Crime

Jonathan Cheban -- AKA the "Foodgod" -- claims he had a gun pointed at him this weekend ... and now, says he's out hundreds of thousands after a crook made off with his bling.

Law enforcement sources tell us, Kim Kardashian's BFF said he was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, where he was hanging with his mom and friend. We're told Jon and his ma were at a mall earlier in the day, and afterward ... rolled up to his pal's place.

We're told all three of them were out front in the driveway, when a young man walked up and asked for the time. Our sources say Jonathan felt something was off and told everyone to head inside, but by then ... we're told the dude pulled out a gun and was on them.

Cheban told cops the perp moved the group between two cars, to trap them ... and then pointed the gun right at Jonathan's mother's head. We're told Jonathan told the guy to take anything he wanted and the guy ended up taking Jon's Richard Mille watch, worth about $250k.

BTW, we're also told a second gunman was on the scene -- a larger man who was standing watch. Eventually, neighbors heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on -- which scared off the guys, whom we're told made off together on foot.

We're told cops were called and Jonathan is supposed to go in and help with a sketch of the suspects -- we should note, our sources say neither of these fellas had masks on.

It's interesting ... Jon's best friend, Kim Kardashian, rarely wears expensive jewelry anymore after she was robbed at gunpoint in Paris.

America might run on Dunkin' -- but one of the chain's employees allegedly runs on hatred for police, 'cause he got busted for spitting into a cop's morning cup o' Joe.

This man here -- 25-year-old Vincent Sessler -- was arrested in Chicago after a state police officer claims he innocently ordered a cup earlier this week from the Dunkin' Donuts where Sessler works ... and upon removing the lid to cool it down down, discovered some fresh phlegm sitting on top.

Police have a much more descriptive way of putting it though -- they say the officer "observed a large, thick piece of mucus which was later confirmed to be saliva" floating inside.

Chi-Town authorities also say that after an investigation was conducted, they arrested Sessler for disorderly conduct, reckless conduct and battery to a peace officer. Someone even posted a photo of the alleged loogie ... it's gross.

A NYC man was so intent on painting over the Black Lives Matter street mural in front of Trump Tower ... not even cops pulling him off the ground was gonna slow him down.

This wild incident went down earlier this week in the Big Apple, right in front of Trump's signature building and residence on 5th Avenue -- where a giant 'BLM' street mural was recently etched and painted right out front. It was vandalized ... again.

The camera starts rolling right in the middle of the action, with the guy in question on his hands and knees ... frantically trying to spread white and red paint over the yellow 'BLM' lettering. He's literally spreading it with his own limbs, and doesn't care who's watching.

Eventually, some NYPD cops roll up and put a stop to it. Even when the responding officer gets right up in his face and tries yanking him up, the guys keeps at it -- smearing every last drop he can. It's insane ... eventually, more cops come and restrain him.

The officers also shoo off the people that are recording, but we get the gist of it. BTW, the guy kicks a paint can as he's being led away ... perhaps as his final act of defiance.

Cops say they arrested Mark David Hutt for criminal mischief and gave him a desk appearance ticket. This marks at least the fourth time the 'BLM' mural has been vandalized since it was painted July 9.

A 69-year-old Trumper grandma turned her grandson in after watching someone throw a bomb into the Portland federal courthouse, recognizing him and then outing him to authorities.

The woman, Karla Fox, says she noticed the alleged bomber was wearing a unique, olive vest with the word "ICONS" emblazoned on it. She saw him throw an object toward the courthouse and almost immediately thereafter there was a huge explosion and flames shot up near the front door.

The woman told the New York Post she immediately connected the dots ... "I bought the vest for him after he found one online after getting hit with rubber bullets the night before at the protest."

She even posted a glowing review of the item on Hibbett, saying, "I got this for my grandson who's a protester downtown, he uses it every night and says it does the job."

Now, get this ... she ID'd her grandson as the alleged bomber on social media, under the handle @trumpsgirl2020.

Her grandson, 18-year-old Gabriel "Rico" Agard-Berryhill, was arrested by Federal marshals and charged with felony arson. He faces years in prison if convicted.

The young man told the Post, "The device I've been accused of allegedly throwing was allegedly given to me by an unknown protester with full face coverings ... I was allegedly told that it was a strobe firework that wouldn't damage the building or harm anyone around it."

As for grandma ... she told the NY Post she didn't know her grandson's politics, which is odd since he was part of the Portland protests.

