Crime

Margaret Cho says she's afraid to leave the safety of her own home as an Asian-American woman ... telling us, "outside it's cloudy with a chance of racism."

Despite that humorous phrasing, the comedian made it clear her fear is very real when she joined us Friday on "TMZ Live." She says the rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans has her feeling like there's a target on her.

Margaret says it's a really scary time in America, and she's especially rattled by the attacks on older Asian-American women.

While Margaret felt empowered by the Asian grandmother in San Francisco who fought off an alleged attacker last month with a piece of wood ... she says it was still a traumatizing moment for the Asian community, and yet another example of why she feels safer at home.

It's pretty shocking to hear an Emmy and five-time Grammy-nominated comedian/actress say she's afraid of becoming a hate crime victim, but Margaret says that's where we are today in this country ... and it's time for an awakening.

The home of YouTube stars Ethan and Hila Klein got a visit from cops on consecutive days after they got 911 calls reporting a potential suicide threat and murder ... but TMZ's learned the couple apparently got swatted and now cops are investigating.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops rolled lights and sirens last weekend to the L.A. home of the husband-wife duo known for their popular YouTube channel h3h3Productions after someone called, first on Saturday, March 20, claiming Ethan was going to kill himself.

We're told cops raced up there fearing the worst but ended up leaving the home after realizing everything was OK. But, on the next day, we're told cops got ANOTHER 911 call ... this time someone claimed Ethan killed his wife.

And, AGAIN, cops raced to the crib but found out everything was A-OK. It's unclear who made the calls but both were deemed to have been swatting calls ... and cops are now investigating to find out who made them.

What's more ... cops say there have been at least 6 calls over the last few weeks where someone calls a suicide hotline claiming to be Ethan and threatening to kill himself or do harm to others.

Our sources say this is NOT the first time the Kleins -- with more than 2.7 million subscribers and nearly 468 MILLION views on YouTube -- have been the victims of swatting.

Cops are on the hunt for suspects who allegedly got into a fight with Taco Bell employees at the drive-thru ... then plowed through a group of people as it crashed into the front of the place.

The insane incident went down in Charles County, Maryland ... where police say the suspects committed a hit-and-run a little after 10 PM Wednesday.

The video shows the suspect's vehicle pull up to a small crowd in front of the T Bell, then back up a little bit before flooring it into a few people as it smashes through the entrance.

According to Charles County law enforcement ... the occupants in the vehicle were in an argument with an employee working the drive-thru before the hit-and-run. Cops say they were told one of the suspects got out and assaulted the employee at the window, then got back in the vehicle.

The driver then allegedly pulled up to the front ... which is where the vid picks up. Police say 2 people were treated at the scene for injuries and one was taken to the hospital for injuries that are not life-threatening.

Cops say they located the vehicle shortly afterward at a nearby house, and we're told cops are working on positively identifying the driver.

A witness who watched George Floyd die in the street was left sobbing on the stand after having to relive the nightmare moment again in court.

Charles McMillian broke down while giving testimony Wednesday about the events he says he witnessed on May 25, 2020 ... as one of the early bystanders who watched Chauvin pin George down just feet away while standing on a curb.

As prosecutors played back body cam video from one of the officers on top of George -- as he shouted out repeatedly he couldn't breathe and calling for his mother -- McMillian started bawling ... which prompted the court to recess as he collected himself.

The prosecution asked what he was feeling right then watching it anew, and McMillian gave a telling response ... saying he felt helpless and sympathized with George's call for his mom. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch ... and made for a compelling moment in the trial, which is on its third day.

Like we said, McMillian was one of the first civilians on the scene as police began to struggle with George while trying to get him into their squad car. He told George before the man was laid down on his stomach that he should stop fighting, and that he couldn't win.

Also in court Wednesday, surveillance footage from inside the Cup Foods store was played showing the minutes leading up to Floyd's death. Floyd can be seen using the alleged fake $20 bill at the root of police being called.

In other video played during his testimony, you can hear McMillian talk directly to Chauvin at the time ... whom he called a "maggot" as the police finally dispersed. McMillian confirmed the "maggot" remark to prosecutors ... and was excused without cross-examination.

Cops are on the hunt for a woman who pulled a gun on a skateboarder during an argument in Maryland ... and the video is terrifying.

The Montgomery County Police Dept. claims it has obtained cell phone footage of the Jan. 16 incident which shows the suspect pointing a handgun right into the chest of an underage boy.

Cops say the "male juvenile victim" was skating around with friends around 2:25 PM "when he became involved in a verbal dispute with a passing motorist."

