Crime

Protests and riots broke out in Minnesota just 10 miles from where Derek Chauvin is on trial for the murder of George Floyd ... following the killing of another Black man by police.

20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. Wright died as cops were trying to take him into custody during a traffic stop after learning he had outstanding warrants.

According to reports ... Wright was shot after getting back into his vehicle and trying to flee. He drove several blocks before crashing to a stop. Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon says medical workers attempted life-saving measures, but he died at the scene.

Shortly after Wright's death, protesters gathered and marched to the police department, which led to what the city's mayor called "growing civil unrest" ... resulting in the National Guard deployment.

It's unclear what effect Wright's death and subsequent protests could have on Chauvin's trial -- which begins its 11th day just miles away -- but it's worth noting the jury is NOT sequestered, so will be exposed to all this news ... and there are only 2 alternates.

Clashes between demonstrators and police continued until the late hours, and at one point it seemed law enforcement released smoke canisters to disperse the crowd.

The police officer who pepper-sprayed a Black Army lieutenant in December has since lost his job over the altercation -- this as a lawsuit against the cop makes its way through court.

The town of Windsor, VA broke the news Sunday, saying Officer Gutierrez had since been terminated after an investigation following the incident late last year ... which determined he did not follow department policy during the hectic traffic stop.

Sounds like Gutierrez -- who later suggested Lt. Caron Nazario "let this go" to avoid punishment from the Army, and awkwardly brought up race relations -- was actually cut loose a good while ago. Windsor officials say new training was implemented back in January after their preliminary probe into this wrapped.

It's unclear if the other officer who was on the scene is still on the force or not.

The Town of Windsor's leaders promises to continue being transparent about the case -- adding that they have complied with Lt. Nazario's requests as litigation has already gotten underway, and the videos have leaked.

Referring to the case, the town leaders also say, "[W]e are saddened for events like this to cast our community in a negative light. Rather than deflect criticism, we have addressed these matters with our personnel administratively, we are reaching out to community stakeholders to encourage dialogue, and commit ourselves to additional discussions in the future."

What Olivia Rodrigo's "Drivers License" giveth, it also taketh away -- at least from her bank account -- because the singer just got nailed with a parking ticket!!!

Rodrigo catapulted to the top of the charts with the single earlier this year ... but just learned one of the harsh realities of driving in Los Angeles and just about every other big city -- no matter how hard you try -- eventually, you're gonna get hit with a parking violation.

While it's not clear just what Olivia was ticketed for -- in L.A. there's street sweeping, restricted zones, parking meters, parking passes, we could go on all day -- it appears Olivia is at least having some fun with it.

The singer posted a photo of her ticket with the caption, "Damn, this driving s**t ain't all fun and games." You're tellin' us!!!

New Mexico State Police are revealing the harrowing moment Officer Darian Jarrott was disgustingly gunned down in cold blood when he pulled over a drug dealer armed with an assault weapon.

NM cops just released this dashcam and bodycam video from Officer Jarrott ... he had pulled over Omar Felix Cueva on Feb. 4 on the I-10 outside Las Cruces. Jarrott told Cueva he was being stopped because his window tint was too dark. Cueva was initially cooperative, but the stop took an ugly turn when Jarrott asked Cueva if he had any firearms.

Jarrott apparently saw a weapon inside Cueva's truck as he was stepping out of the vehicle, and asked Cueva if he could take it off him ... as he put it, "for my safety?" Those would be one of Jarrott's last words. As Cueva stepped out of the truck, Jarrott couldn't see him lift an AR-15-style rifle ... which he unloaded at the officer as they got to the back of the truck.

You hear Jarrott yell, "Oh, s**t!" as the bullets started flying. Cops say Jarrott went down immediately, and Cueva ran over to him and fired several more rounds at point-blank range before fleeing the scene.

While a Dept. of Homeland Security officer arrived and tried to save Jarrott's life, a 40-mile pursuit of Cueva was just beginning. Police eventually tracked him down on the highway, using a PIT maneuver to spin his truck.

Cueva initiated an all-out gun battle with the cops and was killed in the hail of return fire. Las Cruces PD officer Adrian De La Garza was injured in the shootout but survived after treatment at a hospital.

A U.S. Army Lieutenant was repeatedly pepper sprayed and physically attacked by a cop ... all over the fact he didn't have a rear license plate.

Lt. Caron Nazario, who is Black and Latino, was driving his Chevy Tahoe in Windsor, Virginia when cops noticed he didn't have plates. You can see from the bodycam, the Chevy appears to be new and there's a registration attached to the window. Once cops lit him up, he drove a little under a mile before pulling into a well-lit gas station.