Harvey Updyke -- the Alabama fan who gained national fame for poisoning the famous oak trees at Auburn in 2010 -- has died ... his son said Thursday.

He was 71 years old.

Bear Updyke added to AL.com his father passed away of natural causes.

Harvey became a part of college football history back in the 2010 season ... when he called into The Paul Finebaum Show and admitted to putting poison on Auburn's beloved Toomer's Corner trees.

"Let me tell you what I did,” Updyke said. "The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Alabama, because I live 30 miles away, and I poisoned the two Toomer’s trees."

"I put Spike 80DF in 'em ... they’re not dead yet, but they definitely will die."

Harvey was eventually tracked down and charged for the act ... and later, in 2013, he pled guilty to felony criminal damage.

Harvey spent time in jail over the crime ... and was ordered to pay nearly $1 million in restitution.

The tree poisoning wove him into the fabric of the Tigers vs. Tide history ... he was prominently featured in ESPN's famous 30 for 30 about the schools' rivalry.

Things have gotten way too personal for TikTok's most-followed personality, and after getting an online threat ... her family's hired round-the-clock security.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Charli D'Amelio got a scare on July 8 when someone posted on social media, claiming they were going to show up at her house.

No one followed through on that threat, apparently, but we're told cops are investigating. The situation alarmed Charli and her fam enough to hire cops to keep an eye on things.

Our sources say the family is paying the OT to have police officers surveil their property for the foreseeable future, because this isn't the first frightening incident they've experienced.

We're told Charli's also been the victim of multiple "swatting" calls, where random people have falsely reported an emergency at her home ... then authorities show up to nothing.

Dana Stubblefield says he plans to fight his rape conviction -- claiming the COVID pandemic ruined his shot at a fair trial and now he plans to appeal.

As we previously reported, the ex-NFL player was found guilty of rape by force, oral copulation by force and false imprisonment stemming from a 2015 incident at his Northern California home.

Officials say Stubblefield had lured the victim to his home under the guise of interviewing for a babysitting job -- and then sexually assaulted her.

The victim -- 31-years-old at the time -- has developmental disabilities, according to prosecutors.

Stubblefield has denied the allegations for years -- and despite the conviction, his attorney Allen Sawyer tells TMZ Sports the former football star will continue to fight.

"He's going to fight to clear his name. He's innocent. He believes in the judicial system," Sawyer says.

"He's not happy where this is right now but he's going to keep fighting."

Currently, Stubblefield is facing 15 years to life in prison. He's due back in court for sentencing later this year.

But, Stubblefield's lawyer tells us the trial was "littered with errors" -- and he expects to win his appeal.

First, Sawyer says the COVID pandemic led to MONTHS of delays -- causing the trial to last nearly 9 months from start to finish.

"Once they halted the jury trial for months, we asked for a mistrial because how the jury supposed to remember evidence from a witness from 7, 8 months ago when they've had a 2 month break and other breaks?"

Sawyer explains ... "They started the trial and then the pandemic hit. We already had a jury, the government got to present a lot of evidence and then they halted the trial for 2 months because of the pandemic."

When the trial restarted, Sawyer says jurors were anxious and distracted by possible COVID exposures which led to more delays.

"Then they started letting witnesses testify remotely, we weren't allowed to sit next to our client. We continually asked for a mistrial because it wasn't a fair environment because of the COVID circumstances."

But, Stubblefield's requests for a mistrial were denied and he was ultimately convicted.

Sawyer says there were several other MAJOR flaws with the way the trial was conducted -- but he'll spell out those gripes in his appeal papers.

50 Cent's doing what he hardly ever does after one of his troll jobs -- he's saying sorry ... and it's none other than to Megan Thee Stallion, who made it clear his jokes were hurtful.

Fitty hopped on the Gram Monday to issue a mea culpa following Meg's tearful video, writing ... "👀Damn I didn’t think this shit was real,🤦‍♂️It sounded so crazy @theestallion i’m glad your feeling better and i hope you can accept my apology. I posted a meme that was floating around. I wouldn’t have done that if i knew you was really hurt sorry. 🤷🏽‍♂️"

The apology comes on the heels of Megan herself going into more detail about the gun incident, which left her with bullets in both her feet and required surgery.

During her IG Live sesh, Meg was fighting back tears as she tried speaking about it ... explaining it was a serious situation, and she didn't appreciate all the jokes and mocking from scores of people on social media in the immediate aftermath.

