Crime

Taylor Swift's properties are a magnet for strange incidents ... the latest ending with a man arrested early Thursday morning after cops say he crashed his car into her NYC building.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man was busted after driving the wrong way down Taylor's street ... then reversing and striking the building and a fire hydrant.

We're told the guy got out of the car and went to the intercom, trying to rip it out of the wall ... mumbling about Taylor. As you see, the intercom wires are sticking out every which way.

Our sources say someone called 911 and when NYPD arrived officers took the man into custody and took him to a nearby hospital ... presumably for psychiatric evaluation. We're told he's facing potential charges for DWI and criminal mischief. Cops say he was drunk.

It's unclear if Taylor was home at the time.

As we reported ... there's been several men arrested at Taylor's homes all over the country ... from Rhode Island to New York to Bev Hills.

Chris Brown allegedly raped a woman on a yacht parked at Diddy's Star Island home ... this according to a new $20 million lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by a Jane Doe who says she's a professional choreographer, dancer, model and musical artist ... and she claims Chris went from being friendly to raping her, in a matter of minutes.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims Chris grabbed the phone of a friend she was FaceTiming and urged her to come to Diddy's home ASAP on Miami's Star Island.

When she arrived there on Dec. 30, 2020, the woman claims Chris approached her and asked her if she wanted a drink, motioning her toward the kitchen area on the yacht.

In the docs, she claims she entered the kitchen with Chris, where he gave her a red cup with a mixed drink and they started talking. After he filled her cup a second time, she claims began to feel "a sudden, unexplained change in consciousness."

According to the suit, the woman claims she also felt "disoriented, physically unstable, and started to fall in and out of sleep" ... and that's when she says Chris led her into a bedroom while she was "drugged" and "half-asleep."

In the docs, the woman claims Chris closed the bedroom door, barring her attempt to leave, removed her bikini bottoms and started kissing her. She says she mumbled for Chris to stop, but he persisted and raped her.

The woman claims Chris ejaculated inside her, jumped up and announced he was "done."

She claims Chris texted her the next day and demanded she take Plan B. Although she was distraught, she claims she did exactly that.

She's suing Chris for $20 million in damages ... claiming the alleged rape is causing her severe emotional distress.

The woman's attorneys, Ariel Mitchell and George Vrabeck, tell us their client did not report the alleged rape to cops at the time because was a medical student and was embarrassed.

Mitchell and Vrabeck also say they're "committed to victims being heard and would urge anyone with information to contact them."

Cardi B shining light on the death of Lauren Smith-Fields helped spur a criminal investigation in Connecticut ... so says the girl's family, who is applauding the singer.

Smith-Fields' family attorney Darnell Crosland tells TMZ ... Cardi was instrumental in getting Lauren's tragic death to become a criminal case, because police launched their investigation only after Cardi spoke out.

As you know ... 23-year-old Lauren died while on a date, back in December, with a man she met on a dating app. The medical examiner announced Monday Lauren died from an accidental drug overdose, which the family questioned ... and as public pressure continued to mount, police finally said Tuesday they were opening a criminal probe.

The family's attorney says Cardi B's Sunday night tweet calling for "Justice for Lauren" -- and accusing Connecticut of failing her -- brought extra attention and made a big impact ... because there's been a ton of progress ever since.

Ryan Lochte is reflecting on the 2016 gas station incident in Brazil that changed his life forever ... saying he was so distraught over it all, he at one point felt like the worst man in the world.

Lochte -- a 12-time Olympic medalist -- joined ex-NFL QB Jay Cutler on his "Uncut" podcast this week ... and the two discussed the infamous incident that landed him in hot water.

"I had rude awakenings," Lochte says, "being where everyone loved me and I was on top of the world, I felt like." "And then in one stupid night ... gone. I was like the worst guy in the world or something at one point."

Remember, Ryan claimed he and other U.S. swimmers had been robbed at gunpoint at a gas station during the world's biggest sporting event.

After looking into Lochte's allegations, Brazilian authorities ultimately charged him with filing a false police report ... but he claims -- aside from one detail -- he was telling the truth.

"They did the investigation," Lochte said. "I didn't do anything wrong. What I said was right. The only thing I fabricated was when the gun was pointed to me, I said it was pointed to my head, but it was like three or four feet away."

