Crime

Rich the Kid's been arrested for possession of a concealed weapon at LAX ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the rapper was going through security at the airport Monday afternoon when a loaded firearm was discovered in his carry-on luggage. He was busted shortly after 1 PM PT, but it's unclear if cops have processed him yet.

The LAX arrest comes on the heels of a pretty rough 2020 that saw Rich get sued a few times -- by a management company, a jewelry store, and Fashion Nova.

The year before wasn't much better ... when he was the apparent target of a shooting attack at a West Hollywood studio -- and in 2018, he was badly injured in a home invasion.

The calendar change isn't helping Rich much ... not yet, anyway.

One of the alleged Capitol rioters was apparently a big fan of Hitler, or at least Hitler's facial hair ... so claim prosecutors, who say he grew a 'stache in the guy's image.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli is a former U.S. Army reservist and Naval contractor who reportedly had security clearance not too long ago at a military base in New Jersey.

In a legal filing opposing his release pending trial, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say they conducted interviews with Hale-Cusanelli's colleagues ... with many saying he fashioned a short mustache like Adolf's, and mimicked his 'do too.

There's a selfie of Hale-Cusanelli prosecutors offered up as well -- and yeah, it sure looks pretty Nazi-like.

There's more though ... the government says Hale-Cusanelli would go around asking guys on the base if they were Jewish, and allegedly said things like "Hitler should have finished the job" and other nasty comments about Jewish people, like wanting to eat them (Jews) for breakfast, lunch and dinner ... and using salt from their tears as seasoning.

He wants to be released as he awaits trial -- where he's slated to face a slew of charges for crimes in a Capitol building -- but the feds are pushing back ... arguing he's a risk to the community and pointing to him allegedly spewing Nazi ideology leading up to Jan. 6.

The feds acknowledge Hale-Cusanelli being an alleged racist/anti-Semite in and of itself doesn't warrant his detainment, but do say his extreme ideology led to his actions -- and does make him dangerous to the community.

This may be the slowest chase in police history ... San Diego cops went after a woman who allegedly stole a forklift, and she didn't have a fighting chance.

You see in the video cops ordering the driver to stop. The reality is ... they could have just casually walked up to the lift and subdued the driver, which is essentially what happened.

The woman was first spotted at a traffic light when she made a U-turn into a Ross parking lot. A bystander gave cops and assist by grabbing the keys out of the ignition.

Famous Dex claims he was held up at gunpoint ... telling cops robbers made off with his expensive timepiece and a fat stack of cash.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper told police he met up with a friend Wednesday night in the San Fernando Valley and borrowed a $50,000 watch for a video shoot. Dex claims he was followed after leaving with the watch.

Our sources say Dex told cops when he stopped his car a few men pulled guns on him. Dex claims the gunmen took the watch, plus thousands of dollars in cash, and then took off.

Dex is known to carry lots of cash ... when we ran into him a couple years ago in Atlanta, he dropped a ton of money on a hotel lobby floor.

The woman who is about to be arrested for coughing on and attacking an Uber driver has proven to be just as dangerous when she's in the driver's seat.

Arna Kimiai has once again incriminated herself, this time with a video she shot last June behind the wheel of a McLaren sports car ... hitting speeds topping 122 MPH. Kimiai is more focused on posing for the camera than safe driving -- blasting music, losing her ponytail and claiming, "This sh** is getting too colossal."

Speaking of colossal ... Kimiai became infamous this week after a video of her and one other friend assaulting and coughing on an Uber driver went viral ... telling him they had COVID-19, and that got the attention of San Francisco cops.

One of the passengers from the video, Malaysia King, in red, was arrested Thursday for assault with a caustic chemical, assault and battery, conspiracy and for violating health and safety code.

"I will cut up your family ... Dismember [them] alive."

Federal prosecutors say a sports gambler sent this threat and other heinous ones to MLB players over social media back in 2019 ... and now, the guy is facing up to 5 years in prison over it all.

The man's name is Benjamin Tucker Patz, a 24-year-old from Napa, Calif. who federal investigators claim is a sports better who made violent threats to professional athletes during and after their games.

According to a plea agreement between Patz and prosecutors, Patz pled guilty on Wednesday to one count of sending a threat across state lines.

Prosecutors say he sent disturbing messages to both the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on July 20, 2019.

In the docs, prosecutors say toward the end of the Sox-Rays game ... Patz went on Instagram and fired off messages that included threats to "sever" a player's neck.

Some of the messages prosecutors say Patz sent included, "I will enter your home while you sleep ... And sever your neck open."

Others, prosecutors say, read, "I will kill your entire family ... Everyone you love will soon cease."

The maximum sentence Patz is facing is up to 5 years behind bars ... but prosecutors agreed to recommend a lighter sentence based on Patz’s acceptance of responsibility.

Still, the final sentence will be up to the judge.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, prosecutors said.

There's more ... in other documents in the case, obtained by the Associated Press, investigators claim Patz also sent threats to the Rams and Patriots after their Super Bowl in '19.

