Crime

A shocking car chase in Los Angeles ended in a gunfight between LAPD officers and a suspect ... and the whole thing was caught on body cam and dashcam video.

The incident took place on a sunny L.A. afternoon on June 9 in the east Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights ... kicking off when officers sidled up next to a truck -- and the driver gunned it out of there.

Cops chased the truck onto the freeway and then through several neighborhoods ... before it slammed into a hill -- and a man jumped out and started running down the block.

The man who allegedly stormed the "TODAY" show set Thursday and hurled racist remarks at Craig Melvin seems to have been taped in the background of one of the show's segments just before the whole thing went down.

You can see who appears to be Andrew Truelove hanging outside the studio at Rockefeller Center as Savannah Guthrie and Craig report on a massive 14-foot-long great white shark that may be heading for Cape Cod.

The man who appears to be Truelove can be seen pacing back and forth in the background during the segment ... seemingly smoking. TMZ has not independently confirmed this is the perp, but it looks like this person has the same hairstyle, mustache, and clothing from when he was seen cuffed by cops hours later.

Two U.S. Forest Service employees have been freed after being held at gunpoint for 15 hours in a Northern California national forest.

The horrifying incident went down Thursday at the Shasta-Trinity National Forest ... with authorities being alerted around 11 AM when a Forest Service law enforcement officer called the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and reported the two employees -- whose identities have not been released -- were zip-tied and being held inside a trailer at gunpoint, according to Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue.

Authorities say more than two dozen law enforcement officers responded to the situation, including a SWAT team, snipers, hostage negotiators, bomb experts, and more. Deputies located the trailer using drones around 1 PM in a heavily forested campground area near Gumboot Lake.

Footage captured by the drones showed one of the suspects carrying an assault weapon and walking in and out of the trailer.

Tyler Robinson's dad doesn't seem to be hurting for cash ... because he runs a successful local masonry business.

According to the California Post, Matthew Robinson is back to work in St. George, Utah after his son spent days in court for the alleged murder of Charlie Kirk.

The outlet reports that folks who have done business with Tyler's pops say business is booming ... thanks to loyal clients and word-of-mouth.

Tyler's dad isn't cutting the checks for his son's defense ... taxpayers are on the hook ... and experts recently told the CA Post earlier this week that the bill could get up to $10 million, maybe more.

Andrew Truelove -- the alleged "TODAY" show intruder -- got to live out one of his dreams when he called Craig Melvin the n-word ... at least according to cops, who claim he told folks that was on his bucket list.

NYPD released a narrative based on conversations with a couple of people who say they were there ... and one person told them they saw Truelove walk into the 30 Rock lobby and follow an employee into a restricted area of the building.

Another individual -- also anonymous, though it appears to be Craig -- says they saw a defendant at the bottom of a stairwell ... who yelled out their name and then asked for Al Roker.

Officers say they've been informed Truelove "proceeded to take steps toward Informant 2 and stated in substance, you're a n*****. I am informed by Informant 2 that the defendant's conduct made him fear for his safety."

The "Today" show intruder suspect is a conspiracy theorist with a lengthy rap sheet ... which includes doing hard time for vandalizing multiple Sandy Hook Elementary School memorials.

Andrew Truelove -- who's been charged with several crimes connected to Thursday's scary incident involving Craig Melvin and Al Roker -- spent years behind bars after he copped to stealing signs memorializing victims of the deadly school shooting.

The transient suspect is a hardcore Sandy Hook conspiracy nut ... and the Los Angeles Times reported that was his motivation when, in 2014, he traveled to playgrounds in New Jersey and Connecticut to steal the memorial signs.

NBC isn't taking any chances after the frightening security breach at the "TODAY" show ... 'cause TMZ has learned security outside Studio 1A has been significantly increased ... and sources tell us the changes are here to stay.

TMZ has obtained video showing a noticeably heavier security presence outside the "TODAY" plaza and studio entrance Friday morning. In addition to the usual staffing, multiple private NBC security guards and NYPD officers were stationed around the area.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the heightened security measures are permanent, with the network determined to prevent any copycat incidents following Thursday's shocking security breach.

TMZ broke the story ... Andrew Truelove allegedly slipped past security after entering through the "TODAY" plaza, made his way into a restricted backstage area, then allegedly confronted Craig Melvin, lunging at the anchor while allegedly yelling the N-word.

As TMZ first reported, Melvin and Al Roker have also been granted court-ordered protection against alleged intruder Andrew Truelove. His attorney, Lawrence Gerzog, told TMZ a judge ordered Truelove to stay away from both hosts.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ ... Truelove is prohibited from going near Craig and Al at NBC or at their homes. For now, he's being held at Rikers Island on $20K bail while facing multiple hate crime charges.

