Crime

This photo shows how scary it must have been for Dave Chappelle Tuesday night at the Hollywood Bowl, because the gun/knife that was thrust toward him looked like it could have fatal consequences.

The knife is affixed to the barrel of the gun, like a bayonet. As we reported, the gun was a replica but the knife is real ... real deadly if the attacker had actually used it when he jumped on stage and lunged at Dave, slamming him to the ground.

The big question ... how on earth did the 23-year-old assailant get the gun/knife past the metal detector? Our LAPD sources say there was one entrance area where the metal detector could be circumvented. That itself is a HUGE problem.

As you know, a bunch of people, including Jamie Foxx and Busta Rhymes, pounded on the guy ... who was injured and taken to the hospital. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Dave continued his show and was uninjured, but he was clearly shaken up.

The moment Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage in front of thousands of fans was crazy as hell ... so says former NFL star Marcellus Wiley who tells TMZ Sports he was in the building for the whole thing!!

We spoke with the star of FS1's "Speak For Yourself" ... who wasn't the only celeb in attendance, and he told us the scary incident unfolded right in front of his own eyes.

"Yea, I was in the building man, and it was crazy to be there," Wiley said. "Lot of stars in the building, but the moment it occurred is crazy 'cause it was time to leave. Dave was leaving the stage and coming back for an encore."

Wiley says he was eagerly awaiting the musical act Chappelle was introducing, Black Star, when suddenly, a guy from the crowd rushed the stage and attacked the comedian.

"Now, I'm gonna say he missed his moment, too, because he missed that tackle," the ex-NFL star said. "As a former football player, he could have got a lot cleaner hit, but he's not a former linebacker. But, he tackled Dave, and then next thing you know, the dude gets up, takes off running thinking he Barry Sanders."

He continued ... "And boy, that's when security started working. About 50 people -- including Dave, Jamie Foxx -- you just saw everyone just bum rush this dude in the corner right in the back. It took about 3-5 minutes to finally get the dude out of there. It was a lot of elbows, a lot of stomping, and a lot of people who were upset at that moment."

Of course, we had to ask Marcellus if he initially believed the attack was fake ... a skit of sorts aimed at poking fun at Will Smith's attack on Chris Rock at the Oscars.

"In the moment I was like, 'Yo, that's crazy,'" Wiley said. "Then I was like 'Yo, that's some Will Smith stuff.'" Wiley admits he thought Chappelle was making light of the Smith incident, but quickly realized that wasn't the case when he saw the beatdown the attacker was receiving.

Despite the chaotic scene, Marcellus told us the craziest part of the night wasn't even the guy getting hammered after the failed ambush attack.

The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- just got a lengthy prison sentence for his conviction in the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the rap legend's sentence Wednesday ... 16 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.

As we reported ... The Kidd Creole was convicted of first-degree manslaughter last month, for fatally stabbing a homeless man with a steak knife.

The incident went down in August 2017, when prosecutors say The Kidd Creole was walking past the man on the street and they exchanged words, with TKC walking past the man before turning back, confronting him face-to-face and stabbing him twice in the torso.

The D.A. says a group of tourists found the man bleeding in the street ... he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Unreal scene in San Francisco on Tuesday morning ... a daredevil is climbing up the city's tallest skyscraper -- with no ropes or safety nets.

The urban climber began his ascent on the Salesforce Tower in the middle of downtown S.F. shortly after sunrise -- and as of this posting, he's nearly made it to the top of the 60-floor, 1,070-foot tall building.

Videos shot by bystanders outside of the building are breathtaking ... showing the guy scaling the structure seemingly without any issues at all.

In footage shot from people inside of the skyscraper, you can see the climber was calm and cool -- and even smiling -- as he made his way toward the top.

Authorities in San Francisco are on the scene ... and are condemning the man for the stunt.

"This person is placing firefighters' lives and the public's safety at risk," S.F. Fire Dept. officials said in a statement. "AVOID THE AREA and join us in condemning this action."

No word on who the climber is yet or if he's facing arrest if/when he makes it down.

The man that was allegedly beat up by DaBaby and his crew was apparently throwing the N-word around during his confrontation with the group ... at least according to new video.

The North Carolina rapper posted the footage himself Saturday, which appears to show Gary Prager pacing back and forth on the grounds of the mansion where the alleged beating took place in December ... and sure enough, you hear him scream "n*****s" in a rage.

DB's caption reads, "On today's episode of 'Let's Make DaBaby Look Like a Bad Person'" ... going on to accuse Prager of being a "PROUD white supremacist" ... adding that he (Prager) was "lying to TMZ & LAPD. Not knowing that he's caught on camera."

