Drugs & Alcohol

Suge Knight is way better at dodging charges than bullets … because even though he attacked someone at a pot shop, and it's caught on video -- he's not being prosecuted because of "insufficient evidence."

We broke the story -- which was pretty awesome -- Suge got denied at the Medstar Collective in L.A. back in February because he didn't have a medical marijuana card. He went ballistic and slugged a guy in the face -- which you clearly see on the video.

But prosecutors tell TMZ ... they're not filing charges because they believe video alone won't cut it. Who knows ... maybe someone was stupid enough to throw the first punch that wasn't caught on tape.

But we're told the reality is this ... prosecutors need witnesses and if you know anything about Suge, you'll understand that no one is talking.

As we first reported … Suge was shot multiple times early Sunday on the Sunset Strip, and after lifesaving surgery he's recovering in a hospital.

John Witherspoon has thrown cold water on the homages to Robin Williams ... saying he was a hardcore junkie.

Witherspoon -- who played the father in "Friday" -- worked with Robin back in 1977 on the set of "The Richard Pryor Show" ... and tells us not only was Robin an addict, but that he even stole his coke right out from under him.

On a purely visual level ... it's understandable how Beverly Hills cops got fooled by the guy claiming to be former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland

Jason Michael Hurley -- the guy who claimed he was Scott after getting busted for stealing razors and meth possession -- is the singer's spitting image.

In fact ... before his arrest he was boasting his attempt to create a cover band called Stone Tempered Pilots.

As we reported ... cops took Hurley at his word that he was Weiland ... and he was so convincing jailers put him in the celeb wing for 3 weeks and never had a doubt he was the famous singer.

The Scott Weiland impostor was able to fool 3 BIG law enforcement agencies into believing he was the Stone Temple Pilots front man ... despite the fact he was fingerprinted immediately -- which was a dead giveaway -- and they even had his real name.

It's an unbelievable story and an incredible screw up. Jason Hurley was arrested July 26 on burglary and meth charges. He told Beverly Hills cops he was Scott Weiland and that was good enough for them.

It's breathtaking ... because cops actually fingerprinted Hurley, which should have been enough for them to know it wasn't Weiland, who himself has been fingerprinted before.

And get this ... Hurley's prints came back as HURLEY.

So, the first big screw up ... the press office apparently didn't know about the fingerprint results ... and wrote a press release touting a "celebrity arrest" -- Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots.

Get this ... the D.A. charged Hurley almost immediately with 5 crimes. The case is written as People v. Scott Weiland a.k.a. Jason Michael Hurley. So somehow it got to the D.A. that Hurley was the guy, yet everyone kept saying it was Scott Weiland.

So Hurley went to L.A. County Jail -- where he's been sitting for 3 weeks -- and no one put 2 and 2 together.

Cops didn't have a clue they had misidentified a guy who was in custody ... until TMZ posted a story based on the BHPD press release and Scott fired back he was in a recording studio.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell told police he had no idea he could get a DUI for driving while high -- after admitting that he smoked weed before getting behind the wheel ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, Bell and teammate LeGarrette Blount were arrested on August 20th in Pennsylvania -- after a cop said he could smell weed coming from their Camaro.

According to the report, the cop initially asked Bell (the driver) if he had any weed in the car -- and he initially said NO.

But when the cop asked if he was high, Bell reportedly replied, "It was about a minute ago. We smoked within the last two hours."

The cop said he called for backup -- including a K9 unit to search the car -- and that's when Bell told the officer he had weed in the glove box.

Bell, Blount and a woman in the car told the cop they had all chipped in to buy the weed.

The cop says he told Bell he could be in trouble for driving under the influence -- to which Bell replied, "I didn't know that you could get a DUI for being high. I smoked two hours ago. I am not high anymore. I am perfectly fine."

"Why would I be getting high if I had to get on a plane to make it to my game?"

He added, "I have to be on my plane at 3 to be in Philadelphia, I play for the Steelers."

Scott Weiland is the victim of a series of screw-ups as well as incredible deception. Cops now tell TMZ they were WRONG -- the guy who's been in custody for meth possession and burglary for A MONTH is NOT who they thought it was -- Scott Weiland.

TMZ posted a story late Thursday that Weiland was currently behind bars after allegedly stealing razors from a Bev Hills drug store in late July. The Bev Hills cops said when they searched him, they found meth.

Apparently the guy said he was Scott, and cops believed him.

BHPD gave us a written statement, titled "Celebrity Arrest," which read, "The suspect, former Stone Temple Pilots band member Scott Weiland (46 years of age), was taken into custody..."

The man has been in L.A. County Jail since July 26, unable to post $95,000 bail.

After we posted the story ... Scott posted a video on Facebook of himself at an L.A. recording studio ... to show he was NOT in jail.

We then called the Sheriff's Dept. back but they were unwavering, telling us they did a "physical check" on the inmate and insisted Scott "was definitely in custody."

Oops. The BHPD got back to us late Thursday night and said they made a BIG mistake ... the inmate is actually a 44-year-old guy named Jason Michael Hurley. They discovered it through belated FBI fingerprint analysis, even though he's been locked up since July 26.

