Crime

No Monday blues for Blac Youngsta ... he's celebrating all charges against him getting dropped in the Young Dolph shooting case.

According to the Charlotte District Attorney's Office ... the 6 felony counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property and 1 count of conspiracy were dropped because there's zero evidence Youngsta was driving the car that pulled up and shot Dolph's SUV in February 2017.

What's more ... the D.A. says BY told them he had a rock-solid alibi ... placing him in Durham, NC at the time of the shooting. The D.A. also says he was not ID'd by any witnesses and "there is no scientific evidence linking him" to the shooting.

You'll recall Young Dolph accused Youngsta of blasting more than 100 rounds into the SUV. At the time, Dolph said he thought Youngsta was targeting him in a jealous rage. Nobody was injured from the shooting ... mostly because Dolph spent $300k to bulletproof his SUV.

Youngsta and another man ultimately surrendered to authorities 3 months after the shooting. But, that's now all a thing of the past.

BY's attorney, Robert Corbett, tells TMZ ... "We provided an affirmative defense that proved that [Blac Youngsta] was not involved. We're thankful for the patience of our client in allowing this to work its way through the criminal justice system and to the District Attorney's Office in properly analyzing all of the evidence."

Jussie Smollett won't be the only "Empire" actor who'll soon be out of a job -- 'cause the next season is going to be the show's last ... and the chances of him coming back for it continue to be slim.

FOX announced early Monday morning in its Upfront conference call that the network was canceling "Empire" after season 6, which will air next year. FOX Entertainment honcho Charlie Collier said they were turning the final season into a "large TV event" in an attempt to go out with "guns blazing."

When he was specifically asked about Jussie possibly coming back, Collier stuck to FOX's talking points from last month -- when it first announced the show's renewal -- saying there's an option to have Jussie return to the series, but there's no plans for it as of now.

As we reported ... FOX negotiated an extension to renew Jussie's option for season 6, but said they weren't planning on writing him back into the show. They essentially tied up his character's storyline with a wedding this past season, and had him sail off into the sunset.

Remember, Jussie is still in hot legal water with the City of Chicago ... which sued him for staging the "attack" and costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources.

Based on the network's language, it sounds like they're waiting to see how that whole thing shakes out first before getting Jussie back on board for one last round. Until then though, he's out.

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

David Eason is quickly learning when it rains it pours ... 'cause in the wake of an animal cruelty investigation and child support case, TMZ's learned there's a looming court date over a stunt he pulled last year.

First, a little backstory ... Jenelle Evans' dangerous spouse got in hot water last December after the ex-"Teen Mom 2" star illegally towed a man's truck. The incident actually went down in June 2018 but, amazingly, cops weren't made aware until Eason uploaded a video of the incident on his YouTube page ... on Jenelle's 27th birthday, no less.

Eason captioned the video, "Learn the right way to deal with a$$holes who think it's cool to block you in a parking space." In the video, you hear Jenelle in the background laughing and egging him on.

The truck owner ultimately pressed charges, and Eason was charged with tampering with a vehicle and injury to personal property. He's due back in New Hanover County, North Carolina court June 3.

It's just the latest controversy that's practically forced Eason to have his lawyer on speed dial. As we reported ... the Columbus County Sheriff and Animal Control have launched a joint investigation into allegations of animal cruelty against him for shooting their family dog to death.

2:45 PM PT -- The Aventura Police Department -- which is a stone's throw away from Sunny Isles, where NBA YoungBoy was reportedly shot at -- tells TMZ ... another shooting happened in their jurisdiction, and investigators are looking to see if it might be related to what went down at the Trump Beach Resort.

NBA YoungBoy and his crew were reportedly on the receiving end of bullets on Mother's Day outside the Trump Beach Resort near Miami ... and at least one person was killed.

Shots rang out Sunday near the beachside hotel, where YB and his entourage were later identified as being on the scene. It's unclear at this point what NBA YoungBoy's exact involvement might've been -- but multiple eyewitnesses say someone opened fire on him.

We got video of the immediate aftermath, and it looks like a frenzied scene as people rush to attend to the alleged victims. We're told the prominent black vehicle seen here had NBA YoungBoy and co. inside. Our sources also say YoungBoy was staying at the Trump resort.

Lots of folks are reporting that YoungBoy was NOT shot himself, but many others suggest his girlfriend, Kay Marie, was injured with a gunshot wound. The only thing cops are saying at this point is that one person was left dead in the shootout -- we're working on getting more.