The female driver got out of her car and began arguing with the skateboarder, according to witnesses ... and a crowd began to form.

This is where things get crazy ...

Cops say two RANDOM women who just happened to be walking down the street at the time of the incident decided to get involved.

"One of the female suspects approached the juvenile victim and interjected herself in the dispute," cops say.

"The second female suspect went to a red Volvo that was parked in the area and drove it close to the dispute. She then gave a handgun to the first suspect, who used it to threaten the victim. Witnesses captured the incident on their cell phones."

In other words, the woman with the gun is NOT the same woman from the initial argument.

Fortunately, the woman did NOT fire the weapon and no one was injured,

Now, officials say they're looking for the gun-wielding suspect as part of an investigation into a possible 1st-degree assault with a handgun.

Cops are asking the public to help identify the suspects.

Rep. Matt Gaetz is under investigation for sex trafficking, allegedly with a 17-year-old girl, but Gaetz says he's not only innocent ... he suggests there's foul play afoot.

The U.S. congressman from Florida came on Tucker Carlson's show Tuesday to explain his side after the NYT published a story that Gaetz was being investigated by the DOJ over an alleged sexual relationship he had with a 17-year-old girl, whom he supposedly paid to travel with him a couple years ago. There's a bizarre exchange, where Gaetz tries to remind Carlson of a dinner they had -- Carlson, his wife, Gaetz and an unnamed woman -- almost like it was an alibi. Carlson said he didn't know what Gaetz was talking about.

The Times says the investigation is part of a broader case involving local politician Joel Greenberg, who's pled not guilty to charges of sex trafficking a minor. The outlet says the probe was opened late in Trump's final months at the behest of AG William Barr.

As for Gaetz ... he's flat-out denying any wrongdoing, while also insisting what's happening is actually a lot more sinister behind the scenes. Long story short, Gaetz says a former DOJ official named David McGee is trying to blackmail him and his family ... having allegedly demanded $25 million to make the allegations "go away."

MG even says he and his family went to the FBI to tell them about this, and he claims they set his father up with a wire to help expose the alleged plot. It's all very bizarre.

A man is wanted for brutally assaulting an Asian woman in New York City in the middle of the day, and what's just as appalling is what didn't happen ... nobody jumped in to lend a hand.

Law enforcement sources say this went down Monday in Midtown Manhattan, where a 65-year-old woman was on her way to church ... when, all of a sudden, a complete stranger kicks her down to the ground and starts stomping her out. Before you know it, he flees the scene like nothing happened, but surveillance video captured the violence.

Cops say the guy made anti-Asian statements like, "F*** you, you don't belong here." The man has yet to be identified or arrested, but cops are on the lookout -- and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.

Police did release this close-up shot of who they believe is responsible -- they're asking for the public's help to find him.

As for the woman, we're told she suffered a broken pelvis, as well as injuries to her head and leg ... but she's been released from the hospital.

Like that's not bad enough ... the video appears to show men observing this all from inside the lobby of a nearby building just feet away from the action. Not one of them springs up to help the woman, and one of them seems to close the door after the attacker splits.

Lady Gaga's dog walker has finally been released from the hospital ... a little more than 1 month after he was shot in a terrifying dognapping incident.

Ryan Fischer was just discharged after a much longer stay than he anticipated ... due to complications with his lungs. Ryan says he was actually feeling pretty great just days after being shot and moving out of the ICU, and thought his recovery would be a simple process.

Unfortunately, Ryan says one of his lungs didn't cooperate and kept collapsing and it reached a point where he was readmitted for surgery to remove portions of it, and as he puts it ... "my recovery had become anything but a straight line."

The good news -- Ryan finally seems to be on the mend as he shared in an emotional video of himself getting dressed to leave the hospital, set to Carly Simon's "Coming Around Again."

Ryan knows his journey is going to be challenging though, saying ... "I'm finding my way in the outside world where triggers are real and working through trauma is WAY more than dealing with one unfortunate moment in life."

As we reported ... Ryan's been recovering ever since the February 24 dognapping incident. He had posted an update earlier this month when things looked pretty bleak ... showing him with a breathing tube in his mouth.

Thankfully, he also posted a more reassuring photo with the breathing tube gone. He detailed his near-death experience and the guilt he felt over not being able to protect Gaga's 2 French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav. The third dog, Miss Asia, walked over to him as he laid on the ground bleeding. He later called her his angel and Lady Gaga called him a hero.