"TODAY" anchor Craig Melvin doesn't seem too rattled by Thursday's terrifying encounter with a studio intruder ... and while he says it's part of the "wacky" world we live in, he says he feels safe.

We got Craig as he was leaving 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Friday morning ... and he was cool as a cucumber as our photog asked about what happened when a man slipped past security and allegedly lunged at him and hurled a racial slur.

Craig tells us why the incident doesn't have him feeling unsafe ... chalking it up to "a lot of wacky out there."

Seems Craig's chilled out on this since Thursday's incident ... when he apparently told cops the intruder made him fear for his safety.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Miranda Hope's ex Chase McWhorter cut a plea deal with prosecutors in his DUI case ... and it looks like he's going to avoid jail time.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Chase pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor DUI and, in exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges and recommend probation, community service, and a substance abuse evaluation, instead of jail time. The judge signed off on the deal.

Chase was ordered to pay a $1,383 fine, complete 48 hours of community service, and serve a year of probation.

Craig Melvin and Al Roker are not taking any chances after Thursday's alarming incident at the "Today" show studio ... because they're getting court-ordered protection against alleged intruder Andrew Truelove ... TMZ has learned.

Truelove's attorney, Lawrence Gerzog, tells TMZ ... the judge issued a protective order requiring Truelove to stay away from Al and Craig.

TMZ broke the story ... Truelove was asking for Al after somehow slipping past security, and when he couldn't find Al, he turned his attention to Craig, confronting him in a restricted area and allegedly lunging at him while yelling the n-word.

Gambino family crime boss John Gotti's grandson is asking a federal judge to delay his prison sentence a few more months so he can donate a kidney to his mom ... and federal prosecutors are amenable to it -- though they're also a bit skeptical he'll actually go through with it.

Here's the deal ... Carmine Agnello -- the son of Victoria Gotti, one of the Teflon Don's 5 children -- is scheduled to surrender to federal authorities on Monday to start a 15-month sentence for scamming the federal government out of $1.1 million in COVID relief funds.

Carmine asked a judge to push his reporting date back by 60 days so he can donate an organ to Victoria -- who suffers from chronic kidney disease -- and recover outside of prison.

Al Roker's hangin' in there after the terrifying intruder incident at the "TODAY" show ... and he's got a profound message about the wild ordeal.

Al shared a sweet montage of photos with cohost Craig Melvin on Instagram Friday, set to Avicii's "Hey Brother" ... that included his powerful words.

Al says ... "A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc We are both okay."

Craig Melvin -- live on air -- has addressed the shocking "TODAY" show incident that saw a man bypass security and lunge at the NBC host while spewing a racial slur.

Craig briefly brought up the scary situation during Friday's broadcast, saying the man was "thankfully" apprehended quickly, and he and his colleagues are fully cooperating with the New York City Police Department as the investigation continues.

He added, "We are just very happy everyone is safe."

3:19 PM PT -- The man who allegedly stormed NBC's "TODAY" show offices, lunged at Craig Melvin and called him the N-word is now facing a slew of hate crime charges ... TMZ has learned.

11:05 AM PT -- NBC News' TODAY tells TMZ ... "There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured."

They continue ... "TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios."

A terrifying security breach rocked the "TODAY" show Thursday morning ... a stranger breached security and stormed inside the building from the plaza before allegedly lunging at NBC host Craig Melvin.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the man was asking for Al Roker after somehow slipping past security. We’re told he couldn't find Roker and turned his attention to confront Craig in a restricted area and allegedly lunged at him while yelling the N-word at him.

We’re told the incident happened around 9 AM ET and that staff and security rushed in -- and the intruder was ultimately detained and arrested. The man, who we're told is white and was unarmed, had entered a stairwell and made his way backstage -- we're told near the dressing room, though where exactly is unclear.

Cops found an unregistered gun in Zaire Wade's Burbank home after his domestic violence arrest ... at least according to prosecutors.

Dwyane Wade's eldest son appeared in a Pasadena courtroom Thursday for his arraignment in his domestic violence case ... and pled not guilty to a felony charge.

According to a reporter for LA Magazine in the courtroom ... prosecutors told the judge cops found and confiscated an unregistered firearm after the alleged incident.

A splinter group within R. Kelly's camp says they're now officially in charge of the imprisoned singer's bid for clemency, but Kelly's attorney of record tells TMZ the claims are totally "unsubstantiated."

The infighting between the Kelly factions kicked off Tuesday after Kelly filed a petition to commute his 30-year sentence for sexual misconduct convictions.

In one corner, you have Kelly's Chicago-based attorney of record, Beau Brindley, and, in the other, you have Atlanta-based attorney Lela Schmidt.