Crime

A grocery store owned by Lionel Messi's in-laws was shot up by two men who fired at least a dozen shots into the shop in Argentina, before sending an ominous threat to the soccer legend ... "Messi, we’re waiting for you."

The Unico supermarket is located in Rosario, Argentina -- about 200 miles from the capital, Buenos Aires -- and is owned by the mom and dad of Lionel's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo. A normal day of shopping for groceries was interrupted Thursday when two assailants pulled up in front of the store on a motorcycle in broad daylight, with one of the men jumping off the bike, and opening fire, according to witnesses.

Miraculously, no one was injured ... though property was damaged, including a shattered front window pane.

Perhaps the scariest part ... after unloading on the store, the men dropped a written note that threatened the 35-year-old World Cup champion.

“Messi, we’re waiting for you. Javkin is also a drug trafficker, so he won’t take care of you.”

Javkin is Rosario Mayor Pablo Javkin.

Shortly after the violent incident, Mayor Javkin went to the scene and criticized Argentina's national police for failing to reign in drug-related crimes.

Local police officials also spoke, and despite the seemingly menacing message, they say this was likely an attempt to "attract attention," as opposed to a threat.

Narco violence has been on the rise in Argentina, and Rosario, specifically, has seen a big jump in drug-related murders. In fact, last year the Buenos Aires Times wrote, "narco violence plaguing the city has reached 'critical' levels."

Despite the scary situation at his family's store, Messi didn't appear to be bothered at Paris Saint-Germaine F.C. practice on Thursday ... where Lionel hit the field with his teammates.

The sound engineer who Travis Scott allegedly attacked in an NYC club says the rapper flipped him the bird and socked him in the head, landing him in the hospital with injuries.

Identifying himself only as Mark, the engineer spoke with Fox 5 News from his hospital bed after the alleged assault at Club Nebula in Manhattan early Wednesday morning.

Mark said he can't turn his head and "My neck is f**ked up. My arm is tingling. I have pins and needles going down it."

He also described the events that led to the violence, saying Travis was playing the DJ music so loud the sound was distorted. When Mark tried to lower the volume, he said Travis flew into a rage.

Travis "stuck his middle finger in my face," Mark said, adding, "So I lowered the monitor a little bit so I could talk to him, and that’s when he ran around the speaker and attacked me."

As we reported ... Travis made a surprise appearance at the club Tuesday night to perform with his protege, Don Toliver.

After Travis had his meltdown in the DJ booth, he purportedly attacked the sound engineer and caused $12,000 in damage to a speaker and video screen, before leaving the club.

The NYPD now wants to question Travis after a police report was filed alleging that he committed assault and criminal mischief.

Travis' lawyer, Mitchell Schuster, told us the incident was "a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation."

Schuster also said he's working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve the situation and believes Travis will be "cleared of any wrongdoing."

The Montana hunter who killed and skinned a husky -- apparently thinking it was a wolf -- is getting off easy after copping a plea.

Amber Rose Barnes just pled no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty ... and the judge gave her a 6-month deferred sentence, meaning the whole case will go away if she meets a few requirements.

Part of her checklist to get this wiped from her record -- Barnes will have to take an online hunter safety class, and she's not allowed to use her hunting rifles for half a year.

As it turns out, that's not much of a punishment when you consider hunting season doesn't come until the fall ... so, it's not like she's missing out.

Remember, Barnes was hit with the animal cruelty charge back in October after the horrific September incident. At the time, she bragged on social media she'd taken down a wild wolf ... but it was just a domesticated husky that was out in the woods.

Not only did she shoot and kill it, but Barnes also took the dog's hide as a trophy ... which she also posted on social media, drawing the ire of the public. Barnes insisted the animal was acting aggressively when she encountered it and claimed self-defense.

The woman whose trial testimony helped send Charles Manson and several of his murderous cult members to prison for life has died in Washington state.

According to a death certificate, obtained by TMZ, Linda Kasabian passed away at a hospital in Tacoma on January 21 and her body was cremated. Her cause of death was not disclosed.

The certificate noted that she had changed her last name to "Chiochios" apparently to protect her identity after dissociating herself from the Manson Family.

Kasabian was given immunity in exchange for becoming a key prosecution witness in the 1970-71 Manson trial. She participated in the 2 nights of mayhem perpetrated by Manson and his crazed minions who massacred 7 people in Los Angeles.