Later it reads, "These are the type of people y'all validate & let assassinate DaBaby's character." DaBaby also says Prager spat in his face, but the vid doesn't seem to show that.

For starters, nobody lied to us about this story -- DaBaby has, in fact, been charged with felony battery as it relates to this case ... so his beef is actually with Prager and law enforcement officials. DaBaby will have a chance to confront Prager's claims in court.

As for the guy screaming out the slur ... yeah, that's bad. It's unclear if him saying this occurred before or after the alleged assault -- but we suppose it doesn't really matter ... no excuse for invoking racism in any event.

DaBaby apparently thinks this will help make him look better in the public's eye -- but he seems to have bigger issues beyond just this one event, if we're being honest.

Trevor Bauer just got hit with one of the longest suspensions in MLB history -- the ace was suspended 2 years without pay after Major League Baseball concluded its investigation into claims of sexual assault.

MLB launched a probe in June 2021 after a woman accused the Cy Young winner of going too far during two sexual encounters in April and May 2021 ... allegedly punching and choking her unconscious ... resulting in bumps, bruises, scratches and other injuries.

The league concluded after an extensive investigation, he did, in fact, violate the league's joint policy on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

Bauer -- who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing -- says he will appeal the punishment and expects to win.

"In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league's domestic violence & sexual assault policy," Bauer said in a statement.

"I am appealing this action and expect to prevail. As we have throughout this process, my representatives & I respect the confidentiality of the proceedings."

Bauer's suspension comes two months after it was determined he would not face criminal charges over the allegations.

"After a thorough review of all the available evidence, including the civil restraining order proceedings, witness statements and the physical evidence, the People are unable to prove the relevant charges beyond a reasonable doubt," the district attorney said at the time.

Bauer went on to sue his accuser and her attorney ... claiming she fabricated her accusations in order to ruin his career and extract money from him.

Bauer hasn't pitched since June 2021 ... and if the suspension holds, will be almost 34 when he will be able to step on the mound again.

Bauer is in the middle of a 3-year, $102-million deal ... and was slated to make more than $30 million in 2022 and 2023. In other words, if the suspension holds, he will lose more than $60 million.

DaBaby's legal team says folks are wrong for jumping to conclusions over a recently surfaced video of the rapper shooting and killing a man at a Walmart ... they say it actually supports the rapper's defense.

Here's the deal ... Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday from the 2018 fatal shooting in North Carolina, and the article appeared to question DaBaby's self-defense narrative.

DaBaby's lawyers, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, tell TMZ ... the video was reviewed by prosecutors back in 2018  ... and they concluded DaBaby acted in self-defense and therefore was not prosecuted for homicide.

We're told the video was even viewed by a Mecklenburg County judge in connection with a misdemeanor charge for not having the proper permits for his gun.

As for the self-defense part, DaBaby told cops the victim and another accomplice were following him around the Walmart store, and allegedly threatened him and flashed a gun ... causing him to feel the need to protect himself.

Vince Wilfork's son, D'Aundre Holmes-Wilfork, pleaded guilty earlier this month to stealing Super Bowl rings and other prized possessions from the New England Patriots legend ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court documents, Holmes-Wilfork pleaded guilty to felony theft of property greater than or equal to $300,000 as part of a plea deal that he struck with prosecutors on April 20.

Holmes-Wilfork received five years of deferred community supervision as part of the agreement ... meaning the conviction will essentially go away if he keeps his nose clean for the next five years and meets all the conditions of his probation.

As we previously reported, Holmes-Wilfork was initially charged in 2021 with stealing Vince's SB rings, AFC championship rings, 2001 Miami Hurricanes national championship ring and other jewelry.

At the time, authorities said Holmes-Wilfork took the jewelry and sold it without Vince's permission in 2020. According to authorities, police said Vince told them he believed the goods were worth around $400k.

Court records show the stolen jewelry was ordered on April 20 to be returned to Vince.

Terrifying scene at a youth baseball game in South Carolina on Monday night ... a flurry of gunshots erupted near the diamond -- sending kids running in fear.

The incident -- which happened at around 8:44 p.m. at a local park in North Charleston -- was captured on video sent to ABC News 4 from a viewer ... showing as kids were playing in a game, dozens of gunshots rang out from a nearby parking lot.

According to the North Charleston Police Department, witnesses said the gunfire happened shortly after a large group of teenagers got into a fistfight in the area. Cops say the teens opened fire on each other following the physical altercation, but fled the area before officers arrived.

