Crime

Gunshots rang out on the set of the TV show, "The Rookie" Thursday afternoon ... where you couldn't tell the difference between real and fake cops.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the show was filming outside Los Angeles Center Studios near downtown L.A. ... and moments ago someone ran by on foot and fired 3 shots that hit a building near the set location. There were people all around where the bullets hit. Thankfully, no one was injured.

Law enforcement sources tell us at least 2 people are believed to have fired the shots, and they were aimed toward the area where security officers were stationed.

We're told this is a known gang area, but there was no known conflict between security or anyone else before the shooting.

Although we don't know the motive, it appeared from a casual glance the area was filled with police officers.

We're told "The Rookie" star, Nathan Fillion, was on set.

A white man who is a U.S. Army sergeant saw a Black man he didn't recognize strolling through his neighborhood, and decided to get in his face about it ... but we've learned the sergeant's been arrested over the incident.

42-year-old Jonathan Pentland -- reportedly based at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC -- was recorded aggressively confronting the young Black man, and even shoving him around in the suburb of Summit Monday evening.

The Black guy kept his cool, and said he was just passing through ... doing nothing else but walking. Pentland and others recording the altercation continued to press him -- accusing him of lingering around their home and surrounding streets for 15 minutes.

As for what triggered this altercation ... the Richland County Sheriff's Office says calls initially came in describing an altercation going down. Once officers arrived and did a preliminary investigation, RCSO says they learned the alleged victim here was supposedly going around and approaching different neighbors in what they described as a threatening manner. Eventually, they say someone asked Pentland to step in ... and things picked up there.

RCSO notes that when officers first responded, they were not aware of nor did they see this video. However, after the clip eventually went viral ... the agency says they passed their findings to a judge, who found sufficient evidence to bring Pentland in on an arrest warrant.

The Sheriff's Office also says this of the alleged victim ... he apparently has an underlying medical condition that might've affected his behavior that day, and the authorities are working to get him the help he needs, while trying to keep him out of the criminal justice system.

The young man claimed to live near this area ... but no word yet if that's, in fact, the case.

In any event, Pentland ended up getting arrested early Wednesday morning over the altercation. We've confirmed he was booked on assault and battery charges. It's unclear if he's still in custody.

Fort Jackson officials also commented on the widely-circulated video, saying ... "This type of behavior is not consistent with our Army values and will not be condoned. We have begun our own investigation and are working with the local authorities."

A Chicago police officer shot and killed a 13-year-old in what was reported as an "armed confrontation" -- but newly released footage of the incident seems to show the kid raising his empty hands as the cop fired.

Adam Toledo was killed during a foot pursuit in Chicago around 2:30 AM on March 29, and the officer's body cam was recording as he caught up to the teenager in an alley.

In the video, the officer yells, "Show me your f**king hands." It also sounds like he said, "stop it" ... or "drop it" ... and then fired a single shot. Adam was putting his hands up at that moment.

He died as a result of the gunshot according to the Cook County medical examiner. Adam's family claims Chicago PD took 2 days to notify them of his death, and they think cops have been cagey about providing details.

According to police, officers were responding to a shots fired call, and saw "two males in a nearby alley." Cops say one of them was armed and fled, then one officer fired shots and hit a suspect in the chest.

Police initially only said the person "was pronounced deceased on scene" but didn't specify the age of the person the officer had shot.

Juelz Santana is staying grounded in New Jersey, a judge just denied his big trip to sunny South Florida -- this after the feds claim the rapper failed a drug test -- but his team believes it's a mistake.

According to new legal docs, the Dipset MC was asking for permission to fly down to Miami this month for work, but when he asked the court for approval, the feds said he wasn't fully following the rules of his supervised release, and a judge put the kibosh on the whole thing.

Remember ... Juelz is on supervised release after serving 19 months in prison as part of a 27-month sentence in his airport drug case. So, he has to get permission to travel outside NJ, and take mandatory drug tests.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Juelz was planning to travel to Miami with 2 convicted felons -- a no-no under supervised release -- and the Assistant U.S. Attorney also says his recent urine sample tested positive for opiates and methadone.

Add it all up, and the judge ended up denying the request.

A high school basketball coach in North Carolina was shot to death while trying to steal drugs and money from a stash house used by a violent Mexican drug cartel, officials say.

Yeah, this is one of the craziest stories we've ever heard.

