Crime

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith and his family were reportedly robbed at gunpoint after arriving in Los Angeles earlier this week ... but thankfully, the team says everyone is now safe.

The 32-year-old former Super Bowl champ and his family arrived at LAX with his family Tuesday night ... and were followed to their hotel, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec.

Once the group arrived at the hotel, the report says they were robbed at gunpoint ... but no one was injured during the incident.

We're working on getting more information regarding the incident.

The Ravens released a statement Friday saying they've been in touch with the former first-round pick and have confirmed he and his family are doing okay.

"We are aware of the situation involving Jimmy Smith," the team said Friday. "We have spoken with Jimmy, and he and him family are safe."

Smith -- who grew up in Southern California -- has been with the Ravens for 10 seasons, signing a 1-year deal for $6 million last March.

Lori Loughlin's out of prison, and now she wants the right to leave U.S. soil, but there's a hitch.

The "Full House" star's legal team filed new docs, asking the court to order the return of her passport -- which her lawyers say is currently in the possession of the United States Pretrial Services Office.

Lori had to surrender her passport during her criminal case stemming from the college admissions scandal, but now that she's served her 2-month prison sentence she's looking to get that puppy back in her hands.

Remember ... Lori flew back home in a private jet after spending 2 months at California's FCI Dublin ... so she's definitely the jet-setting type.

The docs say Uncle Sam does not object to returning her passport -- so it's just a matter of time before she gets it back. Once she does, Lori will be in the same boat as a lot of us ... wondering where she can safely travel in the middle of the pandemic.

Lori won't be crossing any borders with her husband just yet, though ... Mossimo Giannulli's still behind bars. He's set to complete his 5-month sentence in April.

Bruce Springsteen was glassy-eyed, swaying and reeked of booze when he was arrested for DWI ... at least according to cops.

According to legal docs, an officer watched Bruce take a shot of Patron Tequila, hop on his motorcycle and start the engine back on November 14. The officer says he informed Bruce drinking was prohibited in that area of Sandy Hook, NJ ... and observed the 750 ml bottle of Patron was empty.

Springsteen allegedly told the cop he was about to ride out of the park -- Gateway National Recreation Area -- even though he'd admitted to having 2 shots of tequila in the last 20 minutes.

The officer says Bruce smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were glassy, so he put the Boss through a field sobriety test, during which he was swaying, and took 45 steps when he was only asked to take 18. Cops say he refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.

TMZ broke the story ... the rock icon was cited for DWI, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. There have been reports claiming Springsteen's BAC was only .02, far below the legal limit, however, cops can bust you for DWI based on other factors ... such as field sobriety testing or observing erratic driving. As we said, Bruce refused a breathalyzer test and the documents do not indicate he was tested after being arrested.

The Buffalo police officers who violently shoved an elderly man to the ground during the George Floyd protests are off the hook ... they won't be indicted for felony assault.

Erie County D.A. John J. Flynn announced Thursday a Grand Jury decided not to hand up an indictment in the case against Buffalo PD officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe.

As we reported ... Martin Gugino was hospitalized after the push and shove caught on video last June, and his lawyer claimed he suffered a fractured skull and couldn't walk.

Torgalski and McCabe, meanwhile, were suspended, arrested ... and the D.A. charged them with 2nd-degree felony assault. However, the Grand Jury's "no bill" decision means the charges are now dismissed.

You'll recall ... former President Trump suggested -- without a shred of evidence -- Martin had ties to Antifa and went to the protest to cause dissent and chaos. Martin denied being part of Antifa at the time, and now the D.A. says any notion the elderly man is part of the group is "utter nonsense."

Andy Reid's son, Britt Reid, is no longer a member of the K.C. Chiefs coaching staff, this just days after he was involved in a car crash that critically injured a 5-year-old.

35-year-old Britt -- who was a linebacker coach with the Chiefs -- was initially placed on leave after Thursday's accident ... and now ESPN reports his contract has since expired and the team did not make an effort to renew it.