Police say three cars were hit by bullets during the incident ... but somehow, no one was injured.

As for the baseball game, you can see in video, coaches and players were horrified by it all -- with kids hitting the ground in an attempt to avoid any stray bullets.

A spokesperson for the NCPD said Tuesday morning the gunfire had nothing to do with the game ... adding that the mayor of North Charleston was "appalled by what he heard and saw."

The spokesperson said an investigation into the incident is underway ... explaining, "We will leave no stone unturned in bringing these suspects to justice."

Cops also said they're looking into ways they can make parks and playgrounds in the area safer -- and are providing resources to the kids who were affected by the terrifying incident.

President Biden is letting a lot of drug offenders out of prison who've earned lengthy sentences -- with his theme apparently being ... the punishment doesn't fit the crime.

JB just released a new clemency list, and it includes dozens of names who've been locked up for years now for crimes ranging from possession of drugs to conspiracy or intent to distribute narcotics -- including cocaine and meth -- and he's giving them a huge break.

A majority of these folks are due to be set free immediately ... or by 2023. He's commuting tons of sentences -- some of which were as long as 20-30 years, and in some cases life -- leaving most to be served out in home confinement, via supervised release or both.

All in all, there are 75 inmates he's cutting loose from the federal prison system ... and like we said, their crimes all seem to be in the drug realm ... from minor to relatively major offenses.

In addition to these commutations, Biden is also pardoning three people -- including a couple more drug offenders who've since been released from prison and gone on to become upstanding citizens.

The third pardon is a bit more noteworthy ... Biden is honoring Abraham Bolden Sr., a former U.S. Secret Service agent who was imprisoned after he was charged and convicted with attempting to sell a copy from a SS file in the '60s.

Bolden -- who was the first Black man to serve on a presidential detail back then -- got a raw deal, according to the DOJ. Key witnesses who were part of his initial trial apparently copped to lying at prosecutors' request ... and Bolden was also denied a new trial.

Director Joe Berlinger says when it comes to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a big part of his horrific rampage had to do with self-hatred and his inability to deal with his sexuality.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about digging into the mind of the notorious Illinois serial killer for his new Netflix docuseries, "Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes" ... and, as you might imagine, it's a frightening ride.

The film explores what made Gacy -- a birthday clown by day -- tick during his reign of terror in the 1970s. Berlinger says listening to Gacy's conversations with attorneys and cops ... showed how much the mad man blamed his victims.

He says the killings had a lot to do with Gacy's self-hatred, and inability to deal with his sexuality. As for why it took so long to catch him, Joe says society's prevailing attitudes toward marginalized groups, like the gay community, were a major factor.

On a personal note ... Berlinger admits he struggles to leave his work at home. He's been delving into the minds of murderers for decades now, and he told us why his Oscar-nominated doc, "Paradise Lost" -- about the 1996 slayings of 3 West Memphis boys -- was particularly difficult.

Joe says, "I was trying to have a tender moment with my new child, and I just kept flashing on the worst images of what happened to these children".

One of DaBaby's first major legal cases is being discussed anew after a video capturing him fatally shooting someone surfaced online -- sparking a fierce debate about self-defense.

Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday depicting a 2018 confrontation DaBaby was involved in at a Walmart out in his native North Carolina -- before he was super famous -- in which he shot and killed a man.

DB was eventually charged with carrying a concealed weapon for the shooting, but no murder charge.

DaBaby hasn't shied away from this case ... insisting from the jump he was acting in self-defense -- claiming the victim, 19-year-old Jaylin Craig, had pulled a gun ... and he feared for his and his family's life. He was with his GF and baby girl in the store.

RS suggests this video contradicts DaBaby's self-defense narrative, as he appears to be the aggressor in this situation -- at least based on what they posted. He charges at another man (not Craig) and the two get into a scuffle, with Craig monitoring on the outskirts.

Craig appears to reach for and even brandish what was later determined to be a gun on his person -- but RS says his grieving family insists he never would've had to resort to grabbing it if not for DB's aggressive behavior setting this whole thing in motion.

Frankly, it's unclear what exactly set all this off -- DB has claimed Craig and his pals were harassing and threatening him and his brood that night, which is why he went on the attack.

While Rolling Stone appears to be questioning DaBaby's story of protecting himself, others have seen this video and agreed ... he had every right to pull his own gun and fire once Craig pulled his, especially since he wasn't the one directly involved in the fistfight.

Of course, others say this video just proves DaBaby is a bad seed and apparently prone to violence ... something his own history since this incident seems to support, at least in some folks' eyes. As you know, he's been involved in countless physical altercations over the years.