During 18 days of testimony, Kasabian described in graphic detail how the 1969 slayings went down under Manson's direction.

Kasabian testified that Charles "Tex" Watson drove her, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins to filmmaker, Roman Polanski's house in Benedict Canyon. She testified that Tex, Krenwinkel and Atkins fatally shot and stabbed 5 victims, including Polanski's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate.

Kasabian testified that she witnessed the bloodshed, but she never physically harmed anyone.

Polanski was working on a movie in Europe at the time his wife and unborn child were killed.

What's more, Kasabian testified that she was the driver on the second night of the Manson murders, in which Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were butchered inside their L.A. home.

In the end, Kasabian's crucial testimony sealed the fate of Manson and his accomplices, all of whom were convicted of the murders and handed life sentences.

Manson died in prison at 83 after he went into cardiac arrest due to complications of colon cancer in 2017.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was "attacked" by people inside a restaurant Monday night ... and the motive was purely political.

Greene (R-GA) tweeted she and her assistants were having dinner when they were attacked by an "insane" woman and her screaming adult son.

The Georgia rep said, "They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views."

She continued, "They are self righteous, insane, and completely out of control. I was sitting at my table, working with my staff, and never even noticed these people until they turned into demons."

Greene ended with this, "People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone."

Despite her claims of aggression, Greene did not say the attack got physical, nor did she mention any police involvement.

No stranger to controversy or combativeness ... Greene has been under fire lately. Last week, she was blasted for saying that red and blue states should separate to shrink the federal government.

Mark Wahlberg could've foreseen the awkward moment that unfolded live at the SAG Awards -- courtesy of his ugly criminal history with 2 Asian men -- so says one writer, who cringed upon seeing it.

We talked to Jeff Yang, an Asian-American WSJ columnist, who was one of many who commented on the Wahlberg moment Sunday -- and he told us MW was simply the wrong guy to present the cast of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" the final statuette of the night.

The reason ... back when Mark was a teenager in Boston, he pled guilty to assaulting 2 Vietnamese immigrants as he and others shouted racial epithets. He was convicted and served 45 days behind bars.

In light of that terrible stain, JY says Mark should've had better intuition and turned down the gig ... especially considering 'EEAAO' was considered a lock to win, and because it obviously wouldn't look good onstage -- which, according to the vast majority, it didn't.

Jeff does say it's possible Mark simply didn't know 'Everywhere' would win ... and if he did, perhaps he took the presenter job as an unspoken olive branch to the AAPI community.

While it's certainly plausible, Jeff tells us he truly doesn't think it's likely -- and that this was probably a tone-deaf decision on everyone's part ... especially because, in Jeff's mind, Mark hasn't really gone out of his way to correct the brutal wrong from his teen years.

Worth noting ... he has issued apologies, including back in 2014, when he unsuccessfully tried to get pardon.

Bryan Kohberger -- the alleged quadruple Idaho murderer -- could die by bullet if he's convicted ... that is, assuming a local lawmaker there can get a new bill passed into law.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, a Republican state congressman, introduced legislation last week in Idaho's House -- calling on firing squads to be reinstated as a means of execution ... but only on the condition that lethal injection chemicals are unattainable in a timely manner. In other words, if you can't shoot 'em up ... shoot 'em. That's literally the essence of the bill.

Indeed, the language spells it out clear as day -- lethal injection should be the #1 option if it's on the table, but if it's determined by Idaho's DOC that the drugs needed to put someone to death intravenously aren't within reach in a matter of 5 days after a death sentence is issued ... there should be no delay in opting for a firing squad to do the job.

Apparently, the reason this is being floated at all is because it's actually quite difficult to get a hold of the lethal injection cocktail -- in Idaho, anyway. Skaug says there've been too many people sitting on death row avoiding their due justice 'cause there's no viable way to off them under the current parameters/available resources. His solution ... do it old school.

Skaug's bill says the director of the IDOC can figure out the logistics behind how to deploy a firing squad, what kind of weapons to use and whatnot -- but he's saying they oughta be brought back. BTW, fun fact ... firing squads were technically legal in Idaho until 2009, although they weren't used there in the state in recent history. Other states have though.

The last guy to die by firing squad in the U.S. was Ronnie Lee Gardner back in 2010 out in Utah. Utah also used them in 1977, for murderer Gary Gilmore. It's rare, but it happens sometimes.