Officials have identified Barney Harris -- who worked as a coach and teacher at Union Academy in Monroe.

Investigators say Harris was also part of a "criminal organization" that was hell-bent on robbing some of the most dangerous people in town ... the Sinaloa New Generation Cartel.

According to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, Harris -- along with "a team of people" -- snuck into a mobile home park on April 8 to clean out a "stash house" used by the Cartel.

Harris allegedly entered the stash house first and captured one of the Cartel members, Alonso Beltran Lara.

Officials say Lara was subsequently tied up and shot twice in the head, execution-style.

At some point during the incident, officials say another suspected Cartel member entered the home and a gun battle broke out.

"It was almost like an old western shootout," Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said.

"What was found was over 30-some shell casings in the trailer and outside the trailer, and three other mobile homes, in that particular park, with bullet holes in them."

When cops arrived at the scene, they found Harris shot to death in one of the bedrooms. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest and mask at the time. But, officials say his vest was no match for the high-powered weapons that were used against him.

Officials say they found Lara still alive and raced him to a hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Sheriff Johnson says investigators searched the crime scene and found 5 guns, roughly $7,000 in cash and more than a KILO of what they believe to be cocaine.

The concern now ... officials are VERY worried about violent retaliation from the Cartel.

"When we are dealing with the Mexican drug cartel ... somebody is probably gonna die as a result of this," Sheriff Johnson said.

"The Mexican cartels, they don't forget. They're gonna pay somebody back, somewhere and that concerns me."

Deshaun Watson's accuser list is back down to 22 ... one of the women who had filed a lawsuit against the QB officially dropped her case this week, though she stressed the move might only be temporary.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the female masseuse -- using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- said she was not going forward with her case due to "privacy and security concerns."

She noted in the docs, however, the decision was only "for now" ... explaining if her concerns are assuaged, she might refile the suit later on.

As we previously reported, judges ruled last week most of Watson's accusers could NOT use "Jane Doe" aliases in their suits anymore... and ruled the women must identify themselves if they wanted to go forward with their cases.

It seems one of the Does did not feel comfortable doing that ... and officially dropped the suit in a court filing this week.

22 other women are still moving forward with their cases, though ... with Watson's latest accuser officially filing a new suit against the Texans player Wednesday.

In that suit, Erica Chapman -- a make-up artist -- claims Watson contacted her on Instagram in Sept. 2020 ... and the two set up a massage at the quarterback's Texas residence shortly after.

While there, Chapman claims Watson was sexually inappropriate.

According to the suit, the two still agreed to do another massage session two months later in November ... and during that one, Chapman says Watson manipulated "the massage and her into sexual coercion."

Chapman, who claims the QB's actions left her "ashamed, embarrassed, deeply distressed and confused," is suing for undisclosed damages.

Watson, through his attorney, Rusty Hardin, has admitted to having sexual encounters with some of his massage therapists in recent years -- but the QB has insisted the acts were always consensual.

Some poor excuse for a human performed a savage act on a foster dog ... stabbing and beating it purely out of vengeance, and now others are mobilizing to save the dog and find the scumbags who left it for dead.

Kari Whitman, the founder of the dog rescue org Ace of Hearts, tells TMZ ... a 9-year-old Dogo Argentino mix named Brodie had been under foster care in California City, about 2 hours northeast of L.A.

We're told late Tuesday night ... the foster mom, who had been living with her sister, got into an argument with her sister and at some point, Brodie was left in the yard of the home.

Sadly, when the foster mom returned she found Brodie with a stab wound down his spine, a broken leg and his hip was shattered in 4 places. Poor Brodie had previously been at a high-kill shelter before being rescued by Ace of Hearts ... and at this point, it's unclear who took out their anger on him.

However, the foster mom believes one of her sister's friends may have done it to get back at the foster mom for the argument.

Either way ... Brodie was taken to a local vet and later transferred to ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals in the San Fernando Valley. We're told he's currently fighting for his life there ... and sadly, may never walk again because he suffered major nerve damage.

Kari, whose org had been caring for Brodie before he went into the foster home, tells us anyone who wants to help Brodie can call ACCESS directly and donate.

The 5-year-old girl who was badly injured in the Britt Reid car crash in February is now out of the hospital ... but her family says she still has a long road to full recovery.

Ariel Young suffered catastrophic injuries after Reid -- a former K.C. Chiefs assistant coach and Andy Reid's son -- allegedly slammed his pickup truck into the back of a vehicle she was in on Feb. 4 in Kansas City.

