Crime

Ex-NY Giants DL Barry Cofield -- a key member of the '07 Super Bowl team -- has pled not guilty to all charges stemming from an insane police chase where he allegedly smashed into a cop car.

... oh, while allegedly carrying heroin in his pocket.

Cops in Seminole County, Florida say they found the 34-year-old passed out behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade around 2:40 AM on July 3 ... and when they tried to wake him up, he punched the gas and led cops on a wild chase.

Cops say the 6'4", 250-pounder drove into a white 4-door vehicle -- but didn't stop -- and eventually led officers into a gated community ... where he continued to drive like a maniac.

Eventually, cops say they used a squad car to block Cofield in -- but he tried to ram through the vehicle. That's when cops got out of their cars and tried to smash in Cofield's window in an effort to drag him out of the driver's seat.

Cofield ultimately surrendered -- and cops say during the arrest they found two small baggies of heroin in his pocket.

Cops also say Cofield reeked of alcohol.

He was initially booked on 5 charges -- heroin possession, assaulting an officer, DUI, resisting arrest and fleeing from police.

But, the charges were later reduced to just heroin possession and DUI causing damage or injury.

Cofield's attorney appeared in court on Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea on the ex-NFL player's behalf.

If convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison.

UFC badass Polyana "Iron Lady" Viana is telling TMZ Sports exactly how she disarmed and throttled a man who was allegedly trying to rob her at gunpoint ... and it's VIOLENT.

Dana White has already heaped praise on Viana -- a 26-year-old fighter with a 10-2 pro MMA record -- but now, she's giving us the blow-by-blow herself.

It all went on Saturday night when she was approached by a man outside of her Rio de Janeiro apartment. Viana claims he pulled out something claiming to be a gun and demanded her cell phone.

Worst. Mistake. Ever.

Polyana says she noticed the so-called gun "bent" when the guy touched it -- realized it was made of cardboard (not metal) ... and realized the only person who was in danger was the crook!!!.

"[I] thought, 'That's not a real gun.' So, I got up and threw 2 hooks."

"After that [I] just threw a kick to his face and that's the damage you all saw in the photos."

Polyana says those shots took the fight outta the alleged thief ... so then it was just about subduing the guy 'til cops arrived.

"He sat where he was and [I] grabbed him in a rear naked choke. He tried to hip escape a little bit. [I] was afraid he had a knife or anything that could hurt [me.] So, [I] didn't want to lose that position."

Authorities showed up, arrested the man and hauled him off to jail.

As for Viana, Dana White -- who's a helluva smart businessman -- booked her to fight a UFC 235 card in March.

#IronLady

Lady Gaga's sorry she ever worked with R. Kelly, saying she's going to pull their 2013 track from iTunes and other streaming services as an act of solidarity with the women he allegedly abused.

Gaga spoke out against Kelly early Thursday morn, saying the claims against him are "absolutely horrifying and indefensible" ... and she stands behind the women 1000%.

She says her single with Kelly, called "Do What U Want (With My Body)," came at a dark time in her life -- when her thinking was "explicitly twisted" because she was dealing with the trauma of being a sexual assault survivor herself.

Lady Gaga says she's grown and gotten help since then, and vows going forward to "continue to support women, men and people of all sexual identities, and of all races, who are victims of sexual assault."

She plans to remove the 2013 collab with Kelly online and adds ... "I'm sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner." Interestingly, since posting her plan to pull the track, it's been purchased and streamed way more. Seems like people are getting their last licks.

As you know ... Gaga's statement comes on the heels of major controversy involving Lifetime's docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly," in which he's accused of sexual abuse, pedophilia and predatory behavior.

She'd been mum on the subject until now and taken some heat for it ... especially since she's very much in the public eye right now with all the awards season buzz for "A Star is Born."

1:22 PM PT -- Ronaldo's attorney, Peter S. Christiansen, tells TMZ Sports, "Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature, so it is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation."

Cristiano Ronaldo has been asked to submit a DNA sample as part of the police investigation into his Las Vegas rape case ... and we're told he plans on cooperating 100%.

As we previously reported, the Las Vegas Metro PD has reopened the investigation into claims made by Kathryn Mayorga ... that CR7 sexually assaulted her in his hotel room back in 2009.

Mayorga went to cops back in '09 but didn't identify Ronaldo by name out of fear of retaliation.

Just a few months ago, Mayorga filed a new lawsuit against the soccer star saying Ronaldo and his team of "fixers" coerced her into signing a settlement at the time -- and paid her $375k in exchange for her silence.

When that lawsuit went public, cops said they would reopen the case now that they had the name of the alleged assailant and, as part of the renewed investigation, they went to Ronaldo within the last week and asked for a DNA sample as part of standard sexual assault investigation protocol.

Our Ronaldo sources tell us the 33-year-old continues to deny all wrongdoing and plans on cooperating with investigators to prove his innocence.

Ne-Yo doesn't think allegations against R. Kelly are comparable to allegations against Michael Jackson -- they're worse.

