Crime

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed allegedly ditched a bag of cocaine, handing it off to another person in the hours after Halyna Hutchins was killed ... this according to prosecutors.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim to have a witness who says Gutierrez-Reed transferred a "small bag of cocaine" to them on October 21, 2021 ... after she sat through an interview with police following Hutchins' on-set death.

They say the alleged handoff demonstrates that Reed was trying to avoid prosecution and hide evidence that would further implicate her involvement in the fatal shooting.

Prosecutors say the witness had concerns about coming forward ... telling them, "I will never be able to work in the film industry again." Prosecutors are now asking for a protective order, keeping the person off any publicly-available witness lists and barring Gutierrez-Reed's camp from releasing the witness' identity.

As we reported, Gutierrez-Reed's been charged with tampering with evidence in relation to the alleged passed-off cocaine.

The first police officer on the scene of the Allen, TX mass shooting last month wasted no time in grabbing his weapon and engaging the gunman ... all captured in dramatic body cam footage.

The footage, released Wednesday, starts with the unnamed Allen PD officer talking to a family in the parking lot of the Allen Premium Outlets in a friendly exchange about the importance of wearing seatbelts ... when all of a sudden, gunshots ring out.

The officer immediately goes from nice guy to action hero -- immediately grabbing his rifle and running toward the gunshots -- all while radioing to his supervisors for assistance.

As the officer gets closer, he sees bodies on the ground, letting his dispatcher know it appears to be a mass-shooter event. Finally, the officer gets eyes on the gunman, and opens fire -- taking him down with multiple shots.

The hero cop is eventually joined by another officer, and they approach the body of the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, sprawled out and bloody.

It's absolutely stunning and admirable how quickly this officer sprung into action ... and he very likely saved numerous lives that day.

As we've reported ... Garcia shot and killed 8 people -- including several minors -- and injured 7 others in his rampage. No motive has been identified for his actions ... but he spewed hate online and even sported swastika tattoos.

Armie Hammer's closed the book on a lot of drama in his life -- and now, he's turning the page with a little summer getaway ... with a new woman in his life.

The actor -- who has mostly remained out of the public eye for the past 2 years -- was spotted out in the Italian city of Santa Margherita Wednesday ... where he was dressed in a breezy outfit, and rocking sandals to boot. He also had company ... of the mysterious blonde variety.

The pair walked down the street, side by side. There weren't a whole lot of other people around -- and doesn't seem like anybody really recognized/bothered 'em.

Eyewitnesses tell us they hit up a little pizzeria that was mostly secluded and tucked away. By the looks of it -- they kinda had the space to themselves. We're told they sipped coffee and chitchatted with one another ... looking totally comfortable and relaxed. They also shared a kiss and held hands so, yeah, it's romantic.

Armie recently settled his divorce with Elizabeth Chambers and the judge is expected to sign off on the divorce soon.

Armie's been cleared after the LAPD investigated him for almost 2 years after a rape allegation, but the case went nowhere. The D.A. turned thumbs-down for lack of evidence, so he's clearly getting on with his life.

Nicki Minaj is fully in the corner of the Chicago 14-year-old who shot and killed a man to protect his mom while she was being attacked, saying she's willing to help him go to college.

The rapper chimed in on the viral case, which has spurred a lot of conversation online over the past week or so. She took to IG to sound off, and it's clear she believes the 14-year-old and his mother did absolutely nothing wrong here ... even if it cost a life.

Nicki passionately writes, "That 14-year-old boy that backed dat hammer out when that grown ass man was punching his mother in the face as if she were a MAN; is a true hero."

She continues ... "If he wants to go to college, I'd love to help. It's what ANY son should've done for their MOTHER. She raised a dope kid & should be so proud. Also, God knew b4 she knew; that she'd be attacked that day & made sure they had protection on DECK."

NM finishes with a simple message, "God is GOOD." Now, as for her offer of assistance for higher education -- she didn't really elaborate ... but ya gotta figure she's talking about cash here. If the kid sees this, it'll be interesting to see if he takes her up on it.

As for the case itself ... it's a doozy. Carlishia Hood and her son were charged with first-degree murder after the teen shot and killed 32-year-old Jeremy Brown on June 18 at a restaurant ... this after an argument ensued inside, and Brown was filmed repeatedly punching Hood in the head.

