say La Russa wrecked his car during the incident ... and bloodwork showed he had a BAC of .095.

But, the news of Tony's arrest didn't break until November 9 -- 11 days after La Russa was hired to manage the Sox. And, many wondered if the Sox would cut ties with Tony as a result (they ultimately didn't).

Now, TLR is finally addressing the incident and the aftermath -- admitting to USA Today, "I made no excuses, it was an inexcusable mistake."

"It has cost as much embarrassment personally as possible. Anyone to think that this wasn’t something that had a very negative impact ... I mean, part of the embarrassment and negative feelings is the impact on the organization and the fans and the people that hired me."

La Russa later reached a deal in the criminal case -- he pled guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving -- but says the incident added more pressure to succeed in his new role with the Sox.

"There were already enough questions of me managing, and then this. It has been torturous."

There's more ... La Russa -- who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 -- admits he was concerned about taking the Sox job because he wasn't sure if becoming an acting manager again would mean his plaque would be pulled out of Cooperstown.

"If this opportunity, as great as it is, cost me the Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t have taken it. The Hall of Fame is beyond everything else."

Sounds like Tony was worried that if he sucked as a manager this time around, the HOF wouldn't let him back in!

So, Tony says he called the HOF -- and officials assured him he would remain a Hall of Famer even if he took another active role with an MLB team.

Scott Miller -- a swimmer who won medals in the 1996 Summer Olympics -- was arrested in his home country of Australia this week ... after officials accused him of running a drug ring that was "intent on delivering death and misery."

Law enforcement made the announcement Down Under on Tuesday ... claiming Miller was a key cog in trying to spread over $1.5 million worth of methylamphetamine to regions in New South Wales.

Officials say the 45-year-old's drug dealings involved using candles to smuggle narcotics.

"For all intents and purposes, [they were] everyday candles," an investigator told media members.

"However they weren't laced with any fragrance, they were laced with half a kilo of methylamphetamine in each candle, and there were eight candles."

Officials said Miller was busted Tuesday ... claiming raids connected to the former star swimmer turned up "approximately one kilogram of heroin with a street value of $250,000, over $75,000 cash, mobile phones, documents, encrypted electronic devices and smaller amounts of prohibited drugs."

Officials added they arrested another man who they believe worked with Miller in the drug ring.

"They were well set up," an investigator said. "And they were intent on death and misery right throughout the state."

According to 9 News, Miller's attorney did NOT attempt to get bail for the ex-swimmer ... and it's now expected Miller will sit in jail until his next court hearing in April.