It's hard to watch. The cop with the bodycam is unrelenting ... screaming at Nazario to get out of his SUV. At one point the Lieutenant says, "I'm honestly afraid to get out." The cop barks back, "You should be!"

Nazario has his hands up in the air the whole time, but the cop is increasingly frustrated and then amps things up, pepper-spraying Nazario 4 times. His dog was in the back choking from the pepper spray.

Nazario is pulled out of the SUV and is sobbing as he's ordered to the ground and cuffed. He claims one of the cops told him if he complained, they'd throw the book at him with all sorts of charges -- obstruction of justice, eluding police, assault on a cop, etc.

The incident went down December 5, but the bodycam video was just released. Nazario has filed a lawsuit alleging a violation of his Constitutional rights.

Asian hate crime is not peculiar to the United States. An Asian man was brutally attacked in London during a live stream, but he got a big assist from some enraged bystanders.

You see the perp kicking the man as the person live streaming, who goes by the name Sherwin, comes to his aid. The perp doesn't flee immediately but, as the victim repeatedly begs to "Call the police," he realizes what's up and flees.

The Asian man is bleeding from the head. It's unclear if he required medical attention. It's also unclear if the police came and hunted down the hater.

As you know, Asian hate crimes have exploded in the U.S. over the last year, thanks in part to Trump's dog-whistling over the coronavirus and the racist nickname he bestowed on it.

The man who slaughtered 5 people Wednesday -- including 2 children -- at a home in South Carolina has been identified as former NFL player Phillip Adams, according to reports.

Officials believe 32-year-old Adams -- a 7th-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft -- stormed a home in Rock Hill, SC on Wednesday afternoon and shot 5 people to death.

The victims have been identified as 70-year-old Dr. Robert Lesslie, his 69-year-old wife, Barbara Lesslie -- and their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie.

A 5th victim, 38-year-old James Lewis, was working at the home when the gunman opened fire, killing him.

A 6th person was shot -- but that person survived and is being treated at a nearby hospital.

A furious manhunt was underway for the gunman.

But, the case took another dark twist on Thursday morning ... when sources say officials found the body of Phillip Adams, who appeared to have taken his own life around midnight Thursday morning, by way of gunshot.

According to the reports, there was a prior connection between Adams and the victims -- the football player's parents live in the area and Phillip had reportedly been previously treated by Dr. Robert Lesslie.

Adams was a star defensive back at South Carolina State in the late 2000s before being drafted by the 49ers in 2010.

He bounced around to the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders -- playing in 52 NFL games before his NFL career ended following the 2013 season.

Deshaun Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, is going on the attack again on behalf of his client ... saying the NFL star never forced anyone to engage in an act against their will.

"Deshaun did not force, coerce or intimidate anyone to do anything against their will," Hardin said Thursday in a new statement.

Hardin once again went after attorney Tony Buzbee -- who's representing all 22 women who have filed lawsuits against Watson.

All of the women filed their suits using the pseudonym "Jane Doe," and only two of the women have come out and since identified themselves publicly. Hardin says that's not good enough.

"Mr. Buzbee’s use of anonymous lawsuits violates Texas law and the basic concept of fairness," Hardin said.

"It is clear that, for Mr. Buzbee, this case has never been about seeking justice in a courtroom, but destroying Deshaun’s reputation to enhance his own public profile and enrich himself."

Hardin continued, "While I understand that anonymity often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword. While shielding his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson."

"This is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court."

Watson and his camp have repeatedly denied the allegations in the lawsuits -- insisting the women are lying in an attempt to force a payout.

"The Powerpuff Girls" have grown up ... and their sugar, spice and everything nice no longer comes in cartoon form.

The 3 leads of the upcoming live-action series -- Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault -- were filming the pilot Wednesday in Atlanta ... along with former "Scrubs" star, Donald Faison, who plays their creator/father, Professor Utonium.

It's the first look at the 'PPG' stars in their full, colorful costumes ... with Bennet in pink playing Blossom, Cameron in blue as Bubbles, and Perrault in the green playing Buttercup.

At one point during the shooting of an action scene, Blossom went flying through the air as the other Girls ran past her.

Looks like they all have the Chemical X factor.

The CW is hoping to relaunch the popular Cartoon Network animated series from the late '90s, with the new version picking up with the titular superheroes as "disillusioned twenty-somethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting."

The rank and file within the Capitol Police are not feeling very reassured following last week's car-ramming attack that left one of their own dead -- and the reasons are startling.