The swimmer's lawyer told USA Today Sports a few months ago that the charges against Lochte had been dropped ... after a judge ruled Brazilian prosecutors could not prove their case.

Lochte later returned to the pool after serving a suspension, but failed to qualify for the 2021 Olympics.

"That was very tough," Ryan said. Throughout my whole swimming career and everything I've been through, I never went through depression."

"It was one of the hardest things besides 2016 ... was just waking up and looking myself in the mirror like, 'Damn, I'm a failure.'"

Michael Rapaport was almost speechless Tuesday ... he says he watched a "shopper" shoplift a bag full of items and breeze right past a security guard ... and the actor is just incredulous.

You don't see it in the video, but apparently, Michael saw the man putting items in a bag. It's unclear why Michael's eyes were trained on this guy before the video started, but it does appear the guy beelines it for the exit as a security guard stands there and does nothing.

"I can't believe I'm seeing this s*** ... this f***ing guy just filled his two bags up with everything in Rite Aid, right here on 80th and First Avenue is walking down the street like s***."

Rapaport follows the guy outside the store and continues ... "Looking me in my face like, 'What's good?' My man just went Christmas shopping in January. He had the condoms, the shampoo."

Michael put the video on his social media account and tagged NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who has been extremely vocal about crime in the City.

Apparently, the store didn't file a theft report, at least not yet.

We called the Rite Aid, but no one answered the phone.

There's been an epidemic of brazen store thefts around the country recently ... with smash-and-grabs from coast to coast, creating wars between progressive D.A.'s who aren't filing charges against the thieves and police. The L.A. County Sheriff is at war with the L.A. County D.A. for failing to prosecute some of these smash-and-grab robbers.

Garrett Hedlund is accused of some pretty troubling behavior before being arrested for public intoxication, and some -- including police -- believe he's a danger to himself and others.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the man who called police on Garrett leading up to his Saturday night arrest also told cops the actor tried jumping out of a car earlier in the day.

In the docs, police say the man also told them Garrett had kicked him and swung on him ... although cops note the man did not want to press criminal charges.

TMZ broke the story ... Garrett was arrested for public intoxication late Saturday in Tennessee and eventually released from custody on a $2,100 bond.

In the docs, police say they got a call around 10:30 PM for a disturbance ... with a man claiming Garrett was banging on the rear door of a building.

Cops say Garrett appeared to be intoxicated and reeked of booze, slurred his speech and didn't follow the officers' commands.

Police say Garrett told them he was trying to get some stuff back that he left inside the building. In the docs, cops say their investigation led them to believe Garrett was in fact intoxicated and a danger to himself and others, placing him under arrest for public intoxication and even stating in the report that he had caused "unreasonable annoyance."

Things are looking down for Garrett ... he recently broke up with Emma Roberts, with whom he has one child, and he's also being sued for a car crash he allegedly caused before his January 2020 DUI arrest.

Hugh Hefner had a treasure trove of secret sex tapes that he recorded at the Playboy Mansion, and according to a new documentary, he wouldn't ask his partners for permission.

Yup, in a clip obtained by TMZ ... his former girlfriend, Sondra Theodore, reveals Hef would tape just about everybody, including her. She says she was shocked the first time she saw herself on two screens in the bedroom.

Sondra claims when they invited other women into the bedroom, some would be weirded out by the camera. Sondra says Hef would pretend to stop recording, so the women would feel more comfortable ... but he never actually pressed the stop button.

In a new A&E series titled "Secrets of Playboy," Hef's former butler adds Hef recorded celebs and athletes having sex with other women in his bedroom ... and with these sexual tapes came power.

As we reported, the doc claims Hefner would host "pig night" where he would invite prostitutes to come over to his mansion to have sex with his pals, once a week ... and now, these new claims allege there may have been a collection of these sex acts caught on cam.

We should say ... in California, if Hef videotaped people with whom he had sex without asking for permission to record them, it's a crime.

R. Kelly's former manager, James Mason, agreed to stay away from R. Kelly's girlfriend, her dad and their family for good ... as a result, his terroristic threats case was dismissed.

A spokesperson for the Henry County D.A.'s office, tells TMZ ... the case against Mr. Mason was dismissed last month in exchange for him agreeing to a permanent protective order that prohibits him from having any contact with Kelly's girlfriend, her father, and their family.

In addition, the spokesperson tells us the victim also signed a permanent protective order not to contact Mason.