Melvin Gordon pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge Wednesday -- stemming from a DUI arrest back in October, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 27-year-old running back was initially arrested for drunk driving and speeding during an Oct. 13 incident in Denver.

But prosecutors have formally dropped the two DUI charges against Gordon, who ultimately pled guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving.

A rep for Gordon tells TMZ Sports the DUI charges were dropped due to "a lack of evidence."

A Denver County court official tells us Gordon appeared before a judge via a video conference call on Wednesday to close out the case.

Per the official, Gordon agreed to pay a $478.50 fine and to complete 12 hours of community service.

The Denver Broncos running back was facing jail time after investigators had initially said he was driving drunk and speeding late at night on Oct. 13, 2020.

In police documents, cops claimed Gordon was clocked doing 71 MPH in a 35 MPH zone ... and reeked of booze during ensuing questioning.

Cops also said Melvin had slurred speech, watery eyes and trouble maintaining his balance.

The people who stole Lady Gaga's 2 French Bulldogs and shot her dogwalker may have been part of a gang initiation, and the woman who found the dogs hasn't received her $500,000 reward because cops have not yet cleared her ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say ... cops told Gaga NOT to pay the reward she offered unless, and until, they determine the finder had no involvement in the crime. We're told cops don't believe the woman was part of the dognapping, but they're trying to figure out if she had any involvement after the fact.

Again, they don't know she's involved, but they're investigating. We're told Gaga is more than willing to pay the woman if she's cleared by cops.

What's more ... our sources say cops believe the dognapping and shooting of the dogwalker may have been a gang initiation. We're told there have been similar crimes in the L.A.-area recently, and this may well have been the M.O. in the Gaga case.

It's interesting ... if you look at the surveillance video of the crime, Ryan Fischer, the dogwalker, was not even near the dogs when he was shot in the chest. The dogs were to the other side of the dognappers. They could easily have just put the dogs in the car and taken off, yet they chose to shoot Ryan. That lends credence to the gang initiation theory.

Three people attempted to break into Kenta Maeda's L.A.-area home Sunday night, but fortunately for the star MLB pitcher, his alarm system thwarted the suspects before they could get in.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... at around 7:19 PM, three people smashed in windows at Maeda's Santa Monica residence, trying to gain entry to the place.

But, we're told the trio was NOT able to get into the home ... after they were scared off by a home security system.

We're told the alarm company notified cops ... and it appears nobody was home at the time of the attempted break-in.

Cops tell us they've since launched an investigation into the incident.

Maeda is coming off his best season as a pro -- in his 1st year with the Minnesota Twins in 2020, he piled up a 6-1 record and a 2.70 ERA and finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young vote to Shane Bieber.

Maeda began his MLB career with the L.A. Dodgers ... winning 47 games in four seasons before the team traded him to Minnesota in 2020.

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, won't ever have to worry about facing charges over the raid on his home that left his girlfriend dead ... because a judge has deemed it so.

Judge Olu Stevens of Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky handed down the ruling Monday that the criminal charges Kenneth was originally facing in the immediate aftermath -- assault and attempted murder of an officer -- would be dismissed with prejudice.

That means they can't be filed against him again. A motion to dismiss with prejudice was recently filed by Jefferson Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine ... who said no new evidence had come to light that he felt could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kenneth knew he was shooting at cops on that fateful night.

Wine had already filed to dismiss the charges without prejudice almost a full year ago ... but he left the door open to possibly re-charge him, pending further investigation. Now, he -- and more importantly, a judge -- have closed the book on the issue.

At the heart of it is the lingering unanswered question about whether Louisville PD officers announced themselves as cops before busting in ... something Kenneth has maintained did NOT happen, which is why he says he shot -- to defend himself against intruders.

Of course, the police insist they did announce themselves -- but Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly also suggested this ... that perhaps both things were true, that they did announce -- but Kenneth simply didn't hear or couldn't make out what was being said amid the ruckus.

The decision to dismiss charges against Kenneth seems to fly in the face of AG Daniel Cameron's decision not to charge any of the cops directly with Breonna's killing ... saying a grand jury found the officers had, in fact, announced. He said it with much certainty.

The Netflix docuseries on L.A.'s mysterious Cecil Hotel is triggering a flood of new, and bizarre, theories on who was behind Elisa Lam's death -- some so strange they'd require time travel.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... ever since "Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel" started streaming, LAPD's 24/7 hotline's been ringing off the hook with tips. We're told most are connecting the hotel's haunted past to the unsolved mystery of how Lam ended up dead in a rooftop water tank.

If you've seen the series you know a former GM at the Cecil said she saw about 80 deaths at the hotel over 10 years.

Our sources say the strangest tip cops have gotten involved Richard Ramirez, AKA The Night Stalker. Now, he is mentioned in the series, because he lived on the 14th floor at the hotel while he terrorized California in the '80s.

That tip clearly didn't come from Sherlock Holmes since Ramirez had been locked up for nearly 30 years when Lam was found dead in 2013.

Good news for Von Miller ... the NFL superstar is officially off the hook after a secret investigation into alleged criminal behavior.