Right as he's wailing on her, her son enters the restaurant from outside and opens fire on Brown. Cops say Brown then fled, but allege that Hood ordered her son to finish the job and continue shooting him outside ... which he then did. Brown died from gunshot wounds.

Amid a lot of uproar, Cook County prosecutors dropped all the charges against the mother and son ... saying they didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. Since then, Hood has sued the City of Chicago and a few cops too ... claiming she was unjustly arrested/charged -- and that the whole ordeal has caused a lot of emotional distress.

Her legal team has been echoing what a lot of others have argued -- namely, that the use of deadly force here was justified and that Hood/her son were simply defending themselves.

Cops are searching for a dangerous assailant who knocked the crap out of a woman in an NYC subway station ... and the unprovoked attack was all caught on video.

Check out the SCARY footage ... it starts rather calmly with the woman peering down at her cell phone as she's walking along the platform at Clinton-Washington Avenues Station in Brooklyn last Sunday.

The suspect then appears, heading toward her in the opposite direction ... as the two pass each other on the platform, the guy hauls off and socks the woman in the face, knocking her down.

Dazed and confused, the woman covers her injured face with her hands as a good Samaritan rushes to her aid from a subway idling in the station.

The woman later posted video of the assault to TikTok, showing her black eye and blaming herself for not paying attention by staring at her phone.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator dashed out of the station and is currently being sought by NYPD detectives.

Afroman's learning a little ganja goes a long way in preventing you from crossing the Canadian border, where he got cited while trying to get back to the U.S. ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Palmdale rapper and his crew were detained Tuesday by U.S. Border Patrol officers while they were attempting to get back on American soil at a port of entry crossing over the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.

We're told they arrived at an inspection zone, where the feds found a ton of cash and some marijuana in their vehicle -- the bills totaled $10,000, but the bud was an insignificant personal amount.

Afroman tells TMZ ... he was on his way to a gig in NY when he was stopped at the border. He had given all his weed to his fans and housekeepers at his hotel but forgot about a bottle of cannabis pain lotion.

He says he was held for 5 hours at the border and fined $500 for the lotion -- and his DJ was also fined $500 for a small amount of cannabis gummies.

Law enforcement sources tell us the $10K was declared, and the weed was seized ... but nobody was arrested because it was such a small amount.

DaBaby is frowning on the flying phone assault Bebe Rexha just suffered ... and yet found a way to turn the topic into a plug for his new song. We can't front, it was pretty damn clever.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with the Diamond-selling rapper out in Bev Hills in the wake of Bebe’s comeback show following a fan hurling a phone, leaving her with stitches and a black eye.

DaBaby says it hurt his soul to hear about that kinda fan foul play.

He's no stranger to fan-on-artist violence himself ... he once had a shoe flung at him during Rolling Loud, but is now advocating for peace. Ya gotta see how he made a quick pivot from discussing onstage violence to his new 3-song EP “Call Da Fireman."

DaBaby suggests fans should never throw their phones, and instead offers a better alternative -- which is using them to push play on his project!!!

It's not exactly a cry for justice for Bebe, but it's a fact streaming music won’t leave anyone injured ... so, overall definitely a better option for phone usage.

On the justice tip, though, Nicolas Malvagna is facing felony assault charges. TMZ broke the story, his attorney says Malvagna never intended to harm Bebe when he threw his phone at her, and he was just hoping she'd use it to snap a selfie.

Tom Petty's family has cops taking a closer look at his wardrobe, at least the items that ended up on an auction block ... and we've learned it's a grand theft investigation.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the late singer's family members filed the report last week after discovering Tom's belongings were up for auction. They're pissed because, according to them, the items were last seen getting loaded into an L.A. storage unit.

We're told LAPD took a grand theft report and will now investigate the matter.

TMZ broke the story ... Tom's jackets, shoes, hats and clothes showed up in an RR Auction lot last month ... but then the family called foul, claiming Tom's gear was actually stolen.

The auction house says Tom's stuff was consigned by a third party to be auctioned starting June 22 ... and they say the gear is from Tom's former home in Encino, CA.

After Tom's family raised concerns, RR Auction pulled the items and told us they were "aggressively investigating the situation."

We reached out to the auction house regarding the new police report ... so far no word back.

As the man himself once sang, the waiting is the hardest part!