As we reported, Joycelyn Savage's father told us ... Mason called him back in 2018 and threatened him, saying ... "I'm gonna do harm to you and your family, when I see you I'm gonna get you, I'm going to f***ing kill you."

An arrest warrant was issued for felony terroristic threats and Mason eventually turned himself in. He was released on a $10k bond, and now we've learned the case is a thing of the past.

As you know, Kelly's GF Joycelyn has stuck by his side and adamantly denied she's being held against her will, but her parents believe that is not the case. For years, they say she has been brainwashed and have tried to get her to come home.

O.J. Simpson's post-parole life is starting out in the Sunshine State, it seems, because there's been a Juice sighting in Florida ... and wouldn't you know it, the guy's at a bar!

The disgraced NFL-er caught the Bucs-Rams matchup Sunday at a place called Bo's Pub in Ft. Lauderdale ... where he was taking in the game, and apparently some drinks too. In photos obtained by TMZ, you see O.J. chillin' near a group of folks and having a good time.

We're told O.J. appeared to be with these people -- so he wasn't just randomly there lone-wolfing it. And, per usual, he was getting recognized and approached for photos and the like ... which eyewitnesses say he was happy to accommodate.

It actually looks like a young group of ladies might've been ooh-ing and ah-ing over O.J. as well -- as one pic shows them near his crew, and O.J. not too far with a big grin on his face.

No shock here that O.J.'s keeping up with football -- we know he likes to comment on the state of the game and standout moments during the season ... including Antonio Brown's ungraceful exit from the Buccaneers franchise.

So yea, the fact he's peeping a big game in public might not be too much of a news flash.

What is interesting, however, is the fact that this seems to be one of the first public outings O.J.'s had since being released early from his parole in Nevada -- where he's been confined for the better part of 5  years now ... following his release from prison in 2017.

The man allegedly responsible for the stabbing death of UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer has officially been charged with murder.

The L.A. County District Attorney's office announced the murder charge against Shawn Laval Smith Friday, along with a special allegation that he used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a knife.

As the charges were announced, D.A George Gascon said, "Those who show no compassion for human life will face serious consequences. The murder of Brianna Kupfer has left Los Angeles County devastated and my office is reaching out to her family to provide any services they may need.”

TMZ broke the story ... Laval was arrested Wednesday in Pasadena after a city-wide search following Brianna's murder. Laval allegedly walked into the Hancock Park furniture store where Kupfer was working on January 13 and stabbed her to death.

Cops were quick to put out photos and surveillance of Smith -- taken at a 7-Eleven store shortly after the murder -- urging the city to help track him down.

We obtained video of Smith's arrest from Wednesday, we're told a man called police after believing he spotted Smith walking the streets ... turns out, he was right.

Garrett Hedlund is still being haunted by his 2020 DUI bust ... because now he's facing a lawsuit from a family that claims he crashed into their car before being arrested.

According to a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the family members -- a mother and her 3 children -- claim they were riding in a Nissan Sentra when Garrett passed out drunk behind the wheel of his Jeep, ran a red light and slammed into them.

In the docs, the family claims the "Troy" actor was driving at a high rate of speed and was over twice the legal limit for alcohol at the time of the crash. They also claim he tried to flee the scene after the accident and didn't call an ambulance for them.

The mom says she and her 3 children were eventually transported to different hospitals after sustaining injuries in the Jan. 24, 2020 crash.

Garrett was arrested for DUI that same night and court records show he pled no contest to a DUI charge in Feb. 2020, and was sentenced to 3 years probation.

The family is suing Garrett for damages.

Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay will play in K.C.'s huge playoff game against the Buffalo Bills despite being arrested this week ... Andy Reid just announced.

The Chiefs' head coach told media members that Gay practiced on Friday ... and will suit up for the team on Sunday even though he was just in a Kansas jail cell less than 24 hours ago.

As for why, Reid said, "I decided he'd play. I'm not going to get into conversations. But I decided that after just hearing some of the information there."

As we reported, Gay was arrested just before midnight on Wednesday ... after he was accused of breaking a vacuum and other items during an argument with the mother of his child in Overland Park.

Gay was hit with a charge of misdemeanor criminal damage ... though he pled not guilty in court hours later -- and was eventually released.

Gay's rep, Maxx Lepselter, said in a statement just before his release from custody that he expected a quick resolution to the case.

