Crime

Ex-NFL player Brendan Langley is sharing his side of the infamous airport brawl ... his attorney tells TMZ Sports the United employee harassed him, called him names, and got physical first -- leaving his client no choice but to defend himself.

We've obtained a statement from Alan Jackson, Brendan's attorney, who says the former Denver Broncos CB is the real victim.

"Brendan Langley was minding his business walking through the airport with his bags when he was accosted by a United Airlines employee who claimed to 'run the airport,'" Jackson says.

"When Brendan tried to ignore him, the assailant followed and harassed Brendan, calling him a 'd***' and a 'p***y' and challenging him to fight."

Jackson says 27-year-old Langley yelled out for help, but no one intervened. He also says the viral footage only tells part of the story -- and claims CCTV backs up his side of the altercation.

"Footage from the airport security cameras establishes without question that Brendan was in reasonable fear of physical harm, and reasonably and lawfully defended himself. We do not expect charges to be filed against Brendan."

Of course, Langley was the only person arrested, however, the United worker was fired almost immediately after the video made rounds on social media.

4-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel reportedly had to put his speed to the test after the Spanish Grand Prix ... chasing after a group of thieves who made off with his bag.

Vettel -- who finished P11 on Sunday -- was reportedly exiting his Aston Martin in Barcelona on Monday when the robbers grabbed his backpack and made a run for it.

Apparently, Vettel wasn't going down without a fight -- because according to local reports, he hopped on a scooter and used the GPS tracking on his AirPods to hunt down his bag.

Unfortunately for Vettel, the thieves must've planned ahead ... because once he made it to his headphones, they were not with his bag.

A rep for AM spoke about the incident ... saying, "A bag belonging to Sebastian Vettel was stolen in Barcelona this morning; he tried to find it by using his iPhone to track his earphones which were in his bag; but when he located his earphones he found them abandoned and was therefore unable to locate his stolen bag."

A group of smash-and-grab thieves definitely got more than they bargained for when jewelry store employees decided they weren't going to give up their goods without a fight.

The whole thing went down at Princess Bride Diamonds in Huntington Beach, CA over the weekend. It's business as usual until 4 men in hoodies, covering their faces and armed with hammers charged into the building. One man was able to smash a jewelry case ... but then the employees leap into action.

A male employee comes sprinting to the front of the store, landing some serious haymakers. The female employees turn it on too, kicking, punching and even throwing a chair at the would-be-robbers.

The whole thing is pretty badass ... and the crooks take off without managing to steal any jewelry.

Princess Bride Diamonds let customers know they'll be closed for the next 4 days while they clean up the smashed glass and get their case restored.

Chris Jericho says his niece was seen on video being brutally punched and kicked in the face last week ... and now, the wrestling superstar is pleading for officials to do something about it.

The AEW talent explained the situation on his Twitter page on Sunday night ... saying his niece has been "incessantly bullied" at her middle school in Florida "for months."

Jericho says the bullying took a violent turn just a few days ago ... when she was beaten up in a street.

In the clip Jericho shared to his social media, you can see a girl being socked in the face multiple times -- before she was continuously kicked and punched while bystanders looked on.

Jericho says despite his family's efforts to get officials involved, "nobody did anything to help" -- and he pleaded with school reps to "take action."

He added in a message to TMZ Sports that his niece is "physically ok. But, mentally she’s hurting."

"She's scared to go to school," the 51-year-old wrestler said. "This could've been avoided as the family approached the school a few times prior but nothing was done."

"We need to spread awareness so that the schools do a better job of protecting our kid's mental health and safety. ALL kids. Not just the ones with famous uncles."

We reached out to cops for comment, but they told us they have not been made aware of the situation.

Mike Tyson finally broke his silence about his confrontation on a JetBlue flight with an out-of-control passenger, and one thing's clear ... he's really pissed over what went down.

Mike was on his 'Hotboxin' podcast and was clearly relieved the San Mateo County D.A. decided not to charge Mike for battery. As you know, the video -- obtained by TMZ -- shows Mike punching away at the guy after getting harassed even before the plane took off.

Mike said, "He was f***ing with me, man. I took pictures with this n****."

Mike says he knows there's always the chance someone will become "overly excited," and that's why his wife has been on him not to fly commercial.

Mike concedes, "I shouldn't even be taking public planes," adding, "A bodyguard and a f***ing yes man. What am I gonna do on a plane?"

He admitted situations like the one on JetBlue "trigger me" and he acknowledged ultimately it's a lose/lose situation.

And, speaking of triggering, Mike had reminisced about an incident during the infamous Holyfield fight.

In another gut punch for the family of the Buffalo security guard killed in the mass shooting, a scammer allegedly tried to steal thousands of dollars from their crowdfunding account.

Here's the deal ... there's an official GoFundMe for the family of Aaron Salter Jr., the retired police officer who was working security at the supermarket where the tragic shooting happened, and it's raised about $40,000.