Remember ... it's truly a miracle he's recovered as well as he has considering he was shot in the chest at almost point-blank range. The terrifying experience was captured on surveillance video from a nearby property, and he says that his doctors and nurses even told him they didn't think he'd make it.

As we first reported ... the thieves ultimately made off with Koji and Gustav and left Ryan begging for help on the sidewalk.

Deshaun Watson has been deleting Instagram messages and reaching out to massage therapists for settlements ... this according to yet another lawsuit against the NFL star.

The suit -- now the NINETEENTH against Watson -- was filed Monday ... and amid more allegations of sexual misconduct against a female masseuse, the QB is now being accused of scrubbing his social media.

In the docs, Tony Buzbee -- the attorney repping all the "Jane Does" in the cases against the 25-year-old Houston Texans star -- claims Watson "is deleting Instagram messages and contacting those who formally provided him massages, in an attempt to settle."

If true, the news would be huge, considering Watson has publicly denied all wrongdoing ... and weeks ago stated he refused to strike a settlement. Instead, Watson has said he is determined to clear his name.

Remember, Watson issued a statement on March 16 ... saying he rejected a "baseless six-figure settlement demand" from an accuser repped by attorney Tony Buzbee and added, "This isn't about money for me -- it's about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

For his part, Buzbee says in the new lawsuit the accusers are not after money -- instead, they're seeking "a change in behavior with regard to Watson, and a change of culture in the NFL."

In the 3 new lawsuits filed Monday ... three more female massage therapists say Deshaun reached out to them at different points in 2020 and was sexually inappropriate with them after setting up sessions.

All of the women are seeking unspecified damages in the suits.

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

Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, has previously denied the claims against the quarterback ... saying last week, "I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda is having a bad case of déjà vu -- his store was burglarized, again ... and this time the crooks made off with thousands in merch, again.

So here's the deal, Rene and his wife, Casey -- owners of the Bargain Hunters Thrift Store featured on the show -- say they were enjoying a day off back on February 17 when they were notified that a couple of thieves were ransacking the San Diego area store.

We’re told surveillance camera footage shows the burglars entered through a back door after smashing the glass. When the dust finally settled ... we're told they made off with tons of sports memorabilia cards and other collectibles worth between $7k-$8k.

On top of that ... Rene, Casey and their crew say the store was a disaster -- physical damages only ran 'em about $1,500, but it took a long time to clean up the mess.

Two things to note ... Rene says the burglars missed out on some VERY expensive trading cards, and thinks one of the thieves left behind some possible evidence. DOH!!!

A spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department tells TMZ ... detectives are in the initial phase of the investigation, but are working a few leads they've developed since the heist. They have not identified the suspects yet

Two teenage girls are facing felony murder charges after carjacking an Uber Eats vehicle with the driver inside and then crashing it ... ending in the death of the Uber driver.

Tuesday's incident was captured on video that is now circulating. The girls, ages 13 and 15, targeted the Washington D.C. car driven by Mohammad Anwar. They allegedly Tased the driver and then made their move to steal the vehicle.

You hear Anwar scream, "This is my car!" ... as the engine begins to rev.

The teenagers floor it as horrified bystanders look on. You see Anwar hanging out the front door of the vehicle ... and then you hear the crash.

The car was on its side and the teenagers then get out of the vehicle. Anwar is laying on the pavement, mortally wounded.

Anwar, who immigrated from Pakistan back in 2014, was pronounced dead.

And Uber spokesman said, "We are devastated by this tragic news and our hearts go out to Mohammad's family during this difficult time. We're grateful the suspects have been arrested and thank the Metropolitan Police Department for their diligence with this investigation."

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello got quite a scare this week when their place was broken into, but even worse ... cops say Shawn's now down one G-Wagon.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the singers were home together in L.A. when the suspects broke in through a window. We're told the perps made a pretty quick exit when they realized the couple was home ... but not before grabbing the keys to Shawn's ride.

Our sources say police were called and rushed to the house, but it was too late ... the suspects had already taken off in his Mercedes SUV.

We're told so far no arrests have been made, but LAPD is still investigating.

Deshayla Harris -- one of the stars of 'Bad Girls Club' -- died after falling victim to one of several shootings that occurred in her home state ... TMZ has confirmed.

Virginia Beach PD confirmed Deshayla's ID Saturday as one of two fatalities resulting from three separate shootings from Friday night ... which appear to be unrelated, but happened within a short time of one another. The other victim is 25-year-old Donovan Lynch.

Cops say Deshayla was a bystander for the second shooting, in which a stray bullet from the crossfire hit her. Police do not believe this was a mass shooting -- simply shots fired erupting from feuding parties near the beachfront area of town, where all the resorts lie.