Investigators say Young's brain was hurt badly ... adding she suffered a skull fracture and subdural hematomas, among other ailments, as well.

Young had been in the hospital since the accident trying to recover ... but her family said Tuesday she was taken home this week.

"Ariel is at home recovering," the family said in a statement, "we hope that her being in a familiar place will help her remember things."

"She is doing physical therapy but as of right now she still cannot walk, talk or eat like a normal 5 year old. Thank you everyone for your continued support."

35-year-old Britt was charged with one count of felony DWI on Monday over the wreck ... after officials say he had .113 BAC when measured around 2 hours after the crash.

Investigators also said Britt was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH just seconds before the collision.

Britt surrendered to authorities and took a mug shot shortly after prosecutors announced the charge on Monday.

Conor McGregor will NOT be charged with a crime stemming from an alleged attempted sexual assault in Corsica -- officials confirm the case has been dropped due to lack of evidence.

As we previously reported, McGregor was detained by police on the French island of Corsica back in Sept. 2020 -- after a woman claimed the UFC superstar committed acts described as "attempted sexual assault and sexual exhibition."

Conor had denied wrongdoing from the start -- and he was released from custody without being formally arrested or charged with a crime.

Now, TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors in the City of Bastia have sent McGregor a letter explaining that after an investigation, they didn't find enough evidence to move forward with a case against him.

The document was sent in French -- but the translation reads this way:

"The examination of the present proceedings does not justify any criminal prosecution since:

-- The facts or the circumstances of the facts of the proceedings could not have been clearly established by the investigations.

-- The pieces of evidence are therefore not sufficient for the offense to be constituted and for criminal prosecution to be engaged."

McGregor had railed on his accuser in a social media post in the days after the allegation was levied against him -- calling her claims "bulls**t" and vowing to never pay a dime to "anyone coming at me with vicious lies."

Bernie Madoff -- the one-time Wall Street financial adviser turned massive convicted fraudster -- died in prison ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons -- the agency that oversaw Madoff while behind bars -- says he passed Wednesday while in custody at a federal facility in North Carolina. Federal law enforcement sources confirm Madoff died of natural causes and said it was not covid-19 related.

The man had been serving a 150-year sentence following his 2009 criminal case and subsequent conviction. Last year, he'd complained of health issues that he claimed were costing him his life ... specifically, Madoff said he was experiencing terminal kidney failure.

A judge shot down Madoff's request to be sprung from prison early, even under compassionate release grounds that Madoff was trying to invoke in his filing.

Of course, his lifetime sentence was imposed after a long-running Ponzi scheme he'd been operating for years finally came to light in late 2008 ... this after he'd lost billions of dollars from investors he'd swindled over several years, and the feds caught wind of the operation.

The scheme itself is quite complex -- but it essentially boiled down to Madoff taking cash (A LOT of it, BTW) from thousands of investors, via his securities firm, and depositing that money into a bank account ... which he ultimately used to pay off other investors.

He passed his investment strategy off as legit, and on the surface ... appeared to be making steady gains. But, upon a deeper dive, it was clear Madoff's numbers just weren't adding up -- something he was able to cloak for quite a long time ... that is, until the 2008 market downturn, which bulldozed his house of cards -- as he simply didn't have the funds a lot of his partners were asking for (and assuming he had at the ready).  Many people who trusted Madoff lost their life savings.

Madoff ended up pleading guilty to 11 federal felony counts -- including securities fraud, wire fraud and a whole lot more ... but the fact he played ball from the outset didn't help him much in the way of leniency. He got the book thrown at him with a massive sentence, plus a requirement to forfeit billions of dollars in assets he and his family held.

The Madoff Victim Fund was established not too long after his conviction -- and has racked up just a fraction of the money owed to investors, less than $3 billion among tens of thousands of investors.

Madoff's downfall has been depicted and covered in countless TV shows, movies and documentaries -- but most recently, a full-blown TV biopic of sorts was made with Robert De Niro playing Madoff, which was dubbed "Wizard of Lies." It premiered on HBO in 2017.

Madoff was 82.

Huge news out of Pittsburgh ... where a man claims he was assaulted over the weekend by NFL superstar Aaron Donald.

The accuser is DeVincent Spriggs, who claims the L.A. Rams defensive tackle struck him in the face in the early morning hours of April 11, according to Spriggs' attorney, Todd Hollis.