That includes 50, who put up two different memes making fun of the scenario. One of them portrayed Meg running away from a car as Tory Lanez chased her in a car -- a screengrab from a scene in 'Boyz n the Hood' with Meg and Tory's faces Photoshopped in -- and another showed Tory as MiniMe from 'Austin Powers' holding a gun. Both have been deleted.

Sharon Tate's flesh and blood remains adamantly opposed to the proposed release of one of the Manson Family members ... the Family that slaughtered her sister and unborn child.

Debra Tate is lobbying California Governor Gavin Newsom hard ... asking him to reject the California Parole Board's recommendation to release Leslie Van Houten.

Debra wrote a letter to the Guv -- obtained by TMZ -- laying out all her reasons why the Manson Family murderer should remain behind bars for the rest of her life.

70-year-old Van Houten murdered Rosemary and Leno LaBianca back in 1969, the day after the slaughter at Sharon's house ... and Leslie's just been deemed suitable for release.

Debra doubts Leslie's been rehabilitated and says ... "the danger of letting these people out of prison is ever-present and real. I am scared, not just for myself and other family members who may be targeted, but for society."

Debra's not buying the argument Manson Family members don't pose a risk to society now that they're septuagenarians, saying, "Age is immaterial to psychopathology. There is no cure for the sociopath. The disposition to committing violent crime does not have an expiration date. And criminals do not retire."

For Leslie, it's the fourth time the board has recommended paroling her ... the previous three attempts have been rejected by the State's top leader.

Megan Thee Stallion is ready to talk about her injuries after the shooting she says she endured, but she's still fighting back tears -- and, notably, NOT spilling names ... including Tory Lanez.

Meg talked Monday about suffering injuries to both of her feet. She says she had to get surgery to get the bullets out, and, luckily, no bones or tendons were hit.

The rapper broke down crying a few different times during the stream, saying she wasn't ready to speak on it until now -- adding that it was a serious situation she didn't take lightly, and one her fans (not to mention her family) helped her get through amid tons of attention.

Interestingly enough, Megan did NOT speak about Tory ... who allegedly shot her as she exited the SUV they were riding in together early on July 12.

He was charged with possession of a firearm, but nothing more. Everyone's been pretty mum on who did what -- and even Meg's playing it close to the vest for now. The only thing she says plainly ... she'll be more careful with who she brings into her circle going forward.

As she's previously said ... she's "hurt and traumatized" after the shooting, and our sources say that feeling of being victimized is partly why she won't mention Tory by name. Still, law enforcement sources tell us he is under investigation for an alleged assault with a deadly weapon -- but he has not been charged.

The mini-golf complex that became overwhelmed by hundreds of children wreaking havoc wants the teens caught on camera destroying things to be punished in court.

Police officers were already meeting with Putt-Putt Fun Center management in Memphis Monday when general manager Aaron Bos told us he wants to press charges against the girls in the video seen throwing plexiglass and other large objects.

We're told management is trying to identify the girls, and they already have some promising leads after combing social media. Sounds like some of the alleged perpetrators might have been bragging about the shenanigans.

Management tells us it will cost $300 to replace the damaged plexiglass ... plus smaller repairs for broken flower pots.

The Memphis Police Department tells TMZ ... one juvenile summons was written for a 13-year-old boy for disorderly conduct and they're still investigating others.

As we reported ... a chaotic scene broke out at the mini-golf complex Sunday after parents dropped off hundreds of kids, who proceeded to go HAM when they couldn't get refunds.

Management is concerned some staffers won't return to the job after the incident -- most are teenagers themselves -- and after seeing the video, their parents might think it's not a safe place to work. Putt-Putt says it's bringing in a counselor for employees.

We're told new safety precautions include adding security guards who will be tasked with preventing parents from dropping off kids unattended. A new policy for minors to be accompanied by a guardian will be enforced.

The community is rallying around the biz ... we're told the phones have been ringing off the hook, with folks volunteering to come by and help clean up the mess and mentioning how appalled they are by the behavior seen on video.

A mini-golf complex got flooded with hundreds of kids after a mass parent drop-off, who then started wreaking havoc when they couldn't get their money back ... so say cops, anyway.

This went down Saturday night at the Putt-Putt Fun Center in Memphis, where police officers responded to call for service over reports of chaos breaking out after several different parents left upwards of 300 to 400 children at the facility, who began destroying the joint.

The staff told cops the sheer number of people put them in violation of local COVID-19 regulations, but that was the least of their worries based on this video.