In other words, he's out.

As we previously reported, cops say Reid admitted to drinking alcohol and taking Adderall allegedly smashing into 2 parked cars that were pulled over on the side of a highway on-ramp. The crash occurred just minutes from Arrowhead Stadium in K.C.

Two children were injured in the wreck -- including a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old little girl, who suffered brain damage and has not regained consciousness since the accident.

Britt Reid did not travel with the Chiefs to Super Bowl LV in Tampa this past weekend ... though it was clear the incident took a toll on his father in those critical hours before the big game.

After the Chiefs lost to the Bucs, Andy Reid spoke about the accident ... saying, "My heart goes out to all those who were involved in the accident, particularly the family with the little girl who's fighting for her life."

Kevin Hart's personal shopper took that title way too literally, according to prosecutors ... who say the guy swindled Kev out of more than a million bucks.

Dylan Syer was in a NYC court Wednesday for his arraignment for grand larceny and 9 other counts ... after he allegedly used Kevin's credit card info to launder cash into his own account, and then burn through it.

Queens County D.A. Melinda Katz says Syer built trust with Kevin, when he was hired in 2015, by making legit, authorized purchases on behalf of Kevin. However, Katz claims Syer started siphoning off hundreds of thousands from Hart's credit cards, depositing the dough into his own bank account.

He wasn't saving for a rainy day, either -- Syer allegedly spent lavishly on himself. All in all, prosecutors say Kevin was defrauded out of nearly $1.2 mil over nearly 2 years. Much of that was allegedly used to buy pricey jewelry, watches, art, collectibles and luxury handbags.

The D.A. says Syer's haul included 5 Patek Philippe watches worth more than $400k, a Sam Friedman painting, at least 16 Bearbrick collectible dolls, 5 KAWS collectible dolls and 2 Louis Vuitton bags.

Bruce Springsteen is in the middle of a DWI case after he was busted in his home state ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the Boss was arrested on November 14 at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ. Springsteen was cited for DWI, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area. He'll have a court appearance coming in the next few weeks.

We're told the rock icon was cooperative throughout the arrest. As far as we can tell, this is his first arrest for DWI.

The DWI news comes on the heels of a different first for Bruce -- he was featured in his first-ever commercial on Super Bowl Sunday for Jeep. The 2-minute ad featured Bruce in an unspecified middle America type town ... offering his patriotic vision and a message of hope.

We've reached out to Springsteen's camp for comment, but no word back yet.

Alleah Taylor is revealing the disturbing injury photos taken after she was brutally attacked by NFL lineman Chad Wheeler ... and she's explaining why he needs to be locked up in prison.

Taylor appeared on "CBS This Morning" and told reporter Jericka Duncan the injuries she suffered during the Jan. 22 incident at their Washington apartment will require treatment for the rest of her life.

"I still have to regularly get my concussion checked. I have bolts and a steel plate I'm gonna have forever in my arm. I'm gonna have to deal with this the rest of my life."

As we previously reported, Taylor claims Wheeler -- who played for the Seattle Seahawks at the time -- "snapped" and got violent with her in an apparent manic episode. They had been dating for roughly 6 months at the time.

She claims Wheeler had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder before the attack but had recently stopped taking his medicine.

During the attack, Taylor says the NFL player demanded she "bow down" to him -- and when she refused, he beat and choked her within an inch of her life.

Cops eventually arrived and subdued Wheeler after an intense physical struggle. He was arrested and hit with multiple domestic violence charges.

When asked if she thinks Wheeler's actions were triggered by a mental health episode, she told CBS, "To be honest, I don't know."

She continued, "He went and ate dinner after he did this to me. And he didn’t take the same approach with the cops as he did with me."

Wheeler is facing up to 12 years in prison if convicted on domestic violence charges.

Taylor was asked if she thinks Wheeler should do time and replied, "Yes, I definitely do think that he should."

Taylor says she's "beyond grateful" to be alive -- and feels god blessed her with a second chance at life.