Hollis released a photo of Spriggs' alleged injuries -- which shows a badly damaged right eye. We're told the attorney is currently en route to a police station to file a report against Donald.

Hollis told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the incident took place at an after-hours club -- and claims Spriggs suffered a concussion in addition to other injuries

We're reaching out to Donald's camp -- as well as the L.A. Rams -- and we'll let you know as soon as we hear back.

Aaron Donald is widely regarded as one of the top -- if not THE top defensive player in the NFL.

He was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2020 -- and has been selected to the Pro Bowl all 7 years he's been in the NFL.

In 2018, Donald signed a 6-year contract extension with the Rams worth up to $135 MILLION with $87 million guaranteed.

Donald was a 1st-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- following a stellar career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for being the best defensive player in the country.

29-year-old Donald was born and raised in Pittsburgh -- though it's unclear if he knew the accuser before the alleged attack.

Civil unrest continued for a third straight night in Minnesota after the shooting death of Daunte Wright -- which saw protestors start to get creative with how they protected themselves.

Demonstrators took to the streets again Tuesday evening, gathering outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department and elsewhere in the area to decry police officer Kim Potter killing Daunte over the weekend ... after she claimed she mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of her Taser.

The march took an interesting turn Tuesday night -- different from the previous 2 nights -- as some protesters came prepared ... with umbrellas to shield themselves from projectiles hurled by police.

Check it out ... you can see a bunch of civilians bunched up together with open umbrellas out, acting as a bit of a barrier for several of them all at once.

Not to make light of the situation, but it was reminiscent of the movie "300" ... where the Spartans used their shields to ward off incoming arrows

BTW, protesters used other homemade weapons of choice, if you will ... including a guy who used a leaf blower to clear out smoke and gas from flashbangs the police threw to disperse the crowds.

All in all, reports say upwards of 60 people were arrested -- this as curfews were in effect in Brooklyn Center and surrounding areas.

The chaos, of course, follows yet another police-involved incident that left an unarmed Black man dead. Potter shot and killed Wright Sunday as he attempted to escape custody ... this after police found there was a warrant out in his name during a traffic stop.

His family has already retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and gave an emotional press conference Tuesday ... where multiple members openly wept and called for justice.

An investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently underway -- but amid mounting pressure, Officer Potter resigned from the force after serving more than 20 years as a cop. Not just that, but the Chief of Police at BCPD also stepped down -- seemingly as a sign of solidarity. The public had called for her firing, at the very least, but the Chief wouldn't oblige, instead, explaining away the situation as an "accidental discharge" and a mistake.

MLB superstar Yasiel Puig admits he DID have a sexual encounter with the woman accusing him of sexual battery -- but insists the whole thing was consensual.

We broke the story ... Puig was sued in 2020 by a woman using the pseudonym, Jane Doe -- who claims Yasiel followed her into a bathroom at Staples Center during the Lakers game on Oct. 31, 2018, and sexually assaulted her.

The woman later claimed she did NOT know Puig before the alleged incident.

Now, Puig is firing back ... claiming it was the woman who initiated the sexual encounter.

"Let me be clear and set the record straight once and for all: these allegations are totally false," Puig said in a statement.

"The evidence proves they are false, and I look forward to all the facts and the truth coming out.”

"The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me."

"Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out. We messaged each other afterward and plan to get together again, but we never did. She’s now suing me based on completely made up allegations."

Puig's attorneys, Alan Jackson and Caleb Mason, claim they have Instagram messages and text messages which show "she initiated contact with Mr. Puig earlier that evening."

"[The accuser] had designs on meeting him, and she sent him repeated Instagram messages along with her cell phone number and a heart emoji -- all unsolicited by Mr. Puig."

"After the game [the accuser] sought out Mr. Puig in person at the Chairman's Club [at Staples Center] and asked him to go into a bathroom with her for a consensual sexual encounter."

Puig's attorneys claim the two continued to message each other in the days and weeks after the incident ... with the accuser sending him a "series of affectionate and endearing messages" that aren't consistent with someone who was sexually assaulted.

Jake Paul is not only DENYING he sexually assaulted TikTok star Justine Paradise -- but he's vowing to sue her defamation.

24-year-old Paradise posted a video on YouTube last week alleging Paul forced her to perform oral sex on him after she made it clear she did NOT consent.