Now, as for whether this bill actually has a chance at passing ... well, we'll see. It still needs a public hearing in the Ways and Means committee before even being considered to be sent to the full House for a vote. Only then will we know if other lawmakers are into the idea.

Miles Teller isn't going to have a pleasant return from an overseas trip -- cops say burglars took full advantage of his absence and hit his home hard.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone broke into the "Top Gun: Maverick" star's Los Angeles area home last week. We're told they gained entry by smashing a glass back door.

The crooks ransacked Miles' entire house looking for loot, but right now it's unclear what all they took. Once the actor's back in town, he'll go through the mess to evaluate what, if anything, is missing.

We're told cops were alerted to the caper by Miles' home alarm, but the suspects made a clean getaway.

Our sources say they don't believe Miles was intentionally targeted. Instead, he might have fallen victim to a string of burglaries that have been plaguing the area recently.

As of now, police haven't made any arrests ... but the investigation continues, and they're checking surveillance videos for clues.

Kodak Black is wanted by cops in Florida -- this after he allegedly violated his bail conditions by failing a drug test earlier this month.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge signed off an arrest warrant in Kodak's name Thursday ... which just got filed in Broward County court yesterday. In the paperwork, it says Kodak is to taken into custody if any sheriff's deputies encounter him.

The reason ... a judge says he was found to have screwed up twice in recent weeks. On Feb. 3, the agency he's supposed to report to for random drug testing claims he was a no-show for a screening and failed to submit a sample that day. The following week, on Feb. 8, that same agency says Kodak did submit a sample ... but they allege it came back dirty.

According to them, he was positive for traces of fentanyl ... although it's unclear how much.

That was enough for a judge to tell authorities to go get him. If he's caught ... there's additional orders to hold him without bond until his next hearing in this Oxy case from last year.

You'll recall, Kodak was arrested in July for possession of a controlled substance without prescription and trafficking -- this after cops say they found upwards of 31 oxycodone pills in his car, which were found during a traffic stop in Ft. Lauderdale. He posted $75,000 bail and was released, but not without this restriction in place ... namely, keeping his pee clean.

In a truly stunning lawsuit, the woman charged in connection with the theft of Lady Gaga's French Bulldogs, says the singer never delivered on her promised $500,000 reward ... and now she wants a court to force the singer to cough it up.

Jennifer McBride says Gaga made it very clear, she'd pay the $500k "no questions asked" when she announced the reward back in February 2021 after her dogs Koji and Gustav were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint.

McBride says she returned the dogs to Gaga at the LAPD Olympic Community station on February 26 ... 2 days after they were taken.

Here's the thing ... McBride was charged in connection to the theft with receiving stolen property and being an accessory to the crime after the fact.

As for her relation to the criminals, she was allegedly dating the father of one of the men responsible for assaulting Gaga's dog walker.

She later pled no contest to one count of receiving stolen property and got 2 years probation.

TMZ broke the story ... Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was walking 3 of Gaga's pups in Los Angeles on February 24, 2021 when several men pulled up in a car, jumped out and stole the two dogs ... also shooting Fischer in the process.

Fischer was left on the sidewalk pleading for help when neighbors came to his aid, he survived his injuries.

James Howard Jackson, who cops say was the trigger man, pled no contest to a count of attempted murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Not only does McBride want the $500,000 ... she wants the court to triple the damages to $1.5 million for allegedly posting the misleading reward.

Gervonta Davis has found himself in hot water once again -- the boxing star is now being accused of punching an NYC parking lot attendant in the chest during a heated altercation in March 2022 ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Arturo Jimenez claims he just started his shift at the Edison Park Fast garage around 11 AM on March 8 ... when Tank approached him and asked for the keys to his Cadillac Escalade.

Jimenez says he was working with another customer at the time and had no idea Tank had already asked a different attendant to go fetch his whip ... and Davis grew upset, saying "stop f***ing playing with me."

The worker says Tank then punched him in the chest ... causing "multiple bodily injuries."

The lawsuit states Jimenez's coworker saw the whole incident ... and brought him into the garage office to keep Tank from hurting him even more.

While inside the office, Jimenez claims Tank was visibly pissed, shouting and cursing at them ... demanding his keys, but refusing to pay his parking fee.

After a while, the lawsuit says Tank eventually caved in and paid his fee before driving away from the scene.

Jimenez says he reported the incident to NYPD a day later.