Sources familiar with the day-to-day goings-on at the department tell TMZ ... there's been little to no communication from leadership over an action plan to help prevent this from happening again, which has left a lot of their officers fearing for their safety.

Fact is ... we're being told there simply hasn't been any type of formal gathering to specifically address the tactical breakdown that cost Officer William Evans his life Friday, when authorities say Noah Green slammed his car into a barricade outside the Capitol, and proceeded to try and slash the cops ... before ultimately being shot and killed.

Speaking of that, our sources say the positioning of officers that day has been called into question by lower-ranking members of the department -- namely, that the officers were stationed outside of the delta barrier, as opposed to inside, which is much more strategic and safer all around.

We're hearing officers who have been assigned to stand guard since Friday have now been pulled inside the barrier, but this change was not talked about at large ... just more evidence of what our sources say is the hush-hush nature of upper management.

Our sources say nothing else has been communicated regarding the attack other than what was discussed at a roll call meeting on Saturday -- where we're told a deputy chief provided a general apology for Friday's disaster, and told the 60 officers that day to "keep an eye out" going forward. A hands-off approach like that isn't cutting it for many of the ground -- contributing to an already growing sense of unease and a desire to book it for good.

Ralo may soon benefit from a clemency program currently in the works under the Biden administration ... according to activist Weldon Angelos, who's been pushing for the rapper's freedom.

Weldon, a cannabis and clemency advocate, joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and said the White House reached out to him about a clemency program it's putting together that would primarily focus on cases with harsh sentences for non-violent marijuana offenses.

Ralo -- whose real name is Terrell Davis -- could become a primary beneficiary of the program, if it comes to fruition. The rapper was busted in 2018 with 444 pounds of weed on a private plane. He's been locked up ever since ... and faces up to 8 years in prison on conspiracy charges.

Weldon's been actively calling on the powers that be to grant the rapper clemency, given the laws on weed have changed exponentially over the last decade. It's now legal, in some form, in more than half the states ... although it's still illegal federally.

And, Weldon's main point is this ... Ralo's being punished "for violating the same federal statute many entrepreneurs and corporations violate every day in 36 states across the country, who are not subject to federal prosecution."

Drake, 2 Chainz, T.I. and Killer Mike are others joining Weldon's push as well. In fact ... they all attached their name to a letter Weldon sent to the Biden admin asking for clemency.

Weldon's been exactly where Ralo is -- he got a 55-year sentence in 2004 for $900 of ganja, but President Obama granted him clemency in 2016. He's crossing his fingers Biden will do the same for Ralo and many others.

The man who rammed into Capitol police and attempted to slice them with a knife, bought that weapon just hours before the fatal incident ... suggesting he premeditated the whole attack.

TMZ has obtained shots of Noah Green in a D.C. kitchen appliance store 90 minutes before authorities say he drove his car into a barricade at the Capitol last week and proceeded to get shot and killed after getting out to attack officers with a knife.

Green was in District Cutlery -- about a 10-minute drive from the Capitol -- and he purchased the blade you see here. We're told it's a Kurosaki Shizuku Sujihiki 270mm SG2 knife, and it retails for about $300.

You can see the knife he purchased at the store looks identical to the one police recovered at the scene after Green was gunned down, and a Capitol Police officer was killed.

Eyewitnesses say Green was calm and collected during his purchase, and didn't seem to raise any red flags to bystanders.

"My name is Ashley Solis. Remember that name."

You're looking at the very first woman who filed a sexual misconduct lawsuit against NFL star Deshaun Watson -- who just revealed her identity at an emotional news conference in Texas.

Solis -- formerly known as Jane Doe #1 -- claims Watson acted inappropriately during a massage therapy session at her home in March 2020.

She had filed the lawsuit under an alias due to the fear of a public backlash -- but says she feels empowered to go public and tell her story herself.

With attorney Tony Buzbee by her side, Solis said Monday, "I'm not afraid anymore. I'm here to take back the power, take back control."

"I'm a survivor of assault and harassment. Deshaun Watson is my assaulter and my harasser," she continued.

"I replay the incident over and over in my head as if I'm trying to wake up for some horrible nightmare -- only that nightmare is real."

Solis says she's still dealing with lingering trauma from the incident -- including the shakes -- which prevents her from properly doing her job.

"I hope [Watson] knows how much pain he's inflicted on me physically and emotionally," Solis says.

She explained her father -- "once a diehard Texans fan -- "can no longer say his name without turning red."

Solis says, "We were all deceived into thinking Deshaun Watson was a good guy."

