Crime

Snitching is in when it comes to social distancing anyway -- people have been blowing the whistle on violators, and now police everywhere are cracking down.

Cops across the country tell TMZ ... they've been flooded with complaints about large gatherings where people are clearly defying coronavirus safety precautions. How flooded? An NYPD spokesman says, "Cops have visited tens of thousands of locations on their social distancing patrols & also have responded to thousands of 311 calls.”

We're also told from March 17 through April 8, they arrested 13 people and issued 61 tickets. Keep in mind, Gov. Cuomo's given the green light to $1,000 fines for violations, so ... it's no cheap ticket.

We're told the folks who were arrested showed reckless disregard for social distancing and refused to listen to police orders. Despite the crowds in Central Park last weekend ... cops say the majority of NYers are following the rules, or quickly adhering when officers remind them to maintain the 6-foot spacing.

There have been NO arrests or tickets in L.A. County as of last weekend ... but our law enforcement sources tell us the City Attorney is reviewing 37 cases of alleged social-distancing violations. So, there could be citations coming.

We're told cops in L.A. are trying to avoid hitting people with expensive tickets right now because people are outta work and struggling during the pandemic. Much like NY, we're told L.A. cops are mostly seeing people follow orders when told to disperse.

Appropriately, Chicago falls in the middle of L.A. and the Big Apple. CPD spokesperson Maggie Huynh says they made 3 arrests and issued 11 citations related to social distancing last week -- but also had to disperse gatherings more than 1,500 times.

Sounds like Miami, at least, is recovering from Florida's spring break madness because Miami-Dade PD says they've made one arrest, but not for social distancing. We're told it was a boater anchored in an area restricted due to pandemic closures.

There's equally good news in New Orleans -- a COVID-19 hot zone -- where NOPD says they've issued a "minimal" number of citations since March 20.

While the crowds seem downright dangerous from the standpoint of spreading the virus, by and large, these scenes are limited in scope ... at least according to law enforcement, they're limited events.

Jussie Smollett's reacting to a dangerous byproduct of the nearly nationwide quarantine -- a spike in domestic violence -- by supporting a group he says is very dear to him.

The ex-"Empire" star says, sadly, safe-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have created unsafe domestic situations for many vulnerable women and children. We're told Jussie got word from a friend the Jenesse Center -- which aids victims of domestic violence -- had an influx of new emergency cases in recent weeks.

So, Jussie's now lending his support to the org, and encouraging others to do the same. We're told he's already donated money for welcome bags handed out to new families at the shelter.

He's also shouting out the Black AIDS Institute for its efforts to care for anyone who needs medical care right now and vows to keep supporting COVID-19 relief causes as well.

As we reported ... Smollett broke his social media silence a couple weeks back after 9 months of not posting anything and said he's looking to move on from the alleged racist attack in Chicago back in January 2019.

Of course, that's gonna be difficult with his pending criminal trial after getting recharged for allegedly lying to police about the attack.

It's come to this ... cops stepped into a house divided, where a mother and son fought over toilet paper -- specifically, due to hiding and over-wiping.

L.A. County Sheriff's deputies busted 26-year-old Adrian Yan around 3 AM -- always a bad sign -- for punching his mother. Why? He claims he discovered his mom was hoarding TP.

Yan's mom told cops, her own flesh and blood decked her over the clandestine stockpile -- we're guessing he was pretty desperate for a square or 5. Yan was arrested for battery.

Interestingly, cops say his mother didn't even deny stashing the TP, and say she told them her kid uses too much. In short, he's allegedly a classic over-wiper.

Mom refused medical treatment at the scene, so the punch couldn't have been too bad -- but it's still a cautionary tale as we're all supposed to be "safer" at home.

There's a federal prison preparing for mass coronavirus casualties ... at least according to an inmate who risked posting video from his cell to expose how the virus is wreaking havoc on in the inside.

The inmate never identifies himself, but said he was using a contraband burner phone to go on social media ... just feet away from his cellmate who he claims has COVID-19 and is struggling to breathe.

He says inmates in the unnamed prison are getting infected by dozens, and some have already died -- he claims to have witnessed guards taking victims out on stretchers, and that the prison had a tent set up to line up the bodies.

The inmate was wearing a mask, and so was his cellmate who allegedly has COVID-19 ... and definitely seems to be very ill. The cellmate told him not to call guards for help because they won't do a damn thing.

The guy with the phone says he's set to get out in a year, but he was still willing to risk going live and showing his face because the situation was too dire not to expose it. As for where he was -- he makes a reference to the feds and to Cuomo ... so, he could be at a federal prison in NY state.

Then again, he could be talking about Chris Cuomo, because he also referenced CNN.

The guy knows his current events though, because he mentions "compassionate release" ... when judges sign off on early releases for prisoners who are non-violent, aging, or in an at-risk group.

Remember, that's how Tekashi 6ix9ine got out early.

This is a terrifying scene for every store clerk these days -- a woman coughing and spitting in rage while checking out at a California Walmart!!!

The crazy altercation went down in Yreka, CA when the woman got into a spat over her bill while she was at the register this past week. Apparently, she felt she was overcharged and wanted to glance at the screen, but the Walmart worker told her to back up. That's when the spit started hitting the fan.