"Likely just pays a fine and replaces vacuum," Lepselter said. "Nothing more, all should be resolved today with no further issues."

Malik McDowell's high school football coach says the NFL player told him he "doesn't remember" a single thing from his naked altercation with cops on Monday.

"He said he doesn't remember anything," Reggie Wynns told cleveland.com on Wednesday, just hours after McDowell was released from jail.

"He doesn't remember nothing."

Wynns, who coached McDowell at Southfield H.S. in Michigan and later went on to be a mentor for the football player, said he spoke with McDowell shortly after he was arrested following the incident with officers in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Wynns said in their conversation, McDowell got "so emotional" over the arrest.

"I don't know if someone laced him or what," Wynns said. "I don't know. That's not him at all. All I'm hoping is that when they test him, they figure out that he had been drugged."

As we reported, shortly after a trip to the gym on Monday morning, McDowell stripped down at his hotel and roamed the streets near a children's learning center completely naked.

Video from the scene, shot by a bystander, shows when the 25-year-old was confronted by cops, he charged at one of them and appeared to throw punches.

Cops say they eventually tasered McDowell and arrested him ... and later booked him on three charges.

McDowell, who started 14 games for the Cleveland Browns this season without incident, has yet to publicly comment on the situation.

Farrah Abraham is apparently gearing up for a lawsuit against the venue whose guards made her eat dirt — but at the same time, her alleged victim is also showing off what she says are licks she claims Farrah inflicted.

The "Teen Mom" star's attorney, Kia Feyzjou, tells TMZ that she and their team are, at the very least, exploring a civil suit surrounding the events from last weekend ... which ended with Farrah arrested for battery. The reason, we're told, is because Farrah and co. believe she was wrongfully placed under citizen's arrest in the first place by the lounge's staff.

Feyzjou says that the initial citizen's arrest was unlawful so the real cops shouldn't have taken her into custody.

Not just that, but Feyzjou says the venue's security guards who had her pinned to the ground used excessive force in restraining her ... allegedly leaving Farrah in a lot of pain and distress after the fact. That's something else Feyzjou thinks might give her client grounds for a lawsuit.

Farrah, of course, has already spoken her piece in this ... insisting she was unfairly singled out and mistreated.

On the flip side, the security guard whom Farrah is alleged to have hit that night is also speaking out ... sticking to her story that Farrah, indeed, did strike her -- and posting photo evidence she says backs up her claim.

The woman, Megan Armstrong, has thrown up a few different posts on Instagram to air her grievances against Farrah, and the one photo she has of her mug appears to show her rocking a shiner.

A completely nude Malik McDowell aggressively charged at an officer before he was arrested on Monday ... hitting the cop with full force -- new video shows.

The clip, recorded by a bystander who was just feet from the altercation in Deerfield Beach, FL, shows McDowell was extremely aggressive before he was taken into custody.

You can see McDowell -- a 6-foot-6, 290-pound Cleveland Browns defensive lineman -- sprinted at full speed toward the officer, eventually making contact with the man's chest.

McDowell then appeared to throw punches at the cop ... before shoving him through a bush. McDowell then seemed to take off.

As we reported, officers in police docs say they eventually used a taser to subdue McDowell -- before arresting him.

Cops tell TMZ Sports McDowell was then taken to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation before he was ultimately booked into jail on three charges.

Danny Cooksey's ex-wife claims he's gone off the rails again — but this time, she's alleging a beating that actually required a judge to step in.

Amber Cooksey filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order against her "Diff'rent Strokes" ex ... because she claims the guy thrashed her on NYE ... and in front of their young son, no less.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Amber says Danny came over to her house on the holiday to be with their boy ... but his presence quickly became unwelcome, Amber says, because he allegedly started boozing and turning aggressive.

Amber claims she repeatedly asked him to leave, to no avail. She claims he hurled insults at her and "grabbed [her] breasts and crotch violently." She says she was terrified and tried to escape but claims Danny grabbed her by the neck and choked her until she passed out and he then stomped on her.

Amber says cops came the next day. In the meantime, she says she fears for her safety and needs court-ordered protection. The court agreed, giving her the TRO until a hearing later next month.

Keep in mind ... this isn't the first time Amber has asked for help with Danny — she got a restraining order against him in 2019, when they were in the thick of their divorce.