Crime

One of the most notorious insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol with zip ties in his hand has now been arrested ... he's also been ID'd, and hails from Tennessee.

The FBI arrested 30-year-old Eric Munchel Sunday in Nashville -- this after confirming his identity on social media and elsewhere as the man who infiltrated the Senate chamber with a handful of plastic zip ties, wearing tactical gear. Charges have yet to be announced.

Social media sleuths tracked him down fast and pointed out he worked at a bar in Nashville. He's also apparently a big supporter of the Back the Blue cause ... there are several photos of him with a black and blue American flag on his now-deactivated Facebook page.

Oh, and he's also a big gun nut too ... there are photos of him with shotguns, handguns and semi-automatics. It also appears he's participated in local demonstrations in Nashville, decrying the COVID shutdowns at different points in 2020, and wearing bulletproof vests.

Speaking of weapons, the FBI reportedly recovered several weapons from Munchel during his arrest -- no word yet on whether any of the zip ties in question were recovered. Munchel was booked at Metro Nashville jail Sunday afternoon and is now being processed.

He was one of the rioters that the feds really wanted -- as there are operating theories he and others had plans to take U.S. lawmakers hostage (or worse) if given the opportunity.  AOC made it clear Sunday ... the goal of these rioters may have been to kill members of Congress.

A Proud Boys leader is now in federal custody after taking part in the Capitol siege and then claiming he was there as a reporter ... something law enforcement clearly ain't buying.

Nicholas Ochs -- who heads up the Hawaii faction of the far-right extremist group -- was arrested by FBI agents after touching down at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu ... this following his trip to D.C. to storm the Capitol.

According to an unsealed indictment, the feds are charging Ochs with unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds -- and they cite evidence they say Ochs himself laid out on social media and CNN ... the later to whom he made the ridiculous "journalist" comment.

The day after the insurrection, he claimed he was there working as a professional journalist, seemingly saying he had a right to be there and was not part of the riot. He also said he didn't break in ... he simply entered without incident.

Adding insult to injury ... the guy also posted a photo of him smoking a cigarette with a buddy, with a caption attached that reads, "Hello from the Capital lol."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says those involved in the Capitol coup attempt could easily have killed dozens of U.S. lawmakers ... so she's in no mood for calls to forgive and forget.

AOC is strongly vocalizing the fears she and her colleagues in Congress had -- that the insurrectionists came with deadly intentions. She told ABC on Sunday ... "We came close to half of the House nearly dying on Wednesday."

The Congresswoman was among those hurriedly evacuated when the mob first breached the Capitol ... and she's clearly referring to photos of rioters with zip ties, and the fact cops found explosive devices around the Capitol.

Her point is this was no peaceful protest, and everyone involved has to be prosecuted for the country to begin healing. AOC said, "We must have accountability because without it, it will happen again."

Miya Ponsetto's October DUI (the second such arrest in 4 months) was filmed by bystanders ... and yes, it's about as wild as we've come to expect, ending with this rant to cops: "There are gang members killing people right now and you're arresting a girl?"

TMZ has obtained video of Miya's arrest Oct. 3 in Ventura County -- for which she was charged with DUI, resisting arrest and obstructing/delaying a peace officer or EMT -- and the accusations against her seem pretty solid ... because she was absolutely out of control.

An eyewitness tells us ... the drama started when Miya and her mom, Nicole, stopped on the side of a road ... screaming and cussing at each other while outside of their Range Rover.

The witness says she tried seeing if they needed help, but Miya got back in the car and demanded her mom do the same ... at which point, the witness says they recklessly drove off. The witness called the cops and tailed them, fearing Miya might've been intoxicated by the way she was driving. Eventually, they all pulled into a gas station.

That's where things hit the fan, especially when cops showed up. They attempted to detain Miya, who threw a fit the entire time ... demanding to see a warrant, demanding to know what she'd done wrong, insulting the officers, squirming around to avoid cuffs ... everything.

You can watch for yourself and make up your own mind -- but her actions here are certainly in line with other behavior of hers on camera ... be it at the Arlo Hotel or with Gayle King.

Cops say they eventually were able to get a reading on her blood alcohol level -- .14, nearly twice the legal limit.

Remember, this is Miya's second arrest -- she was hit with the first DUI in Malibu (where she was also allegedly combative) back in May and pled no contest, so she was on probation. Getting arrested and charged with DUI could be enough for her to do jail time ... not to mention her NYC case. BTW ... there's also a pending case where she was charged with being drunk in public at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills.