Megan Thee Stallion is doing her first sit-down interview to talk about what happened with Tory Lanez -- and so far, it sounds like an emotional story.

The rapper is going to get in the weeds about what she claims happened Monday morning with Gayle King, and on Sunday ... CBS aired a portion of MTS's remarks, which show her getting incredibly teary-eyed as she recounts the alleged blow-by-blow.

In her own words, Meg says there were 3 of them in the car that night -- and that the other two people, including TL, didn't want to leave whatever party they were at ... but she did.

Sounds like Megan got out of the vehicle, at which point ... she claims Tory fired a gun in her direction from the car, allegedly saying "Dance, bitch." Megan says she was terrified to misstep because she thought she'd get shot, and breaks down to Gayle remembering it.

As you know ... Tory's been charged in connection to her injuries -- shrapnel being lodged into her feet -- although he's pled not guilty and denied wrongdoing. We haven't really heard his side of the story in great detail, and probably won't until their trial starts in September.

Amazing news from Aaliyah Gayles' father ... the USC hoops recruit's dad tells TMZ Sports she will return to the basketball court and play for the Trojans -- despite being shot multiple times last weekend.

As we previously reported, four people -- including 18-year-old Gayles -- were shot when someone opened fire at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16.

Gayles' dad, Dwight, tells us his daughter went to the party to accompany a friend and stayed for only 30 minutes or so before she decided to leave -- and that's when the shooting happened.

Dwight says the 5-foot-9 guard was hit a total of 10 times in "both arms and both legs" and had her third surgery this week.

Thankfully, Dwight says Aaliyah is expected to make a full recovery -- and is still planning to play for the USC women's basketball team.

"She will be able to play ball again," Dwight tells us. "It's God's plan."

"She is still a USC Trojan."

Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement shortly after the shooting that Gayles is "one of the strongest, most resilient young people I have ever known" and she will continue to support her and her family.

Gayles is a 5-star recruit and the #8 overall ranked player in ESPN's 2022 class. At Spring Valley High School last season, she averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game.

She led the Grizzlies to the Class 5A state tournament and was named a McDonald's All-American -- the first Las Vegas player to earn the honor since 2010.

Trey Songz has a new accuser -- a woman whose attorneys are demanding he pay for allegedly groping their client ... and they say the video makes their case a slam dunk.

The demand letter, obtained by TMZ, was fired off to Songz and his team Thursday by attorneys George Vrabeck and Ariel Mitchell on behalf of their client, Megan Johnson, who they allege was sexually assaulted by Trey during a party back in August 2013.

They say Johnson was at an event called "Foxwoods Liquid Sundays with Trey Songz" at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT -- and it was there, they claim, that Megan encountered Trey in the VIP tent.

According to the letter, Johnson was having a friend take a picture of her, but in that moment they allege Trey came up from behind and pulled her breast out from her bikini top and then chanted "T***ies in the Open" four different times.

In the video, you see a woman who they claim is Johnson quickly reach up to cover her chest in embarrassment.

While Megan appears to have laughed it off, the attorneys claim she was humiliated and the incident caused lasting damage, including severe emotional distress and self-harm.

The attorneys say Megan was recently triggered by Trey's Vegas case -- which was recently dropped by authorities. The lawyers say they will drop the case if Trey settles ... for north of $5 mil.

There may be a statute of limitations problem for Megan ... the statute of limitations for this in CT is generally 3 years, although if there's a memory issue with the alleged victim where she doesn't recall the incident until she's triggered later, she may be able to try to extend that period.

The infamous state prison Jay-Z, Yo Gotti and several others blasted for inhumane treatment of inmates has now been labeled unconstitutional by the federal government.

The Department of Justice came down hard on Mississippi's Parchman State Prison Wednesday in a 59-page report that calls out inadequate mental health treatment, failure to roll out sufficient suicide prevention measures ... or protect inmates from prison violence.

Jay's Team Roc lawyers filed multiple lawsuits on behalf of the prisoners after horrifying videos showing the conditions inside Parchman were posted online. Gotti, who grew up not far from the prison, was particularly outraged ... and the DOJ agrees the prison needs a major overhaul.

The report says Parchman's conditions "violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution" -- basically, barring state prisons from doling out cruel and unusual punishment.

Gotti tells TMZ, "I'm grateful for the U.S. Department of Justice's thorough report to hold the Mississippi Department of Corrections accountable for the cruel and inhumane treatment of the incarcerated population."