In her video, Paradise says she was hanging out with Paul at his L.A.-area home when they began to kiss -- something she DID consent to doing.

But, Paradise claims Paul pushed for sexual intercourse and she shut him down ... so he continued to aggressively push for oral sex.

Paradise claims she again declined -- telling him "no" multiple times -- but he forced himself on her anyway.

In her video, Paradise never mentions the specific date of the alleged incident -- but notes they began to hang out in June 2019, implying the incident took place sometime after that.

Now, Paul is firing back in a statement through his attorney Daniel E. Gardenswartz -- calling BS on the whole story and vowing to take legal action of his own.

"While others have already begun to debunk the claim alleged against him, our client categorically denies the allegation and has every intention of aggressively disproving it and pursuing legal action against those responsible for the defamation of his character," Gardenswartz said.

"Our client believes that any false allegations diminish the credibility of those who have truly been victims of misconduct."

In the meantime, Paul is training for his upcoming boxing match against UFC star Ben Askren -- which is expected to go on as planned despite the looming allegations.

The second night of unrest in Minnesota had echoes of 2020 protests past -- as citizens remain furious over Daunte Wright's death at the hands of police.

Even more people took to the streets Monday evening in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center ... where folks gathered outside a police station to demand justice for Wright and his family.

As the hours went on and the 7 PM curfew came and went, police eventually began to disperse the crowd with flash bombs and chemical agents ... this as protesters hurled projectiles at cops in return. Meanwhile, all throughout the area, looting was underway.

Gas stations and businesses were ransacked ... including a notable hit at a Dollar Tree, the aftermath of which was captured on video and shared online like wildfire.

There was even more tension on the streets ... where CNN correspondent Sara Sidner came face-to-face with an irate demonstrator who got in her face during a live shot, and basically told her and her network to kick rocks -- accusing the media of making matters worse.

It made for a heated on-camera moment -- the guy unloaded expletives at Sidner, who kept calm and deescalated the situation.

Of course, the protests were not just limited to Minnesota, there were also clashes with police in Portland as well ... where tensions have remained high for almost a year now.

The renewed wave of fury and outrage came on the heels of Brooklyn Center PD releasing the shocking body cam footage from officer Kim Potter -- reportedly a 26-year vet -- which showed the moment she fired on Daunte.

The disturbing video shows what Potter and her superiors are calling an accidental discharge ... as she apparently reached for her handgun instead of her Taser and fired off one round as Daunte tried to escape custody.

Potter is on administrative leave, but hasn't been fired yet -- the BCPD says it's letting the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension conduct its investigation and will proceed accordingly when those findings are complete.

Former NBA player Walter McCarty is adamantly denying he sexually assaulted a female student during his run as head basketball coach at the University of Evansville.

McCarty -- a 1st-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was named in a lawsuit Monday by a woman using the alias Jane Doe ... who claims the 47-year-old raped her at his Indiana home on December 9, 2019.

In her suit, the woman -- reportedly identified as a former athletic trainer at Evansville -- claims McCarty had bombarded her with messages on various social media platforms, making her feel pressure to come visit him at his home.

The woman says she eventually obliged, and when she went to McCarty's home, he sexually assaulted her.

In her lawsuit, the woman claims she reported the incident through the University's "Crime Stoppers" program. Three days after the alleged incident, the woman claims she also went to campus counselor for treatment.

The woman claims she was later diagnosed with PTSD following the alleged incident.

McCarty -- who took over the Evansville men's basketball program in 2018 -- was fired in January 2020 following an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct allegations.

"Jane Doe" filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Evansville on Monday -- claiming the school failed to provide a "safe environment" for female students and staffers.

After filing suit, the woman released a statement blasting the University and McCarty.

"I am heartbroken that my school knew about Coach McCarty's misconduct before what happened to me, and looked the other way. I will continue to go through this difficult process of holding the university accountable, because I want to prevent other women from going through the same thing I did."

But, McCarty has fired back with a statement of his own -- saying, "I've never assaulted anyone in my 47 years on this earth."

"It's disheartening that someone would make up such a vicious lie to gain financial rewards."

"I'm excited and look forward to clearing my name and exposing these untruths. I am certain my name and reputation with be restored when it's our time to do so and present the truth."

The Univ. of Evansville also responded to the lawsuit -- saying it's "confident it responded appropriately to all reports of misconduct regarding Mr. McCarty based on information it actually knew at the time."