Other reports suggest that YoungBoy's security gunned down the alleged shooter. It's unclear if that's actually the case, but somebody was definitely taken away in a stretcher. It looks like YoungBoy was left standing on his own two feet by the end of it.

Crazy enough ... YoungBoy's in town to perform at Rolling Loud Sunday night. No word on if he'll take the stage at this point, we'll keep ya posted.

Lil Wayne bailed on Rolling Loud after festival security insisted on frisking him.

Wayne was set to headline the Audiomack Stage in Miami but pulled the plug after security was unrelenting, insisting that he go through a "mandatory" security check.

Wayne reached out to fans on social media, apologizing, but standing firm ... "I do not and will not ever settle for being policed to do my job."

He then told the fans they could still see him ... at the scheduled afterparty at STORY nightclub. We know he showed up for the party.

He also plugged his summer tour with Blink 182.

It was a pretty wild night. Kodak Black was arrested earlier in the evening at Rolling Loud after law enforcement executed arrest warrants ... the rapper was wanted for state and federal offenses involving firearms. It's unclear if he was armed at the time of his arrest.

The show continued after Lil Wayne bailed ... Lil Baby performed after Wayne's scheduled set and it doesn't appear people in the audience bailed on the festival.

Kodak Black was grabbed by cops backstage at a popular Miami music festival before his scheduled performance ... and it's all because of warrants stemming back to firearms charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the rapper pulled up at Rolling Loud Saturday -- where he was to take the stage -- and both local and federal agents were waiting. We're told officers from Miami Dade and ATF were armed with both state and federal warrants.

Kodak was arrested on the spot and hauled off to the police station.

Our sources say all of the warrants he was arrested on were firearm related.

It's currently unclear if Kodak was armed at the time of his arrest.

"Chrisley Knows Best" star Todd Chrisley's oldest son was picked up by cops in Oklahoma on drug charges -- which led them to find he was also wanted in another state for allegedly threatening to kill his wife.

Kyle Chrisley was arrested last week and booked into Okmulgee County Jail for felony possession of methamphetamine, and was also held on an open warrant for his arrest out of Dekalb County, Georgia. It's unclear if Kyle was still behind bars as of Saturday -- the jail wouldn't confirm with us one way or another.

Regarding the allegations coming out of Georgia -- his estranged wife, Alexus Chrisley, told authorities there that Kyle made death threats against her back in January of this year.

According to the affidavit, obtained by TMZ, Alexus claimed that Kyle had threatened to kill her in a text message exchange, in which he allegedly wrote, "[N]ot before I end you. Im going to the streets I will get my s**t and take care of this problem with you because if I'm not with you nobody will be. Bye Alexus."

Per the docs, Alexus responded, "thats a threat to my life" to which he allegedly answered, "yes :Lexi it was. Goodbye." Police cited other text messages provided by Alexus which allegedly show Kyle pointing a weapon at his head, as well as drug usage.

A judge signed off on the warrant to bring him in around mid-January. Kyle shares a young daughter, Chloe, with a previous girlfriend of his, Angela Johnson, who appeared on his father's hit reality show. Kyle appeared on the USA series for only one season.

Speaking of his dad, Kyle has had a rocky relationship with Todd since at least 2014, when he publicly accused him of using Chloe for diversity ratings -- she's half black.

We got Todd around that time, and he openly told us that Kyle would undergo weekly drug testing, calling it a "necessity."

Todd has also said that Kyle suffers from bipolar disorder, and would continue to grapple with that for the rest of his life.

Cardi B and Offset don't seem too concerned about alleged attempts on his life out in Georgia -- there's too much $$$ to be made in the state next door ... and they're gettin' it.

The married couple spread out and took the city of Miami by storm in the wee hours of Saturday morning following their performances at the nearby Rolling Loud Festival, where Offset and the rest of Migos headlined ... and Cardi handled her own set solo.

Cardi hit up David Grutman's LIV nightclub to perform at an after-party she'd been booked for, showing up around 3:30 AM, we're told, and going on to rap a number of her hit songs, including "Taki Taki," "Money," Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It."

Check out her outfit of choice too -- looks like she's on a sheer neon trip lately. No complaints here!!!

Meanwhile ... Offset, Quavo and Takeoff were on the mainland at E11EVEN Miami, where they too were hired to perform ... only doing it from the cozy confines of their VIP section. Sources tell us Offset and co. did a few different songs from their actual table in the club's "party pit," and ended up walking out of the joint around 5:30 AM ET.