Of course, Miya's now on the East Coast, where she faces a slew of charges for attacking Keyon Harrold's 14-year-old son and accusing him of stealing her phone. She was in Court Saturday for arraignment but did not enter a plea. She was then released from custody.

There's more evidence that the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol had inside help.

TMZ broke the story ... the FBI believes there are people who work in the Capitol who may have assisted rioters in navigating the building ... in many cases without resistance.

Congressman Jim Clyburn had his office looted ... we know an iPad was stolen. We're told the Congressman, who has been sharply critical of Trump, is angry that the rioters found his office, which does NOT have a nameplate ... the door is unmarked, yet the rioters somehow picked that door as opposed to hundreds of others.

High-ranking Capitol police sources say Clyburn and other members believe someone from the inside must have helped located key offices.

As we reported, the FBI is especially suspicious of the way rioters zeroed in on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. It's virtually impossible to find in the maze, yet the rioters were inside her office within 11 minutes.

The FBI is looking to see if some Capitol cops were involved in helping the rioters. We're told authorities are looking at cell phone data -- especially from cell phones of the hundreds of officers who were off duty -- to see if they were in the building at the time of the riot. We're told the FBI is also looking at other staff who work in the building.

Arnold Schwarzenegger just delivered a stirring message to the country, warning people, remnants of Nazi Germany that he saw have a striking similarity to what we all just saw.

Arnold displayed the Conan sword and used it as a metaphor to describe how the United States can triumph over the Capitol rioters who want to tear this country apart. You gotta hear his description ... it rings true.

The former Cali Guv, who was born in Austria 2 years after the Nazis lost WWII, compared the Nazis to the rioters.

He talked about Kristallnacht -- The Night of Broken Glass -- where the Nazis went on a rampage against the Jews in 1938 and then said the Proud Boys were the Nazi equivalent.  He says last Wednesday was our Night of Broken Glass.

Arnold called the elected officials and other leaders who have been empowering Trump "spineless," saying they were too cowardly to stand up to the worst President in our history.

And, Arnold offered something interesting ... an understanding of what's behind the rioters.

He explained something he told Harvey during an episode of "Objectified," where he said as a child his dad was a failed Nazi supporter who lost the war, became a drunk and was physically abusive to young Arnold. He said his dad was like other dads in his neighborhood -- angry and abusive. He's clearly comparing the failed Nazis to the insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol.

This case is clearly not going to have any racial implication, despite the victim's family feeling race had everything to do with her actions. The D.A. never uttered the words that the 14-year-old boy was black. This underscores the prosecutor's decision not to charge Miya with a hate crime.

There's also this ... prosecutors briefly detail another incident in which Miya allegedly damaged an apartment door somewhere in NYC BEFORE her run-in with the Harrolds.

She's due back in court in the Big Apple on March 29 -- and don't forget, she's got a couple court dates lined up later this month as well here in Cali for two other pending cases.

Miya Ponsetto -- aka SoHo 'Karen' -- isn't going to court kicking and screaming the way she allegedly has when getting arrested ... this time cops made sure it wouldn't happen, with the help of a couple restraints.

Here's Miya being led out of an NYC police precinct in lower Manhattan Saturday by a couple of detectives who are escorting her to a waiting vehicle, which is set to take her to Manhattan Criminal Court ... where she's expected to be arraigned on a slew of charges.

Check out Miya ... she's obviously handcuffed, but her feet are shackled as well. She's also got a face mask on, a beanie, black leggings and Birkenstocks ... similar to what she wore when she attacked 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo, falsely claiming he stole her iPhone.

As for her feet being bound ... it's interesting. Miya's got a documented history of allegedly resisting arrest -- in fact, cops say she did exactly that when they picked her up most recently and extradited her to NYC. Time after time, she appears to put up a fight.

Miya's been rung up on a ton of charges -- including attempted robbery, grand larceny, acting in a manner injurious to a child and two counts of attempted assault -- but she hasn't been charged with a hate crime, which is telling.

Keyon Jr.'s parents and their attorney, Ben Crump, made it clear this week on 'TMZ Live' ... there are two justice systems in this country, and that Black people often get the short end of the stick when authorities pursue justice on their behalf. They want her charged with a hate crime.

As for Saturday's scheduled arraignment ... we're hearing she should appear before a judge sometime this evening. No word yet on whether Miya plans to enter a plea.

The insurrectionists at the Capitol were out to harm and possibly kill Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the video that has just surfaced makes this all pretty much undeniable.

New video has surfaced from Wednesday's attempted coup, and in one clip you hear a loud, chant ... "Hang Mike Pence, Hang Mike Pence ..."  Of course, Pence had made it clear just hours earlier ... he was going to certify Biden's victory.