We got the R&B singer Wednesday night at LAX ... and he jumped on the comparison, noting, unlike R. Kelly, there was no video evidence of Michael Jackson abusing anyone.

Ne-Yo also claimed some of Jackson's accusers recanted after the singer's death. He did not mention that Jackson paid $20 million to settle the sexual assault lawsuit filed by Jordan Chandler's parents.

Ne-Yo says he never looked at the video of R. Kelly urinating on a minor when he toured with the singer. He just assumed the vid wasn't real. He now regrets it and says he sees things differently now that he has a daughter.

MJ is the subject of a new documentary premiering at Sundance detailing his alleged sexual abuse of little boys, something that has enraged the Michael Jackson Estate.

NBA star Nick Young has been named a suspect in an alleged robbery that went down last week -- in which Swaggy's accused of striking a guy in his testicles and stealing his phone.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the LAPD received a call on Jan. 4 from a man who claims he was assaulted by Swaggy P when he tried to take his photo at a popular L.A. car wash.

We're told the alleged victim does not appear to be a paparazzo -- just a basketball fan who recognized the former Lakers star and wanted a photo.

The man acknowledged Young didn't want to be photographed but he snapped a pic anyway -- and that's when Young snapped ... confronting the fan, allegedly firing off a nut shot and swiping the phone.

We're told cops took a report and are investigating. So far, no arrests have been made.

It's not the first time Young has been accused of wrongdoing -- he was arrested in August 2018 for obstruction of justice after he was pulled over by police.

And in 2016, Young was sued for allegedly attacking a man at a pickup basketball game at a church.

We've reached out to Young for comment -- so far, no word back.

12:16 PM PT -- We've learned the alleged victim says the incident occurred in New York City and she will personally fly from Texas to Manhattan "in the near future" to file a fresh police report.

The alleged victim's lawyer, Lydia Agu, tells us before she began representing her, the alleged victim was advised to file a police report in the state where she lived. Although Dallas PD tells us they closed the case because there was "no criminal element," Agu says this is purely a jurisdictional issue because the alleged crime took place in NYC.

Agu says her client will fly to NYC and file with the NYPD's Special Victims Unit. Agu filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of her client -- against R. Kelly -- in May.

R. Kelly will not be charged for allegedly giving a woman an STD after cops in Dallas closed their investigation ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Dallas PD looked into allegations the singer gave an anonymous young woman an STD after allegedly holding her captive as a sex slave in 2017. We're told no charges will be brought against Kelly in connection to the case .. although, it's unclear why they reached that conclusion.

As we reported, the woman filed a police report in 2018 claiming she'd met Kelly in Dallas the year before. She claimed he restrained her, plied her with alcohol and drugs ... and gave her an unspecified STD.

Her attorney, Lee Merritt, had said the woman planned to file a civil suit against Kelly as well.

Kelly, meanwhile, is currently being investigated by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office in GA -- and the State Attorney in Chicago has made a plea for any witnesses or victims to come forward.

We've reached out to Merritt for comment ... so far, no word back.

NY Jets tight end Chris Herndon -- a breakout star in 2018 -- pled guilty in his DUI case stemming from a June 2018 crash, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the 22-year-old smashed into another car on the 1-80 highway in New Jersey on June 2 after witnesses say he was speeding at more than 100 mph.

The police footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows Herndon's 2018 Nissan Armada flipped on its side and badly damaged. Miraculously, both Herndon and the other driver -- a 76-year-old man -- escaped without any major injuries.

Herndon bombed a field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI. He claimed he only had 2 cups of wine before getting behind the wheel that night.

Now, we've learned Herndon's case went before a judge on Wednesday.

Court records show Herndon entered a guilty plea -- though it's unclear if he copped to a lesser charge. We've reached out to court officials but so far, no one seems to have the answer.

What we do know ... Herndon was sentenced to complete 12 hours of an intoxicated driver education program. Plus, his driver's license was revoked for 90 days. He was also hit with $639 in fines and fees.

The former Miami Hurricanes star had a pretty solid rookie season with the Jets -- catching 39 passes for more than 500 yards and 4 TDs.

Cops paid a visit to R. Kelly's recording studio in Chicago, which has been featured on Lifetime's docuseries as an alleged "sex cult" base where the singer held girls captive.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officers dropped by Kelly's westside music studio Tuesday evening, but it appeared to be vacant.

We're told there was no call to police that triggered the visit ... cops went to check out the spot because it's gotten so much publicity from "Surviving R. Kelly." The docuseries portrayed the location as a hub for Kelly's alleged sexual abuse of women.

Interestingly, there was reportedly a party there Tuesday night, on what was Kelly's 52nd birthday. Our sources say cops had no knowledge of the event. We're told officers will continue to patrol the area.

On 'Surviving' ... the parents of one of Kelly's alleged victims, Azriel Clary, go to the R&B singer's studio and throw rocks at it, trying to get her to come outside. The studio is currently listed for sale.

As we reported ... Chicago prosecutors are urging R. Kelly victims to come forward, and we're told at least one victim and the families of 2 others are doing just that ... and believe they have sufficient evidence to prosecute him.