He is suing for unspecified damages ... claiming he was unable to work and has racked up medical bills due to the injuries.

It's yet another troubling accusation made against Davis, who has had a growing list of run-ins with the law recently.

The house in Idaho where four college students were stabbed to death is going to be torn down ... and the University of Idaho says it's an important "healing step."

The University announced Friday the infamous off-campus house in Moscow was given to the school by the former owner, and the University plans to demolish the home.

As you know ... the home was the scene of a grisly quadruple murder back in November, which saw four students -- Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves -- stabbed to death in their rooms.

The house was known as a party house before it became known as a murder house ... there were lots of parties there, with cops even responding to a big bash at the property several weeks before the killings.

The University of Idaho says demolition "is a healing step and removes the physical structure where the crime that shook our community was committed. Demolition also removes efforts to further sensationalize the crime scene."

It doesn't sound like the address will turn into a vacant lot ... the University says it's "evaluating options where students may be involved in the future development of the property."

GloRilla had a successful tour stop at NYC's Irving Plaza Wednesday night ... but we're told outside the venue NYPD was busy arresting the "F.N.F." rapper's driver for gun possession.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Hip Hop ... NYPD officers say they observed a man named Cameron Blackmon set off a metal detector inside the venue.

After investigating the scene, they found Blackmon sitting in the driver's seat of a Suburban ... as well as two semi-automatic pistols.

We're told officers arrested Blackmon for criminal possession of a firearm, ammo and a switchblade ... and also gave him a parking ticket for posting up in the neutral zone in front of Irving Plaza!!! 😫

Inside the venue, it was a very different scene ... GloRilla was taking shots with her newfound friend, Lola Brooke (whom she later brought out), and capping things off with a surprise Cardi B cameo as they performed their hit song, "Tomorrow 2"!!!

Glo's 'Anyways, Life's Great' tour has been full of enough stuff to fill an artist's memoir. The buzzing star has had a drink and jacket thrown at her and is now dealing with this.

Actor Ray Buffer is officially going up against prosecutors for his comic book theft debacle ... which includes surveillance video of him allegedly swiping merch.

A rep for the San Diego City Attorney tells TMZ ... Ray's been charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft over the October 2022 incident. We're told the actor pled not guilty at his arraignment in January, and a further court hearing is scheduled next week.

As we reported, Southern California Comics claims Ray took $600 worth of comic books, and handed cops security cam footage of the whole caper.

Another comic shop -- this one in L.A. County -- said it had similar footage from their store of Ray attempting to swipe comics. That owner was seen on camera booting him out of the store over it.

The owner of Southern California Comics tells TMZ … he was told by the City Attorney's office that Ray's lawyer is attempting to cut a deal to handle the matter by paying restitution to the shop and entering a diversion program -- but the shop owner doesn't think such a slap on the wrist is enough.

Ray has more than 100 acting credits to his name, appearing in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and most recently "Into the Wild Frontier".

We reached out to Ray for comment ... so far no word back.

The production company behind "Rust" has found a new place to call home outside of New Mexico ... with a church that looks incredibly similar to the one cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot in.

A rep for Rust Movie Productions tells TMZ Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana will serve as the new backdrop, adding the production team is all about honoring Halyna's vision.

We're told those running the ranch are also honored to "carry forward her inspiring legacy." Director Joel Souza, who was also shot during the tragic incident, says he's "deeply grateful" for the invite to film at the ranch, calling it a privilege to work with partners like this.

Sources familiar with production plans say March and April have both been discussed as possible start months.

Worth noting just how much the church set looks like the original one in New Mexico -- likely trying to keep scenes consistent without having to backtrack, but it's still kinda eerie.

LAFC star Kellyn Acosta's home was broken into last week ... and three of his pricey watches were taken in the burglary -- this according to law enforcement sources.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... the incident happened at Acosta's Los Angeles-area home after thieves made their way into the residence through a door and allegedly rummaged through the house, before making off with three of the 27-year-old soccer player's Rolexes.

As of now, our sources say the watches appear to be the only thing taken.

No arrests have been made ... but we're told police are not ruling out the possibility that it was an inside job. An investigation remains ongoing.

Acosta, who initially began his MLS career with FC Dallas, joined LAFC last season -- and started 28 games ... scoring two goals.

Acosta was also part of the 2022 U.S. World Cup team that advanced to the Round of 16.