The mob had the tools to make their chant a reality ... a full-on gallows scaffold, with a hanging noose attached.

And then, there's this video ... the mob going after Nancy Pelosi with a vengeance, trying to hunt her down in the Capitol, calling her a "bitch," a "traitor," and then they used the c-word. You hear a few mobsters order at Capitol cops, "Tell Pelosi we're coming for that bitch. Tell f***ing Pelosi we're coming for her."

Remember ... they found Pelosi's office in the Capitol maze in a New York minute, and that's one of the pieces of the puzzle the FBI is looking at ... the feds believe this could have been an inside job, where people who work at the building helped the rioters.

Of course, there's also the shot of the guy in tactical gear holding what appears to be a bunch of zip ties in hand. He actually made it onto the Senate floor, and seemed intent on using those things, given the opportunity.

And, there were bombs, guns, etc ... all the stuff killers use to execute their plan.

Shots of Capitol police officers letting pro-Trump rioters easily pass their line and facilitate the storming of the Capitol appears to be a practice that's been in place from sea to shining sea since at least December ... because something similar happened in Oregon.

Republican State Representative Mike Nearman was caught on surveillance video -- which was just released -- opening a side door to the Oregon State Capitol ... and then letting a sea of Trumpers in by allowing the door to slowly close behind, and never looking back.

This happened Dec. 21 during a special legislative session regarding COVID restrictions in the State, where pro-Trump demonstrators had gathered outside to protest shutdowns ... while literally banging on the glass doors trying to break their way in (just like at the U.S. Capitol).

Well, thanks to Rep. Nearman ... he made their breach a whole lot easier, because the guy literally pops open the door to the outside and casually passes the waiting mob -- which then proceed to storm inside. They were quickly met by cops and security, who pushed them back, but it looks like at least a few guys were able to get inside, if only for a bit.

The legislative session continued uninterrupted, and after a few invaders were arrested. Still ... things could've quickly turned left here. As for Nearman, he's been mum thus far about this -- refusing to respond to questions about it.

With a smoking gun as clear as this -- not to mention what we saw with our eyes just a few days ago in D.C. -- it's obvious that some people in power want to unleash mayhem.

The guy most everyone (infamously) remembers as the bare-chested insurrectionist with animal horns and face paint who stormed into the Capitol is now in federal custody.

Jacob Chansley -- more commonly known as Jake Angeli, per prosecutors -- was arrested Saturday in Phoenix on charges of knowingly entering/remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

He was arrested along with two other Arizona men, who officials say also stormed the premise. However, Chansley stands above the rest because of his wild outfit.

BTW, apparently, it was pretty easy to identify him ... prosecutors say they matched the guy's many photos from Wednesday with social media posts, including his YouTube channel. He also appears to have posed with one Rudy Giuliani not too long ago, this past November ... something Twitter users were quick to repost from his purported FB once it was deleted.

Not only that, but he even called the FBI and straight-up confessed to being the horned man everyone saw roaming around with a spear and flag, and desecrating the building.

According to prosecutors, Chansley said he came with other "patriots" because President Trump had instructed them to on Jan. 6 ... plain and simple. Prosecutors went on to say they're considering even more charges against Chansley.

Katy Perry's alleged stalker just missed a hearing in his trespassing case, and will suffer consequences, but the scarier part for Katy is he remains on the loose.

According to L.A. County Court records, William Edward Terry was charged on Wednesday with one count of trespassing for a September incident at the singer's Beverly Hills home. His arraignment was set for Friday ... but Terry was a no-show.

The L.A. City Attorney tells us the court issued a bench warrant for Terry's failure to appear. As we first reported, he allegedly terrorized the hell out of Katy and her newborn daughter in September when he hopped the fence and got onto her property.

The 38-year-old had been posting lewd messages on social media for months ... before showing up at Katy's home. Her security apprehended him and held him until cops showed up to arrest him for trespassing.

Here's an up-close and graphic view of the kind of violence police were facing as the mob stormed the Capitol -- an injured officer screaming for help as the rioters crushed him between a riot shield and a door.

The intense video captures the moment insurrectionists tried to bully their way inside the halls of Congress, clashing with the Capitol Police Department and leaving one officer on the front lines fighting for his life.

The cop was bleeding from his mouth as he was pinned against a door guarding the entrance to the west side of the Capitol. You could hear the mob yelling "heave ho" as they attempted to push through the police line -- and officers were swinging batons and deploying pepper spray to keep them back.