But, Aaron's son says the fund was targeted by a scammer this week, who he says tried to steal his personal information and bank account numbers.

Aaron Salter III tells TMZ ... he was combing through a sea of messages on the GoFundMe when he came across a message from a user who claimed they wanted to donate $4k. But, when he clicked on the message, he says his personal info was instantly switched with someone in Mississippi.

Aaron's son says he was able to get in touch with the good folks at GoFundMe, and they got the account back in his family's hands.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe tells TMZ ... they responded to a phishing attempt against the Salter family, and quickly secured the account. We're told the funds are safe and are being delivered directly to the fam.

Aaron's son says they would have been devastated if the scammer had succeeded -- because he says, obviously, the last thing they need while grieving is someone trying to rob them blind.

Add Khabib Nurmagomedov to the ever-growing list of people outraged Cain Velsaquez remains in a northern Cali cell ... with the undefeated fighter telling TMZ Sports he feels so bad for the former heavyweight champ, he's visiting him in jail next week.

"Yesterday, I was talking with coach. I tell him any chance or is it possible to go and see him in jail? In Russia, we can go and see anybody like I asked him because I don't know the law here in the U.S. I really wanna go to see him. After a couple of days, I'm gonna be in San Jose. I wanna go to see him, shake his hand, give him good energy."

33-year-old Khabib has been friends and gym mates at AKA with 39-year-old Velasquez ... who's been locked up since February 28 ... on an attempted murder charge.

But, that doesn't even begin to tell the whole story ... 'cause the person Cain allegedly tried to take out is accused of doing something very bad to a family member.

In an effort to protect the alleged victim in Velasquez's family, we are not identifying the person.

There's been a ton of support from everyone from Dana White, Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman, amongst many others.

"Anybody in the world who respects himself, who loves his family -- he's gonna do same thing," Khabib passionately said.

"C'mon, nobody gonna think about law or something when you have something about your family. You have to protect your family."

Nurmagomedov, like many, can't understand why Cain's behind bars, but the man accused of the heinous act against CV's family member is free.

"This is not fair to sit in jail and other guy, he's outside. What about other guy? Put this guy in jail, too! He's more dangerous for people than Cain Velasquez."

"Never in his life, he's 40-years-old, never in his life did he have a problem in social, you know, outside with people. He's the most respectful guy I've ever seen in my life. I was training with him more than 10 years, I know his family, everybody."

Still, despite the outpouring of support, and his attorney's fighting for his freedom, the judge and prosecutor have refused to allow bail.

Velasquez, if convicted, is facing many years in prison.

Cain is back in court June 10 ... where it's possible he could be released while he awaits his trial.

"American Idol" finalist Caleb Kennedy is getting sprung from jail, but he won't be free, as he awaits his fate in his deadly DUI case.

The singer has been locked up in South Carolina since February after he was arrested for felony DUI resulting in death. Cops say Kennedy drove his 2011 Ford pickup truck up someone's driveway, plowing through their garage and killing a man inside.

17-year-old Kennedy had previously been denied bond, but his attorney, Ryan Beasley, tells us he was granted bond at $50k Friday -- and will be held in home detention until his trial.

Beasley tells us Caleb is in good spirits, and hoping to have his day in court where he can prove the DUI was just a tragic accident caused by medication. He's expected to be released sometime today.

Kim Kardashian says her life and the lives of her children are in danger, after receiving scores of letters that threaten their lives and one where the letter writer threatened to blow up her office with a bomb.

Kim's lawyer, Shawn Holley, beelined for court Monday to get a restraining order against David Resendiz, someone Kim says she's never even met. Kim says somehow Resendiz got her home and business addresses and began sending a slew of letters -- more than 80 -- threatening her and her 4 kids in various ways.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim says Resendiz made numerous false and delusional claims about her intimate relationships. She says he's made "disturbing sexual references about me in his letters."

Kim says he's threatened in multiple letters to kill her. And, she says, on April 25, she received a written bomb threat in a letter delivered to one of her business offices. She says the letter is a dead ringer for the ones Resendiz previously sent.

Kim says she's scared for her safety and the safety of her family. She believes unchecked ... Resendiz could harm or even kill her.

Florida rapper Rod Wave is now in the clear, legally speaking, after he was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

According to legal docs, prosecutors in Osceola County, FL reviewed the May incident, and determined the case wasn't suitable for prosecution.

In the arrest report, Wave's GF accused him of bursting into their home, and choking her until she couldn't breathe because he thought she was talking to other men. The woman, who shares 2 kids with the "SoulFly" rapper, called cops, but Rod had left the scene by the time they arrived.

He was later pulled over and arrested, and even shared a cryptic video of himself surrounded by police cruiser lights.