A manager walked over and tried to calm her down, but the woman spun into a full-blown meltdown ... suddenly beginning to cough and SPIT on a Walmart staffer ... who immediately dialed 9-1-1.

If you thought that was crazy, just watch the cringe-worthy aftermath of her trying to explain why she did what she did. Spoiler ... it's got something to do with a crackpot theory about dispelling phlegm, to get rid of the virus. She also brought up "dumb blondes."

Steakhouses, retailers and luxury garment shops are terrified of looters, and one industry is benefitting from their fears ... the board-up business.

A handful of board-up companies tell us they've been hammering and nailing shops from the Embarcadero in San Francisco to Chicago's Michigan Ave.

Most of the companies we spoke with say they were hired to do hazard cleanups, like crime scenes, in the past ... but can now make upward of $5k a pop just for boarding up a single store or restaurant front.

We're told they've been slammed with rush orders ever since the end of March when stay-at-home edicts went into effect most place. Some clients even include residential townhouses in NYC, iconic restaurant Smith & Wollensky and shi-shi stores like Versace and Jimmy Choo.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has the coronavirus to thank for an even earlier prison release than expected -- the judge just signed off on his request to get out to avoid infection from the coronavirus.

The judge agreed Thursday the rapper should be granted a compassionate release, effective immediately, from the NY facility where he's been held. Instead of serving the rest of his 2-year sentence behind bars ... he'll do it at home.

Tekashi will be on supervised release. During his first 4 months of home incarceration, he'll have a GPS monitor and must remain at an address approved by his probation officer. According to the judge's order, he can only leave if he needs to seek necessary medical treatment or visit his attorney -- and he must get pre-approval from the probation department.

If, for any reason, the GPS monitoring is not available or malfunctioning ... Tekashi must have a daily videoconference with his probation officer. So, he'll be like most of us ... suddenly using Zoom, Skype or FaceTime to stay connected.

Tekashi's lawyers, Lance Lazzaro and Dawn Florio, were going back and forth filing motions to gain his release. At first, Judge Engelmayer denied 6ix9ine's request because he said he didn't technically have the power to release him.

He directed the team to file a request with the Bureau of Prisons and said they were the ones who could bust him out early ... but then that department said they couldn't help him because Tekashi was in a private facility under the watch of the U.S. Marshals Service, instead of a BOP facility.

As a result, the ball was back in Judge Engelmayer's court, and hizzoner just handed down the order releasing Tekashi to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.

BTW ... prosecutors said they had no objection to the compassionate release so long as the judge found there were indeed "extraordinary and compelling reasons" due to his medical conditions that'd place him at high risk during the outbreak. Yep, he did.

You'll recall ... Tekashi was supposed to be getting out later this summer after his conviction on racketeering charges last year. But, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak -- and preexisting conditions, he claims he is potentially high-risk in a prison setting -- 6ix9ine took the opportunity to ask to be sent home even earlier.

Amazon's got a problem with drivers leaving bodily fluids behind along with the packages they're delivering.

The latest outrageous footage comes from Maryland, where a Ring camera caught a driver peeing on a homeowner's lawn, driveway and sidewalk last weekend as he stood outside his cargo van.

We're told the reason for the driver's outdoor urination was he locked himself out of his van, and apparently couldn't hold it any longer.

As you can see ... the driver looks around -- seemingly to make sure the coast is clear -- before deciding to take a leak right then and there.

The full Ring footage shows the delivery guy dropped off a package, but when he got back to his van he realized he had locked himself out ... so he had to call for help.

Unfortunately, nature also called while he waited ... and he couldn't hold it. Now, in this guy's defense ... in the middle of this pandemic, homeowners might, understandably, be less likely to let him in their home to use the bathroom. Likewise, using a public restroom -- if he could get to one -- seems like risky business.

We're told the homeowner has not contacted Amazon yet about the man peeing on his property.

The Florida pastor who got hauled in by cops for hosting a megachurch service despite quarantine and stay-at-home orders is doubling down ... insisting he did NOTHING wrong.

The Tampa-area minister is Rodney Howard-Browne, and he took to his own podcast/telecast shortly after being released Monday night to explain why he did what he did -- namely, put hundreds of people's lives at risk by hosting the service.

RHB has a lot to say, but the gist is that he was simply exercising his First Amendment right -- i.e., freedom of religion and separation of church and state. His logic is bizarre. Watch.

There's more though ... Rodney goes IN on the media, sounding very Trump-like by suggesting a lot of outlets are hyping the threat of coronavirus and fear-mongering to get everyone scared and panicked. BTW ... more than 800 people in the U.S. died Tuesday.

One interesting note ... it sounds like Rodney here thinks the charges he was brought in on -- which he incorrectly calls First Amendment violations -- will be resolved shortly.

He says he's willing to do interviews, but only once his lawyers and theirs (the county/state's) have a chat and put this matter to bed. He also talks TMZ a bit. 👀

One last thing ... the guy shows ZERO remorse for his actions, insisting he had no choice. Wrong again, Rod -- but go ahead and tell us why you think that is. We're listening ...