"I want to try to use the time I've been blessed with to help other people and to get this story out and to make sure people don't feel alone and to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" became a $100k nightmare for one Texas woman, who told cops she was hoodwinked into forking over a fortune to someone passing as the singer.

The alleged victim was 63 when she told cops in Houston she made an IG account in 2018, and connected with someone claiming to be Bruno. She says the person developed an online relationship with her and eventually asked for cash.

Of course, as is oftentimes the case with these stories, she says she cut a couple of checks and put 'em in the mail, as instructed -- one for $10k, and another $90k.

Police say the money found its way into the bank account of one Chinwendu Azuonwu -- a local man who was taken into custody on money laundering charges, along with an alleged accomplice, Basil Amadi, who's facing similar charges. Both men were in court this week.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, 2 cashier's checks were made out to "Chi Autos" at the behest of the fake Bruno, to cover “tour expenses” ... that's what he told the woman, anyway. She says he also told her he was leaving the tour to come be with her.

Cops told local news outlets they believe these men may be low-level crooks working for scammers overseas -- and are hoping they cooperate to help uncover a potentially bigger criminal ring.

Cleveland Browns stars Rashard "Hollywood" Higgins and Jedrick Wills, Jr. just caught a break in their drag racing incident ... with both players pleading guilty to lesser charges of speeding on Tuesday.

As we previously reported ... 26-year-old Higgins and 21-year-old Wills were cited for drag racing in Westlake, OH on Jan. 5 ... just days before the Browns' first playoff game in nearly 2 decades.

During the stop, police claim they found a marijuana joint in Higgins' pocket ... which the wide receiver was instructed to destroy on camera, as one cop claimed it would be "bad for press."

During Wills' stop, the lineman admitted he and Higgins were "just being d*ckheads."

While the players' attorney initially claimed they would both plead not guilty to the drag racing charges, TMZ Sports has confirmed Higgins and Wills both pleaded guilty to lesser charges of speeding.

Both players paid $250 fines to wrap things up -- which seems like a pretty good deal considering the more serious punishment they could have received if convicted on the drag racing charges.

Julius Jones has another shot at freedom, which is why Vic Mensa is trying to get maximum attention on the death row case ... and setting up a face-to-face meeting with him.

We spoke to the Chicago rapper about his newest song, 'SHELTER,' which references Julius directly ... while also touching on police shootings in the Black community. He said it was important for him to get the message out now, because there's a lot on the line in March.

Not too long from now, Julius will have another hearing with the parole board in Oklahoma, which has the power to grant him clemency and save his life. Vic tells us he's actually heading down to the state penitentiary to speak with Julius, and lift his spirits.

Vic says his plan is to raise awareness and put pressure on Oklahoma government officials, including Gov. Kevin Stitt. He's open to meeting with Kim K too ... who also went down to death row to visit Julius last year, and has been advocating for his freedom.

BTW, check out Vic's anecdote about how he became aware of Julius' case ... in what sounds like true fate. Apparently, Julius was well aware of Vic before the latter took up his cause.

In case you hadn't heard, Julius was arrested at age 19 in 1999 in connection to the shooting death of a white man ... for which he was ultimately tried and convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death, but Julius has maintained his innocence since day 1.

YFN Lucci is back on the outside after being arrested for murder -- but a judge is imposing limitations to keep him from booking it outta town, or hurting anyone.

Photos and video emerged Monday of the Atlanta rapper getting sprung from jail -- where he'd been in custody since turning himself in last month. He seems happy to be free, for now, but he had to drop a bundle ... a $500k bond to get released.

Once the money was posted, a jail rep says Lucci was cut loose around 4 PM ET -- and he left with a long list of rules he must abide by until his next hearing.

For starters, he has to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor while living in an undisclosed location -- and he needs to be at that place between 7 PM and 7 AM.

Outside of those hours, the only thing he can do is meet up with legal counsel for his case, take care of medical appointments and see his kids.