"Elizabeth from Knoxville" -- the woman who said she got maced storming the Capitol -- is being accused of using an onion to make it look like she was crying, but there could be a deeper, more ominous reason for the bulb -- that she and others were banking on violence at the Capitol.

Onions are an antidote to tear gas. They can relieve the burning sensation from the gas. It's been reported for several years that onions can be used for this purpose. So the question ... why was this woman armed with an onion?

As we reported ... the woman was interviewed as rioters were making their way into the Capitol Building, and claimed she got pushed out and maced. While crying and talking about a "revolution," she repeatedly kept dabbing her eyes with a towel.

The looming question is whether the invasion of the Capitol was premeditated or not. Did the rioters plan the attack or did it just happen? It's interesting ... if this were just a peaceful protest, why carry an onion?

There is other evidence the plan may have been to invade the Capitol. As we reported, one of the insurrectionists had zip ties ... and given the building was filled with members of Congress, it sure feels like someone might have been thinking in advance of taking hostages.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol was shocking, but photos of pro-Trump insurrectionists holding a bunch of zip-tie handcuffs show they might've planned to do much worse.

There were reports Wednesday some of the insurrectionists were prepared to occupy the Capitol throughout the night, and these zip tie pics suggest they were prepared to hold people -- perhaps Congressional leaders -- against their will.

At least 2 different men were seen holding the zip ties -- commonly used as disposable handcuffs -- inside the U.S. Senate Chamber after members of Congress were forced to flee due to the security breach.

On top of this ... we already know many members of the mob that invaded the Capitol were armed, willing to bust into offices and take whatever they wanted, and someone even left behind the threat, "Murder the media," by scratching it on a door.

And, don't forget -- D.C. cops also found explosives near the building that were safely detonated.

It's all potentially crucial evidence, as it could show President Trump wasn't spontaneously urging his amped-up followers to "show strength" and simply march to the Capitol -- it could show the attack was all a premeditated plan.

That means more serious charges for all the rioters, and possibly, for Trump once he's out of office.

Donald Trump was like a roadmap for the protesters who descended on D.C. Wednesday and wreaked havoc in the building that is the hallmark of our democracy, and as a result, he may have a new, non-presidential title -- criminal defendant.

Criminal defense lawyer Mike Cavalluzzi joins us on "TMZ Live" Friday to tick off the possible criminal charges Trump could face for inciting the crowd and encouraging them to wreak havoc in a building that is the foundation of our nation.

Mike zeroes in on the death of Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was part of the insurrection who was shot dead under the Capitol dome. There's something called felony murder ... that's when someone engages in or incites the commission of a violent felony in which someone dies.

The people who committed the initial felony -- even if they didn't fire the fatal shot -- could be charged with murder, and Trump's words and actions over the last 2 weeks arguably triggered the violent attempted coup that resulted in battery on police officers, vandalism and desecrating the hallowed structure.

Mike says Trump's words ... "You'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong." Well, that could be viewed by prosecutors as inciting a riot.

Tony Lopez -- one of the popular members of TikTok's Hype House -- used social media to "groom" and have sex with 2 teenage girls ... at least according to an explosive new lawsuit, but he denies the allegations.

The underage girls -- suing under the aliases H.L. Doe and C.H. Doe -- both claim 21-year-old Lopez first began communicating with them via text and social media despite knowing they were minors ... and say he tried to coerce them into meeting for sexual encounters.

H.L. alleges Lopez first lured her away from her friends on Jan. 4, 2020 and engaged in unlawful sexual acts with her ... including oral and vaginal sex. In the suit, the teen claims she told him she was 16 before that encounter, but later admitted she was really 15.

Even so, she alleges they had sex again on Jan. 19 at his place in Nevada -- and that Lopez told her not to take any pics with her phone because he wanted to keep their relationship secret.

The other accuser, C.H., claims she met Lopez in April 2020 when she was invited to the Hype House in L.A. by one of its founders, Thomas Petrou. She claims they exchanged text and Snapchat info, and Lopez -- knowing she was 16 -- almost immediately began soliciting nude photos or video from her.

C.H. alleges Lopez sent a photo of himself with the caption, "Show me your boobs," and repeatedly tried to coerce her into sending explicit photos or sneaking out to meet him to have sex.

She says she always declined, but according to the suit ... he allegedly sent her nude photos exposing his penis.

Both girls are suing Lopez for sexual battery and emotional distress. They're also suing Hype House and its founders -- including Petrou and Chase Hudson -- for negligence.

Lopez tells TMZ ... "These allegations are not at all true. I never sent nudes to these women and didn’t ask them to send me pictures either. And, I certainly wouldn’t have sex with someone who told me they were underage."