Amanda Bynes found herself in police custody again this weekend -- she was just thrown into handcuffs for another mental health evaluation ... this amid her ongoing struggles.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bynes was intercepted by LAPD officers Saturday morning after a call came in for a woman who was in distress. That woman, as we've learned, is Bynes. We're told she was taken to a police station where a professional medical unit was standing by to check her out and determine if she needed further treatment.

As you can see, as part of this process ... Amanda was detained. Eyewitnesses tell us she was calm during the interaction with cops, and looked defeated as they dealt with her. We're told she was placed in the back of one of the 3 cruisers that arrived to her location.

It's unclear if Amanda was escorted out of her home, or if she was just found on the street here. We also don't know if she was ultimately taken to a hospital for a full-blown 5150 hold, or if she was released by LAPD. We're working on getting more info now.

This latest stumble follows a downward spiral the former Nick star has been on since being admitted into a mental hospital earlier this year -- this after she was found roaming the streets of DTLA completely naked, at which point she was placed on a psych hold.

Amanda has since been released from that mental health facility, but we've heard from people with direct knowledge that she hasn't been doing so great in the aftermath of that.

As we've reported ... AB has been living alone and doesn't have many people in her orbit. She tends to keep to herself, and we're told her attitude lately has been despondent. However, we do hear she's been good about taking her meds and seeing therapists.

Of course, her on-again-off-again fiance, Paul Michael, told us they split about a week before her breakdown in the spring ... and it doesn't appear they're back together at this point.

The larger backdrop to all of this is Amanda having been released from her multi-year conservatorship in 2022. Leading up to that, she appeared to be doing quite well for herself -- attending fashion school and seeming focused and relatively healthy amid a career change.

Pete Davidson has officially been charged with reckless driving after smashing his car into a Beverly Hills home earlier this year.

The 'SNL' alum was charged with one count of reckless driving Friday by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office, about 3 months after the crash.

TMZ broke the story, law enforcement sources told us Pete and his gf Chase Sui Wonders were involved in the crash March 4 around 11 PM. Pete was behind the wheel of a Mercedes, and allegedly driving fast through a residential street when he lost control and smacked into the home.

It's unclear how Pete lost control, but sources familiar said he hopped the curb and took out a fire hydrant before hitting the side of the house ... thankfully, no one was hurt.

At the time, cops didn't believe drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash. Pete was not arrested, either.

We spoke to the homeowner of the property Pete hit who told us his 16-year-old daughter was "a bit" traumatized after the close call. He did mention he's got no beef with Pete, though -- and had no intention to slap a lawsuit on the comedian.

A spokesperson for the DA's office tells us, "Luckily, no one was seriously injured as a result of this collision. We know that reckless driving can have devastating consequences. In 2022, traffic fatalities in Los Angeles have reached the highest levels seen in 20 years. This is an alarming trend that we cannot ignore. As a result, it's crucial that we take all allegations of reckless driving seriously and hold those responsible accountable."

As for possible punishment -- reckless can carry a sentence of up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine and a knock on your driver's license.

Boosie Badazz is getting some heat for showing up to support YNW Melly in his double homicide trial from one of the alleged victim's fathers ... accusing Boosie of being a cheerleader for murder.

Christopher Thomas Sr., the father of YNW Juvy, one of the two men Melly is accused of killing, lashed out at Boosie for supporting Melly, someone he doesn't even know!!!

Chris says Boosie should focus his attention on his ex-friend Marlo Mike, who was sentenced to life in Baton Rouge

The trial's getting deeper already. Christopher Sr. has a daughter who's the sister of both YNW Juvy and Melly's alleged co-conspirator ... YNW Bortlen.

Nicki Minaj is the victim of a swatting prank ... one the Sheriff's Dept. says involved a caller falsely claiming Nicki's child was being abused, but also -- that her house was up in flames.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the attempted swatting went down earlier this month when child services got an anonymous call alleging child abuse at Nicki's L.A.-area home.

We're told sheriff's deputies rolled up to Nicki's place around 6 PM Monday, but after speaking with her and her husband Kenneth Petty ... and looking at their almost 3-year-old child, determined there was no abuse and everything was kosher.

Our sources say deputies chalked it up to a swatting call, and officers want everyone to know these sorts of calls are a huge waste of time and resources.