The all-nighters follow a very scary situation just a couple of days prior -- a car was seen opening fire on an Atlanta studio where Offset was recording Wednesday.

In surveillance footage, obtained by TMZ, you can see someone hanging out the passenger side of the car as shots ring out. Offset wasn't harmed, and cops are currently investigating. One witness on the scene felt as though the rapper might've been a target.

One day after Dennis Rodman and his friends allegedly shoplifted from a Newport Beach yoga shop, the crew RETURNED to the business ... and allegedly stole MORE clothing!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the owner of VIBES Hot Yoga who tells us Rodman and his pals came back to his yoga studio on May 8 ... with Rodman's female pal WEARING one of the outfits she stole the day before.

The owner tells us ... the staffer working the register on May 8 thought Rodman's behavior was bizarre -- he was gyrating and hip-thrusting at the counter.

Once staffers went through the surveillance footage, they noticed Rodman and his friends left with more clothing ... and we're told nobody paid a cent.

The owner is also adamant NOBODY on his staff told Rodman and his crew they could take items as "gifts" ... as Rodman claimed when TMZ Sports spoke with him Thursday evening.

As we previously reported, Rodman and his pals first appeared at the yoga shop on May 7 -- where cameras caught DR's female friend taking clothing off the rack and stuffing it into her purse.

One of Dennis' pals also dropped a $2,500 crystal in the store -- which they placed on a dolly and wheeled out of the store. The owner insists nobody paid for the crystal.

A rep for the Newport Beach PD previously told us they're investigating. So far, no arrests have been made.

As for Rodman, he told us Thursday night (May 9) that he didn't "steal sh*t."

Founding member of The Fugees, Pras Michel, is in serious legal trouble with the feds for allegedly funneling millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions.

Federal prosecutors in D.C. slapped the rapper with a 4-count indictment Friday ... claiming he and infamous Malaysian businessman Jho Low conspired to funnel funds from foreign accounts to make political contribution in the U.S. ... reportedly for President Obama.

Although the indictment doesn't mention Obama by name ... it says Pras made the donations for a Presidential candidate in the 2012 election, and specifies dates on which Pras posed for pics with that candidate. According to multiple reports, the candidate was Obama.

Pras has posted pics with Obama ... although it's unclear the date they were taken.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Low would send the money to Pras ... who would then recruit friends -- or "straw donors" -- and then divvy up the funds between them ... so they could make smaller donations to political action committees. The feds believe the smaller donations were made to disguise the source of the money ... namely Jho Low, who's also been indicted.

It's illegal for all foreign entities -- not only Russia -- to use money to influence U.S. elections.

As we reported, the feds had filed a civil lawsuit last year against Low, and although Pras' alleged involvement was mentioned in that suit ... he was not a defendant. He told us he was innocent.

Fast forward to Friday ... and Pras is staring down possible prison time. The indictment charges him with conspiracy, false statement and 2 counts of false entry in record.

2:40 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Young Thug tells us he "did not get shot at ... somebody took a shot at the car DJ Keyz was in. He is fine. It was a minor injury and not serious. Young Thug was long gone and not involved."

Young Thug's car and 2 party buses filled with his team were targeted in a hail of bullets early Friday morning in Miami, according to multiple witnesses ... and 3 people were injured.

Witnesses tell TMZ ... Thug was riding in a Ferrari alongside the 2 buses on I-95 around 6 AM when someone pulled up next to them and opened fire. Law enforcement sources say 2 men and a woman who were on the buses were taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

Young Thug was not hit. While the witnesses say the rapper was on the scene when the bullets flew ... sources close to him say he had left the party an hour earlier.

It appears the whole group was on the way to the Miami Beach Hotel before the shooting went down. Young Thug had performed at LIV Nightclub Thursday night. He's scheduled to perform again Saturday at the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami.

Cops are investigating the shooting.

This is the second time this week a famous rapper's been targeted. As we first reported ... Offset escaped a shooting Wednesday night in Atlanta.

12:32 PM PT -- Darden just joined us on "TMZ Live" where he further explained his reason to back off of the case. He also said that while he's got a lot of haters ... his supporters really show out to help him as well. Darden hopes the same attention that people put into intimidating him off of the case will be used to stop violence in the streets.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer is going to need a new lawyer -- Christopher Darden is quitting the case ... and it sounds like a wave of death threats to him and his family were just too much.