Cristiano Ronaldo has called in his lawyers after a British reality star made serious allegations against him on social media this week ... and we're told CR7 adamantly denies all wrongdoing.

Jasmine Lennard -- a UK fashion model who starred on the British version of "Celebrity Big Brother" -- went off on Ronaldo on Twitter ... claiming they dated for 10 years, during which she was subjected to emotional abuse and threats.

Lennard claims she recently watched "Surviving R. Kelly" and was inspired to speak out against Ronaldo ... and feels compelled to help Kathryn Mayorga, the woman who is suing Cristiano for rape.

We're told the soccer star views Lennard's allegations as "false and defamatory" and his lawyers are already handling the situation.

As we previously reported, Ronaldo is being sued by Mayorga -- who claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009. She had initially filed a police report describing the alleged crime -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name.

In her lawsuit, Mayorga says she later accepted a $375,000 payment in exchange for her silence -- but now, she wants that agreement voided.

At least 1 alleged victim of R. Kelly and families of 2 other alleged victims spoke Tuesday night, planning to present Chicago prosecutors with what they believe is sufficient evidence to prosecute the singer for sexual abuse and other crimes ... TMZ has learned.

We're told a family member of one of the alleged victims was the leader on the efforts, and he will put together an evidence packet for the Cook County State Attorney. As we reported, State Attorney Kim Foxx said Tuesday afternoon she was "sickened" by the Lifetime docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly" and asked anyone who was a victim or has information about a victim to come forward.

An attorney for another alleged victim -- who does not live in Chicago -- made it clear she was going to contact the appropriate authorities on behalf of her client.

Those behind the efforts said they were fanning out to find other victims who would join their united front before presenting their cases to the State Attorney.

As of 6:30 PM Central Time, the State Attorney had received no calls from alleged victims. The phone number is (773) 674-6492.

Cook County prosecutors want any victims of R. Kelly to call them ... now.

State Attorney Kim Foxx just urged any victims -- "Please come forward."

Foxx, who herself is a sexual assault survivor, says she wants families of victims to contact the officer, adding she's "sickened" by what she saw on the Lifetime docuseries, "Surviving R. Kelly."

Foxx says her office has already been contacted by 2 families where alleged victims had contact with R. Kelly over the last few years. She says both alleged victims are over the age of 18.

The State Attorney's Office has not launched a formal investigation, but Foxx definitely sounds like she will if victims come forward.

Mario Batali will not be charged for 2 alleged sexual assaults in NYC ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the NYPD has closed both cases against Batali after investigators couldn't find any witnesses or evidence supporting claims made by the accusers.

We broke the story ... a woman filed a police report last March claiming she was raped by Batali on Jan. 29, 2004 at his West Village eatery.

NYPD was also investigating Batali for sexual misconduct after a woman came forward on "60 Minutes" claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2005 at his Spotted Pig restaurant.

Rapper Z-Ro is out of the woods, criminally, for allegedly assaulting ex-girlfriend, Just Brittany ... because he held up his end of a deal to avoid prosecution ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, prosecutors in Texas moved to dismiss a misdemeanor assault charge against Z-Ro. He'd been booked and charged for beating Brittany during what she said was an hours-long ordeal.

In docs, prosecutors say there was probable cause to move forward with the case, but they decided to drop it after Z-Ro completed a batter's intervention program. A judge signed off on the dismissal Tuesday.

As we reported ... prosecutors charged Z-Ro with assault on a family member, a Class A misdemeanor -- this after a grand jury declined to indict him on felony assault charges.

R. Kelly is being criminally investigated in Georgia -- and it's all because of Lifetime's docuseries ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has opened an investigation into allegations made against the singer in "Surviving R. Kelly." We're told the probe was launched over the past few days as a direct result of what 'Surviving' depicted.

We're told investigators have been reaching out to several survivors featured in the TV project. We have confirmed investigators reached out to Asante McGee, one of the women who allegedly escaped R. Kelly's home.

The attorney for Joycelyn Savage's family was contacted by Chief Investigator Cynthia Nwokocha and has been fully cooperating.

We're told investigators have been asking for contact information from others who have lived in Kelly's former Atlanta home or have direct knowledge of what happened in the home.

We're told investigators were flooded with calls once the docuseries aired.

The D.A. is not commenting.

Sources close to Kim tell TMZ ... inmates around the country are sending Kim an endless amount of notes from prison, hoping she and her legal team can find a way to get them clemency.

We're told Kim's also earned a new nickname within the prison system, as both staffers and inmates refer to her as "The Princess of Prison Reform.' The nickname and letters have some basis in fact ... Kim and her team just helped Cyntoia Brown get clemency in Tennessee after 15 years in prison.

As you know, Kim was instrumental in getting elusive prison reform legislation enacted after her meeting with President Trump. CNN's Van Jones said it squarely ... the law would never have been passed but for Kim K.

In addition to Cyntoia's clemency, Kim also played a key role in freeing 63-year-old grandma Alice Marie Johnson and Matthew Charles ... two prisoners she mentioned to POTUS during their powwow.