Three days following the arrest, Rod Wave announced his next album will be entitled "Beautiful Mind." He'll now have plenty of time and freedom to complete and release it!

A horrifying and heartbreaking video has surfaced of a kid's game of tag interrupted by gunfire which killed a man near a California playground.

The clip starts with two young kids going back and forth and then gunshots ring out, sending the kids running for their lives. In the video, you can hear parents screaming and a little girl yelling for help as she fights back tears.

Cops say more than 33 shots were fired in the exchange between the two groups in a Palo Alto neighborhood on Tuesday. 3 people were injured and 1 killed. It does not appear any kids were hurt.

In a press conference Tuesday, Police Chief Jeff Liu, said, "Shooting and violence, especially at our parks with kids playing is completely unacceptable. We need to come together as a community and send a message that this type of activity will not be tolerated."

Billy McFarland, the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival, has been released from prison early ... but he's not completely free just yet.

Billy was sprung on March 30 and was transferred to community confinement. It's unclear whether he's at home or halfway house, but he is expected to stay through the end of August.

As we've reported, Billy originally got hit with a 6-year sentence back in 2018, but he apparently won't be spending all of it behind bars.

You'll recall, Billy organized the notorious 2017 music fest in the Bahamas. He ended up pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud over the disastrous failed event.

If ya need a trip down memory lane ... hundreds of folks were left stranded in the Bahamas, after being promised a weekend-long festival with luxury accommodations, celeb performances and fine dining options.

Of course, that's far from what they got ... settling for tents, a broken down stage and food that included a piece of cheese between slices of bread.

A man was violently sucker-punched in the eye while working out in a Thai gym on Tuesday ... and the guy says the attack all went down because he refused to give up his bench press.

The altercation -- which happened in Pattaya, Thailand -- was captured on video ... showing two men seemingly arguing over some equipment in the weight room.

In the surveillance footage, a man in a light-colored shirt can be seen appearing to ask a man in a dark-colored shirt to use the adjustable bench.

When the guy didn't give up the equipment, the man in the light shirt seemed to grow annoyed, and left the area. But, he then came back with something in his right hand.

Video shows the guy then punched the man on the bench with the item still tucked into his fist -- immediately opening up a gash on the man's forehead.

The two wrestled for several more moments, before they finally separated.

Following the altercation, the man who was punched revealed he was seriously injured in the attack. The guy claimed he needed 60 stitches to close the wound on his face, and said he also suffered a fractured eye socket too.

"He could have killed me," the man said. "If you hit someone in the head with a hammer, it’s like an assassination attempt."

"This was a piece of metal as big and almost as heavy as a hammer. I'm happy it didn’t knock me out."

Tayler Holder is clearing the air ... flat out saying no one has come forward to accuse him of sexual assault, and insists any rumors claiming otherwise are lies.

The TikTok star opened up on the "TMZ Verified" Podcast, following online speculation he might have been involved in unspecified sexual assault allegations. Tayler says he was never publicly confronted with any accusation from any individual, law enforcement, or attorney.

Interestingly, he says his team did have contact with someone they apparently thought was the source of the rumors, and encouraged that person to raise the allegation in a legal setting ... but he says they went silent at that point.

Folks on social media began to speculate Tayler might be in the middle of some legal trouble because some of his close friends and influencers unfollowed him on Instagram.

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time he has talked about allegations -- but, his open letter and previous interview raised more questions when he said there's stuff going on that should be handled offline.

Sarah Paulson is super upset and on the prowl ... in search of her friend's missing pup, after she says it was stolen by a dog sitter.

Sarah pled with her IG followers Monday to help her friend, Clementine Ford, whose dog, Winnie, just disappeared. Sarah believes Winnie's been dognapped, so she wants everyone in the area to keep their eyes peeled for the pooch. Clementine is Cybill Shepherd's daughter.

The "Ratched" actress squarely pointed the guilty finger at the sitter ... "Help. Spread the word. This woman stole my friend's dog. Share far and wide. I'm begging you."

According to Sarah's friend Clementine, she left Winnie with a sitter she found on the 'Rover' app before heading out of town for a wedding. She claims, the sitter went radio silent when she began asking about the dog.

Horrifying situation for NHL star Mitch Marner on Monday night ... the Maple Leafs forward was carjacked at gunpoint by multiple people in Toronto.

The Toronto Police Service tells TMZ Sports the incident went down at around 7:46 PM ... when three suspects -- two with handguns and one with a knife -- approached a black Range Rover.

The TPS does not name victims of crimes ... but Marner, according to multiple reports, was driving the Range Rover at the time.

Cops say the three suspects ended up jacking the vehicle -- and fled in it. Police said they're now searching the area.

Thankfully, cops added, there were no injuries in the incident.

According to the Toronto Sun -- which first reported the news -- Marner was "shaken up" on the scene, but was otherwise unharmed. He's expected to meet with media members on Tuesday.