Darden says he's filed a motion to withdraw as Eric Holder's defense attorney. Holder happens to have a hearing scheduled for Friday in L.A. Superior Court, and Darden says it's the last time he will appear in court on the case.

Darden, who famously prosecuted O.J. Simpson in his double murder trial, says he's received death threats since taking Holder's case -- and the flood of hatred reminded him of the O.J. case. As he put it, "Just as they were in 1995-Cowards never change. These days these cowards don’t send letters instead they sit anonymously behind keyboards threatening a man’s mother and children."

Darden hinted he might reveal more in the future about exactly why he's bailing on Holder -- aka "Shitty Cuz" -- but made it clear to his haters that he won't forget ... "To those who issued those threats to my children please pay close attention so there is no misunderstanding. Later. F**K YOU!"

Truth is, Darden's been mercilessly berated ever since agreeing to defend the man accused of killing someone as beloved as Nipsey. One threatening tweet said, "Remember it was written in the book of life that the children shalt suffer from what the parents do."

But, Darden wants to make the point that under the Constitution, EVERYONE deserves a defense in court. He says, "After centuries of a history of black men hung from trees without trial, or after the thousands of cases of black men tried, convicted and executed without counsel ... I cannot understand why in 2019 some people would deny a black man his 6th Amendment right to counsel of his choice."

R. Kelly's ongoing criminal case and assortment of legal issues aren't stopping him from getting action ... at least according to several callers who want it to be known.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... the hotline Kim Foxx set up in January for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office -- so alleged Kelly victims could report their claims -- is being exploited by folks who want to report something else -- their sexual experiences with him.

We're told the hotline has gotten dozens of calls from mostly women, who phone in to inform prosecutors they slept with Kelly ... with some bragging about it or detailing multiple trysts.

Our sources say some men called in as well ... to gossip about women they know that allegedly banged Kelly.

We're told the volume of calls coming in from people with R. Kelly sex stories has been staggering to some involved with the case, but at the end of the day ... they are irrelevant.

Obviously, a person can have lots of consensual sex and still be guilty of sexual assault charges. Still, it's just another strange and unexpected aspect of Kelly's ongoing legal drama.

As we reported ... he just avoided another trip to jail by ponying up the back child support he owed his ex-wife Wednesday, and he's getting a do-over in a sexual abuse lawsuit he initially lost by not responding.

Of course, all of this is going down as he waits to stand trial on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving underage girls.

6:58 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call placed by Smith's wife from the school ... and she says Zach was irate -- "yelling" at the principal until cops arrived.

More trouble for former Ohio State coach Zach Smith ... cops say they arrested Urban Meyer's ex-assistant after he got into an altercation with officials at his children's elementary school Thursday.

The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirms to TMZ Sports that Smith showed up to Scioto Ridge Elementary School in Ohio to pick up his kids at around 3 PM.

The problem? They say because of a civil protection order with his wife -- who was already at the school -- Smith was NOT allowed to be there until 6 PM.

When school officials confronted Zach ... cops say an altercation took place -- and Zach was eventually arrested for violating the protection order.

Per jail records, Smith was booked at 6:24 PM and has not been released yet.

As we previously reported ... it's been a nightmare past year for Smith -- who was fired from his role as Buckeyes' receivers coach last summer when he was the centerpiece of a domestic violence scandal involving his wife, Courtney.

She accused him of abusing her on several occasions ... and while Zach denied ever getting violent, he admitted things had gotten physical during heated disputes in the past.

The 35-year-old has been out of coaching since his Ohio State departure in July.

T-minus 4 days until Anthony Weiner is back on these streets.

The disgraced ex-Congressman will finally complete his stay at a halfway house on May 14, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As we first reported back in February ... Weiner got out of prison, but was not yet a free man. He was transferred to a residential re-entry center in NYC.

Once he's officially out, he'll be under supervised release for 3 years and he'll have to submit to DNA testing with his probation officer. He also must register as a sex offender and pay a $10k fine.

As we've reported ... Weiner started serving his 21-month prison sentence in November 2017 after pleading guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He was initially supposed to get out in August 2019, but good behavior slashed his sentence 3 months to May 14.

As you know by now ... Weiner resigned from Congress after his sexting scandal in 2011. His NYC mayoral run fell short in 2013 after it was uncovered he was sexting Sydney Leathers under the infamous alias, "Carlos Danger."