Jackie Chan served up a can of whoopass on his own son, but he didn't use his fists of fury ... he used his words.

Sticks and stones ...

Brooke Mueller's former assistant has filed a lawsuit against her ... claiming she turned him into a "drug mule" to fuel her out-of-control habit.

Lior Masaphor wants her to pay unpaid wages, but he makes claims going way beyond that. He says he was forced to watch her twins Max and Bob while she got "so high as to be literally wasted" and engage in multiple sex acts with other people while the kids watched.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB's Le'Veon Bell & LaGarrette Blount were arrested in Pennsylvania this afternoon for marijuana possession ... officials tell TMZ Sports.

According to Ross Township Police ... the two were pulled over around 1:30 PM after a motorcycle cop smelled pot coming from a black Camaro on a busy highway near Pittsburgh.

Police say when they stopped to question the pair they discovered 20 grams of marijuana inside the vehicle.

Bell was busted for misdemeanor DUI and possession of marijuana. Blount was popped for misdemeanor possession.

Officials tell us both men were cited and released.

Jackie Chan says he's "VERY ASHAMED" of his son Jaycee -- claiming his 31-year-old son humiliated his family after getting busted for pot in China.

Chan's son was caught in a huge drug crackdown last week -- with cops saying they found about 3.5 ounces of the green stuff in Jaycee's Beijing home.

Now, his famous father has penned a bizarre letter to the public -- blasting his kid ... and essentially saying he FAILED as a father.

"When I first heard the news, I was absolutely enraged" ... Jackie wrote in a letter posted on his official website.

"As a public figure, I feel very ashamed; as his dad, I'm very sad and disappointed. But the person who feels heartbroken the most is his mom."

"I hope our younger generation will learn from Jaycee's mistake and stay far away from drug abuse."

"I would like to take this opportunity and say to Jaycee: you’ve done something wrong and you have to be responsible for the consequences. I’m your dad and I’ll always be with you. We will face the road ahead of us together."

"I should also take some of this responsibility because as his dad, I didn’t teach him well."

"Therefore, on behalf of Jaycee and myself, I extend our deepest apologies to everyone for the negative impact this has caused on society. Thank you."

Magician Calen Morelli pulled a trick on everyone when he made it appear a cop slammed him against a wall in search of a bag of pot ... because the cop is an IMPOSTOR!!!

Calen appeared on TMZ Live Monday and spilled the beans ... the epic video -- which has nearly 8 million views -- is not what it seems.

Yes, the magic is real, but the guy in uniform is not a sworn donut-muncher ... well, at least not one with a badge.

Gotta say ... well done.

Denzel Washington just left an Orange County residence where he was staying for more than 2 weeks to detox after a wild, alcohol-fueled, gluttonous month-long vacation ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected with the actor tell TMZ Denzel was on a yacht during the month of July with his wife ... and was partying and partying hard.

When he returned to L.A. ... our sources say Denzel went to the OC residence where he had professionals help him "detox."

One source says this was more than just alcohol ... it was an overall cleanse for toxins. In addition to the professional who supervised the detox, we're told Denzel had a nutritionist, a trainer and a chef.

Shia LaBeouf is getting clean by going back to nature ... as in Nature Valley Bars.

Shia was shopping at the Van Nuys, CA Costco and this was a serious food run. In addition to Nature Valley, it looks like he got "Dirty" Potato Chips and Welch's Fruit Snacks. It looks like he also has a box of Honey Bunches of Oats.

Shia's LaBuff and healthy after all the alcohol-fueled craziness in L.A. and NY.

Something troubling however ... it looks like he only got one flavor of the "Dirty" chips.

There's a damn good reason Denzel Washington is considered one of the best actors around ... he can flash a big, bright smile on his face and deftly deflect!

Denzel was on his way out of Tra Di Noi in Malibu Saturday when our photog asked the 59-year old actor about his recent 2 week detox at a residence in Orange County.

As we previously reported ... the detox was not just for alcohol ... it was an overall cleanse for toxins. He had partied for a month on a yacht with his wife and ... overindulged in a big way.

Whatever he did worked ... he looks great.

"20/20" co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas has checked into rehab for alcohol abuse ... the second time she's done that in less than a year.

Vargas says, "As so many other recovering alcoholics know, overcoming the disease can be a long and incredibly difficult process. I feel I have let myself, my co-workers and most importantly my family down and for that I am ashamed and sorry."

Vargas spent a few weeks in rehab late last year for alcohol abuse.

Michael Lohan got caught up in a melee on an airplane ... but Michael wasn't the one who was out of control.

Michael works for a rehab facility in Florida and part of his job is to escort people with alcohol and drug addiction from their homes to the West Palm Beach facility.

Michael was in New York Thursday, picked up an addict and got on a JetBlue flight at LaGuardia.

Here's the problem. We're told Michael's passenger was high when he boarded and as the plane began taxiing he got belligerent ... screaming at the flight attendant who was instructed by Michael NOT to give the guy a drink.

The plane went back to the gate and security booted the guy from the plane and Michael dutifully followed.

But it wasn't over. We're told Port Authority police were about to arrest the man when Michael provided credentials from the facility showing he was caring for the man, so the cops let Lohan take the guy to a local hospital.