One of the teens ripped up the plexiglass at the front desk and threw it at the workers, and then proceeded to hurl even more objects ... which helped kick off a stampede and more destruction. There was even a firework that was set off -- just pure mayhem, really.

Cops say witnesses told them the girl on video chucking crap was fed up because she couldn't get a refund. People online who say they were there claim some of the Putt-Putt Center's gaming machines were faulty and taking people's money ... without playing time.

It appears when this girl was given the cold shoulder, she just lost it. When cops arrived, they gave her a juvenile summons for disorderly conduct. The staff was left to clean up the mess left behind after everyone left.

A man was shot dead Saturday night during a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin.

The protest was largely peaceful, with cops there monitoring the scene, when a confrontation erupted and 5 gunshots rang out.

Before opening fire, the shooter, who was driving a car, sped at the protesters in an apparent attempt to strike them.

The victim, identified as Garrett Foster, reportedly was protesting, carrying a rifle and approached the shooter's car, and that's when he was struck.

Foster's mother, Sheila, claims her son was pushing his fiancee in a wheelchair before the shooting. She says, "This gentleman got out of his car and started firing shots, and my son was shot three times."

The suspect has been arrested and is in custody. Cops say he's cooperating.

Kelsey Grammer's daughter, Spencer, got cut up by a man who started swinging a knife in NYC -- all because the restaurant she was at was about to close and wouldn't let him in.

Law enforcement sources confirmed the scary incident went down late Friday night at a place called The Black Ant in the East Village -- which was about to close up shop right before midnight as some guy -- whom witnesses described to cops as seemingly drunk -- walked up and demanded entry ... only to be turned away by the staff.

We're told that sent the guy into a rage, because he whipped out a blade and started hacking away in a full-on brawl with guests and employees. During the mayhem, we're told Spencer and a friend of hers were 2 of the victims who got slashed as the man raged.

Our sources say Spencer and her friend were actually among some of the people trying to pry the maniac off people, and as a result they suffered gashes ... Spencer to her arm and the friend to her back. They were taken to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

We're told the man fled by foot and cops are investigating. BTW, in case you're unfamiliar with Spencer -- you probably know her voice ... she plays Summer Smith on 'Rick & Morty.'

Just another crazy day in the time of 'rona -- and it goes to show ... even celebs and their kin can fall victim to the madness. The New York Post broke the story. Get well, Spence.

We are on the brink folks ... the latest is a couple that thought it was a good idea to make their point by going to a Minnesota Walmart wearing masks with Nazi swastikas emblazoned on them ... and thankfully, other shoppers called them out in a big way.

The 59-year-old man and 64-year-old woman say they're not Nazis, but rather they are warning people what will become of America if Joe Biden is elected. So, in other words, telling people to wear a mask in their book is equivalent to genocide ... INSANE.

Well, they got schooled plenty, as shoppers tore into them, calling them un-American.

Cops were called and showed up Saturday, and the officers slapped the couple with a trespass notice, prohibiting them from shopping at Walmart for a year.

In the video, the swastika-wearing duo is confronted by bystanders offended by their use of imagery associated with Nazi iconography employed during WWII.

Marshall PD says they responded to the incident around noon on Saturday, on reports that the couple's masks were causing a disturbance.

As for Walmart, they said ... “What happened today at our store in Marshall, MN is unacceptable. We strive to provide a safe and comfortable shopping environment for all our customers and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment in any aspect of our business."

The statement went on ... "We are asking everyone to wear face coverings when they enter our stores for their safety and the safety of others and it’s unfortunate that some individuals have taken this pandemic as an opportunity to create a distressing situation for customers and associates in our store.”

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were inside their Montecito mansion when it was burglarized, but the thief still managed to get in and out undetected ... so they've turned the place into a fortress.

TMZ broke the story ... the break-in went down on July 4, and now sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell us the couple was home. Luckily, they weren't harmed -- it's unclear if they had any contact with the suspect or suspects, who made off with jewelry.

We're told the point of entry for the burglary was a back door, and no one was captured on surveillance video -- however, Ellen and Portia are making sure that never happens again.

Our sources say they made a slew of security improvements immediately after the break-in -- which include hiring a new security company, installing laser sensors and cameras around the entire property and hiring armed patrol guards.

As we first reported ... Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said the crooks made off with some high-value jewelry and watches, and appear to have targeted Ellen's place due to her celeb status.

It's unclear if the break-in's related to other celeb burglaries in the greater L.A. area. The Sheriff's Office says it's working with other law enforcement agencies to investigate.