Lucci's also not allowed to have contact with any alleged victims, witnesses or co-defendants in the case ... nor can he associate with any known gang members or convicted felons. He can't even post on social media, although his pals made sure to get video of his release on the Internet.

Lucci's attorney, Drew Findling, tells us, "The bond was negotiated last week and finalized today. He was released just before 4 pm. There are a variety of conditions which is somewhat consistent with these cases, which included surrendering his passport."

Kodak Black is extending his charitable streak by reaching out to the families of the FBI agents killed in the line of duty this week in Florida.

TMZ has learned the Florida rapper -- fresh out of prison after his Presidential pardon -- had his attorney, Bradford Cohen, send a letter to the FBI Miami Division offering to pay college tuition for the children of the 2 agents fatally shot in Sunrise, FL.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Cohen says Kodak knows what it's like to lose loved ones and grow up in a single-parent home, and he wants to make sure the mourning families don't ever have to worry about sending their kids to college.

Kodak's attorney says he has a friend in the FBI's Miami office who told him special agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger each have minor children -- and Cohen relayed that to KB.

The agents were serving search warrants Tuesday when they were killed and 3 other agents were injured.

Alfin is survived by a 3-year-old child and Schwartzenberger is survived by a 4-year-old and a 9-year-old.

We don't know if the families will accept Kodak's offer -- we've reached out to the FBI, but no word back.

A cop in Ontario, Canada viciously attacked a skateboarder who was begging for help, and it's all on video.

20-year-old Skyler Kent had apparently run a red light in front of police, so they pulled him over and he was given a ticket. The officers then went after Kent for a second time, and he was tackled by one of the cops, and that's where the video starts.

You hear Skyler repeatedly scream, "Get off of me!" as he is smothered in cop. The officer implores Skyler to stop resisting, to which he responds ... he's not resisting.

The cop orders Skyler to put his hands behind his back and then puts a taser to his head and warns, "You want this? I'll light you up!"

As bystanders plead for the cop to stop hurting the skateboarder, the cop screams, "Roll on your stomach!" The officer appears to slam the taser at Skyler's head. Another officer then comes and flips Skyler over. The first cop then grabs Skyler's hair and slams his face into the pavement. It's just brutal.

Now get this ... Skyler was charged with causing a disturbance and assault with attempt to resist arrest.

The Police Chief said the cop in question has been "reassigned to alternate duties" pending the outcome of an investigation, adding the video is "concerning."

Rapper Casanova is in even more trouble after busting a move behind bars.

The 34-year-old rapper is in Westchester County Jail in New York in connection with a gang-related racketeering case.

A woman recorded him accepting the "Junebug Challenge" during a video visit. Gotta say, the TikTok challenge is to do a dance in strange locations, so Casanova clearly checked that box.

Jail officials didn't see it that way, and now he's facing discipline. Westchester County Correction Commissioner Joseph Spano says Casanova's video visitation privileges have been yanked ... turns out recording videos and taking pics during a visit are prohibited.

That's not Casanova's only problem ... he faces another disciplinary charge for not wearing a mask during the video visit.

Casanova has pled not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearms possession.

The SoulCycle instructor who described herself as an "educator" in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine may have committed a crime ... but we've learned it's unlikely she'll be charged.

Stacey Griffith's looking at a possible perjury charge -- or a charge of offering a false instrument for filing -- if it's shown she knowingly submitted a false statement on the vaccine eligibility form ... this according to the New York State Dept. of Health.

Both charges are misdemeanors, and if convicted ... she'd face up to 1 year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.

A law enforcement source connected to the matter tells TMZ ... it would be rare for prosecutors to charge someone with a crime under these circumstances.

Our source says Griffith could easily make the case she thought she legitimately qualified for the vaccine. In other words, she is a teacher ... and although her conduct clearly violates the spirit of the rules ... it probably falls short of criminality.

As we reported ... Griffith caught flak after sharing a since-deleted photo of herself getting the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, while most school teachers have still not been vaccinated in NY.

She apologized afterward, claiming to have made a "terrible error in judgment."