The Douglas County District Attorney's Office in Colorado announced Friday it will NOT pursue criminal charges against the Denver Broncos star -- but officials are still quiet on why he was being investigated in the first place.

As we previously reported ... back in January, the Parker Police Dept. announced an investigation into Miller and later presented its finding to the Douglas County D.A.'s office.

Again, no one ever discussed what the nature of the investigation was ... or the specific allegations against Miller.

But, prosecutors ultimately decided the case against Miller wasn't strong enough to get a conviction -- so he's off the hook.

"Based on our review of information that is currently available, we cannot meet that standard [to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt] and must decline to file charges in this case," a spokesperson for the D.A.'s office said in a statement.

"It would be inappropriate to comment about details of an investigation in which there was never a citation, arrest or filing. The complainant, suspect and witnesses have a legitimate privacy interest and we will respect that."

In other words, whatever was being investigated will remain under wraps ... for good.

PETA demonstrators are putting the heat on a North Carolina police department where a cop hanged and choked a K-9 by its leash, and they're demanding justice for the dog.

The demonstration went down Friday outside Salisbury PD HQ -- masked up PETA protesters held signs condemning cops not only for the horrific treatment of the K-9, named Zuul, but also for an apparent attempt to cover up the alleged abuse.

As we reported ... disturbing footage surfaced this week showing an unnamed cop manhandling the hell out of Zuul, who he was supposed to be training.

Video shows the cop screaming at the K-9 before putting a leash on him, hanging him by it, slamming him into the side of an SUV, throwing Zuul into the back seat and hitting him. You can also hear an officer say, "We're good. No witnesses" ... as Zuul was getting choked.

Friday's protest comes on the heels of PETA firing off a letter to Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes, urging the officer to be criminally prosecuted for animal abuse.

Rep. Eric Swalwell squarely blames Donald Trump and the former president's cohorts for the violent mob that stormed the Capitol, saying he texted his wife what he believed might be his final words before he was killed.

Swalwell is suing Trump, along with Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Mo Brooks for encouraging the crowd to take care of business at the same time the Congress was certifying the Presidential election.

Swalwell says as he watched in horror as the rioters breached the Capitol, he texted his wife, "I love you very much. And our babies."

He says he listened to the House Chaplain pray for the members inside the House Chamber.

Swalwell's lawsuit is the real deal because he has legal standing to sue for his personal emotional distress, although the lawsuit also suggests he has standing as a member of Congress to sue for the disruption of the electoral process.

Swalwell alleges the emotional distress inflicted by the rioters was intentional on the part of Trump and company, and he outlines the various, well-chronicled examples where Trump, Trump Jr., Giuliani and Brooks ginned up the crowd both in advance and on the day of January 6.

Swalwell also alleges the defendants committed "bias-related crimes," noting federal law prohibits attacks based on the political affiliation of a victim. He alleges all of the defendants are guilty of incitement to riot.

In addition to suing for compensatory and punitive damages, he's asking for an order requiring all the defendants to notify Swalwell no less than 7 days before any future large rally is planned in Washington D.C., to give the Congressman time to go to court to prevent more violence.

Celebs might be extra vigilant the next time they go out to eat in Bev Hills ... a woman was shot in the leg outside a super popular eatery in a brazen, daylight armed robbery.

The shooting went down Thursday afternoon outside Il Pastaio restaurant. We're told the shooter and 2 accomplices were after a $500,000 Richard Mille watch a man was wearing, and a woman was struck in the leg by gunfire.

An eyewitness told us the shooter fired off 3 or 4 rounds. The woman who was hit was having lunch near the man who was wearing the watch. The shooter made off with the timepiece -- and diners scrambled for safety -- as evidenced in the photos we obtained.

As far as we can tell no one else was shot, although diners were frantically checking themselves for bullet wounds.

Rapper DaniLeigh, who has been dating DaBaby, had just parked in front of the restaurant when the gunfire erupted.

As you can see ... the celeb hot spot is crawling with cops, and there's a ton of police tape wrapped around the restaurant's outdoor seating area, where a huge crowd of curious onlookers is gathering.

Celebrity photographer Tyler Shields was on the scene when gunfire erupted ... he said he herded a large group of people into a nearby parking garage when the shots rang out. Thankfully, he says everyone around him was OK ... and shared a message of love.

The Italian restaurant is extremely popular among famous folks ... we've seen lots of celebs dining there over the years, and it's where we get a bunch of them on camera.

Terrence Green, best known as Rigo on the 'Step Up' TV series, really stepped in it -- production sources say he mimicked pointing a gun at a cop, and now the network's dropping the hammer.

Sources close to production of the Starz show tell TMZ ... they were filming at the Atlanta courthouse this week when Terrence approached a police officer and used his fingers to gesture like he was pointing a gun at the cop's head.

We're told it seemed Green meant it as a joke -- albeit a tasteless one -- but everyone was appalled by it, including the officer.

A spokesperson for Starz and Lionsgate, which produces 'Step Up,' tells TMZ ... a thorough investigation of the incident's been done, and Terrence "will receive strong disciplinary action."

The rep adds ... "We do not condone any on set behavior, even a gesture, that suggests or simulates violence toward another individual."