BTW, that wasn't the only thing being falsely reported about Nicki on this particular night -- sources with direct knowledge tell us another call came in around 3 AM to report that her home was on fire ... something that was also found to be completely untrue. In other words, 2 bogus calls came in a span of about 24 hours -- which is pretty jarring on its face.

For the uninitiated, swatting is a form of prank call where the goal is to get a big police response at someone's home ... and it's a growing problem for cops around the country.

Nicki's not the only celeb dealing with swatting calls. As we first reported, it's recently happened to YouTuber Adin Ross and influencer Madison Beer.

We've seen thieves in action at stores across the country in some pretty wild clips -- but these two are taking it to another level -- using a stun gun to get away with a cart full of goods.

The wild video, shot Wednesday in the middle of the day at a Marshalls in Studio City shows a pair of women trying to leave with a cart full of stolen merch -- you see the building's security guard tried his best to stop them ... and that's when things escalate.

One woman pulls out a stun gun, and you hear the snapping and popping during the tug-o-war as she threatens the security guard with the weapon. During the melee, you hear a woman's voice yell at him to back up, and scream, "You can't touch us!"

Unclear if the guard actually gets zapped ... but it certainly appears like the weapon makes contact at one point. A witness tells us the guard also seemed to have been injured.

Finally, the guard gives up ... and the two women shuffle away with the stolen goods before loading them into their car and taking off.

Law enforcement sources tell us the two women were long gone by the time cops got to the scene, but the incident is being investigated as a robbery because the stun gun is a weapon.

"Good Times" star and "America's Dad" John Amos was left fighting for his life in the hospital after falling victim to elder abuse and possible financial crimes ... according to his daughter.

Shannon Amos just made the shocking announcement, saying she got a distressing call from her dad last month ... who informed her he was in the hospital in Memphis. Shannon says she was able to get John on a quick FaceTime -- as she was out of the country -- before his pain became unbearable.

Shannon says in the last few weeks, the Amos family has learned the 83-year-old, "Had fallen victim to elder abuse and financial exploitation."

She doesn't give details as to who is involved -- only saying a "caregiver" -- or what exactly happened to Amos, but does note, "His home had been violated, stripped of anything valuable." She also says the family is working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and cops to get justice.

In an attempt to help her dad's recovery and help bring those allegedly responsible to justice, Shannon's set up a GoFundMe with a $500k goal. Shannon says the money will be used for John's care, legal fees, and aftercare.

While many would say John's biggest role was James in "Good Times," he also starred in "Roots" and was on "The West Wing."

We've reached out to Shannon for additional details ... so far, no word back.

Adam DeVine has a horrifying story to tell about a poker party turning tragic in the Hollywood Hills -- a man was shot and killed, with Adam and his wife just across the street.

The "Pitch Perfect" star shared his experience during a live taping of the "This Is Important" podcast Wednesday night with his "Workaholics" costars Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck -- and it might not have been the best setting for such a serious tale.

Adam says he was chillin' on a balcony at home with his wife Chloe Bridges when the murder happened just across the way from him, leaving him in shock.

Adam says he called it, too -- believing some "dastardly s***" was happening at the boujee poker party. Of course, the podcast hosts and crowd still found the ordeal a little funny, with Blake punching up the story with sound effects. Actually, it seems like the crowd thought Adam was doing a bit.

He didn't get into specifics about the crime, but KTLA reported 39-year-old Emil Lahaziel was gunned down just after 2 AM Wednesday morning at a Hollywood Hills poker party.

It's unclear if Adam actually witnessed the shooting ... if he did, he left that part out.

Lauryn Hill shocked fans at the 2023 Roots Picnic by using her headlining performance to orchestrate a mini-reunion with the Fugees ... a complete and total surprise for Pras, who we've learned was shocked at the request to join his former bandmates.

A rep for Pras tells TMZ Hip Hop he was able to make the performance happen last minute, as he's currently awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of conspiracy and fraud in April.

Pras' admiration for his Fugees bandmates Lauryn and Wyclef Jean runs deep ... he considers them family and their longtime bond paid off for Sunday night's impromptu Roots Picnic performance.

We're told the invitation to perform was so sudden, there was no time for rehearsal ... but the legendary hip hop trio managed to belt out 6 songs from the classic multi-platinum album "The Score" for the crowd.

Due to Pras' looming sentencing, a lot of people think this was the Fugees' final performance for a long time, but not necessarily.