"I will not let Deshaun Watson define who I am. I will not let him win. He needs to be held accountable for his actions."

During the news conference, Buzbee also revealed the identity of another Watson accuser who had been using an alias -- Lauren Baxley.

Baxley did not attend the news conference in person, but wrote a strong letter to the QB which was read out loud to the media.

"Every boundary, from professional and therapeutic to sexual and degrading, you crossed or attempted to cross," Baxley wrote about her alleged encounter with Watson,

For his part, Watson has denied all allegations of wrongdoing and says he has rejected settlement demands from the early accusers.

Watson also issued a statement from 18 female massage therapists who say he's a respectful client who never put them in an uncomfortable situation.

22 women in total have lawsuits against Watson -- all of them using an alias. Solis is the only person to reveal her identity to the public so far.

Buzbee says Solis and one other accuser have spoken with police -- though he did not specify which agency she contacted.

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Gladney -- the 31st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- was arrested Monday for an alleged domestic violence incident, police confirm.

The Dallas Police Dept. says 24-year-old Gladney is accused of getting physical with a 22-year-old woman during an April 2 argument over "content in a cell phone."

Cops tell TMZ Sports, "The altercation escalated, at which time Mr. Gladney physically assaulted the victim. Mr. Gladney left the location prior to officers’ arrival."

A warrant was issued for Gladney's arrest for "Assault – Family Violence."

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by CBS 11 News, the woman told police Gladney freaked out over something on her phone ... and at one point he tried shoving her face close to the screen to trigger the FaceID feature to unlock the phone.

The accuser claims Gladney escalated the violence ... hitting her with "closed fists causing pain in the side of her ribs, in the stomach and the back, and hitting her open hand across the head."

The woman says the violence continued at a nearby Dallas apartment complex -- where Gladney allegedly "began strangling [her] by the neck, which impeded her breathing for approximately five seconds."

After that, she told cops Gladney "grabbed [her] by her hair while the vehicle was still moving and dragged [her] across the ground."

The woman told officers she somehow escaped and ran into a nearby vehicle, despite the fact she didn't know anyone inside the car.

According to the affidavit, the responding officer noticed injuries to her head, ears and torso.

Cops say Gladney turned himself in to authorities on Monday, April 5 -- and he was booked at the Dallas County Jail where he posed for a mug shot and bonded out a short time later.

Bassnectar knowingly had sex with underage girls, paid them money for sex, and kept tight control over their lives in order to keep it all a secret ... so 2 women claim in a shocking new lawsuit.

The popular EDM DJ is being sued for sex trafficking and possessing child pornography by 2 women -- Rachel and Alexis -- who claim he groomed them into having a sexual relationship when they were minors ... starting in 2012.

According to the legal docs ... Bassnectar first contacted the girls via direct message on social media to start a relationship. Both women claim he encouraged them to watch the film "American Beauty" -- described as "a movie about an older man having a relationship with a young girl" -- and even referenced the theme of the film at his shows.

Bassnectar allegedly learned the girls were underage through the DM before he sent them tickets to his shows ... and then the women claim he invited them back to his hotel room for sex ... which he allegedly "mandated be without the use of a condom."

According to the docs ... the DJ paid the girls for sex in amounts ranging from $300 to $1,600, and is accused of maintaining control over their lives while directing them to keep their relationship secret.

Rachel claims she was first contacted by Bassnectar in late 2012 and began having sex with him in May 2013 when she was underage. She says he also solicited her to "take and send sexually explicit photographs of herself while naked."

Alexis claims she was contacted by Bassnectar in 2014 and he had sex with her on numerous occasions between 2014 and 2016, when she was underage.

The women are suing for damages, past and future emotional distress as well as medical expenses.

Kodak Black and his entourage were ambushed outside a fast food joint in Florida, and the shooting left one of his security guards in serious condition ... according to police.

Gunfire erupted around 3 AM Monday morning in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Tallahassee. Law enforcement tells us the shooter opened fire from a car that was tailing Kodak and co.

Law enforcement sources say the rapper's entourage was being followed by several cars attempting to cut them off as they left a nightclub, and Kodak's camp pulled into the McDonald's and blocked the entrance with a car while KB went inside to pick up an order.

We’re told one of the cars tailing Kodak went to the McDonald's, left and then came back ... and that's when people inside the vehicle started shooting.

Kodak's security guard was shot in the leg and rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries, police say, while Kodak was whisked away in an armored car and was unharmed.

Kodak was in town headlining a Sunday music festival, Cultur3 Fest, and the security guard is reportedly undergoing surgery after one of the shots apparently hit an artery.