Deshayla is said to have died at the scene. Upwards of eight other people were injured from the shootings -- and police say they have 3 individuals in custody in connection to at least one of those. Ahmon Adams, Nyquez Baker and Devon Dorsey Jr. were arrested and charged with several different counts -- including assault, use and reckless handling of a firearm, among others. VBPD says none of these guys were involved in the shooting that killed Deshayla ... it's unclear if any suspects have been apprehended for that just yet.

Deshayla is known for her appearance on Season 17 of 'BGC' ... which was dubbed 'East Meets West.' They slugged her on the show as the Firecracker Fashionista. Deshayla was portrayed as feisty and a proud East Coaster. She was also a brawler -- getting into a memorable fight with another cast member, Francesca, after spitting in her face.

Despite the bad blood on the show, it appears some of her fellow costars sent their condolences on word that she'd been killed, including Key Marie who posted a tribute to Deshayla on Instagram.

She writes, "No matter how much I refused to talk to you...you never took no for an answer you popped up to my show just to prove fixing our friendship meant something to you 🥲 hardest part about losing you is I never fully forgave you 😫😔 I literally let that TV s*** stand between us building a connection outside of tv 😔🥲🥲🥲 you didn’t deserve this man this shit jus don’t feel real ....I’m sick affffff 🥲🥲 rest easy Babygirl "

Deshayla's final IG post from Friday appears to show her out and about in downtown Norfolk, VA -- which is a stone's throw away from where she was ultimately gunned down.

She was 28.

Someone hit the Beyhive ... Beyonce's storage units were broken into and burglars made off with more than $1 million worth of valuables.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... 3 L.A. area storage units filled with Beyonce goodies were hit twice by thieves earlier this month, and the culprits swiped her expensive handbags and dresses.

While the storage units are being rented out by her production company, Parkwood Entertainment, we're told the missing items from the first heist all belong to Queen Bey.

Our sources say burglars came back within a week, and took down 3 storage units in the same facility ... making off with handbags, kids toys and photos belonging to one of Beyonce's stylists.

Bey is the latest singer to have storage units burglarized, and we're told these kinds of crimes are on the rise. As we first reported, thieves recently stole clothes, family photos and mementos from Miley Cyrus' storage space.

Joe Exotic fought hard to keep his husband from throwing in the towel on their marriage, and his lawyer says it worked ... sort of.

Joe's lawyer, Francisco Hernandez, says he got an email from Joe late Friday, saying he had a heart-to-heart over the phone with Dillon ... this after Dillon expressed his desire to get a divorce from the man who still has 2 decades behind bars in his future.

According to the email, Joe says Dillon agreed to put the divorce on ice for now ... "Me and Dillon have talked and we are not going to get in a hurry and get a legal divorce. This has been tough on both of us and he is going to do what he thinks he needs to do and I prefer to stay married right now so things don't get complicated and if I live through this great we will figure it out then ..."

Joe has said Dillon has always been there for him ... "He still answers the phone three times a day and will continue to be my support." Dillon has also said he's always supported Joe and will continue to do so.

Joe didn't make it clear what Dillon will do, but think about it ... a young man in his 20's just sitting at home waiting for 2 decades is a near-impossible ask.

Joe and Dillon got married in 2017 ... 2 months after Joe's previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died after accidentally shooting himself.

Jacob Blake's seeking more than damages for being shot and paralyzed by a Kenosha PD officer ... he wants the entire department held accountable, and he's striving to make his community a safer place going forward.

Attorney B’Ivory LaMarr, part of Blake's legal team, tells TMZ ... Jacob's case is not just about a lawsuit, it's about social justice. They want the City of Kenosha and its police force to take responsibility for the shooting.

LaMarr says this can begin in the form of a public apology to Jacob, his family, and Kenosha residents who are still suffering from the incident. He adds ... "In 2021, accountability should be the expectation, not the exception."

Next, Blake's team is calling for the Kenosha PD to step up and initiate reform and make changes to its protocols ... such as requiring all officers to wear body cameras.

LaMarr says there's an adversarial relationship between cops in Kenosha and the community, so the PD also needs to open a line of dialogue with the people and implement racial bias training.

Lastly, Jacob's team believes the City of Kenosha should reach out to help his children who witnessed the shooting ... and address the trauma they experienced from watching him get shot just feet away.

As we reported ... Blake's suing the Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey for excessive force in the August 2020 shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Blake's going after Sheskey for unspecified damages and he wants a jury trial. Sheskey was not criminally charged for the incident.