Fights

Chris Brown is in an unusual position in court -- on the OFFENSIVE -- claiming a guy on a basketball court tried extorting the singer ... threatening to tell cops Brown started a fight unless he coughed up a ton of money.

Brown was sued by Malcolm Ausbon over a pick-up basketball game last July at an L.A. gym. Ausbon claims Brown attacked him over a foul call, and proclaimed he was a member of the Bloods.

Brown has now counter-sued Ausbon, claiming he had nothing to do with the fight and Ausbon knew it, but tried to shake him down for a quarter-of-a-million dollars. According to Brown's new counter-suit -- obtained by TMZ -- Ausbon admitted to Brown's people the singer was not the culprit, but later his lawyer made this written demand:

-- "Mr. Ausbon believes $250,000 will suffice compensating him for his physical and emotional injuries ... Mr. Ausbon is placed in a position by the LAPD where he needs to decide whether he will press charges for aggravated assault and battery."

The letter continues:

-- "However, Mr. Ausbon prefers not to resort to filing these claims or the lawsuit. He would rather be compensated."

Both girls involved in the infamous "shovel girl" video have been charged with disorderly conduct ... TMZ has learned.

The Miami County Sheriff's office in Ohio tells TMZ a charge of disorderly conduct was filed in Juvenile Court against both girls just for fighting.

Interestingly ... the girl who threw the shovel did not draw any additional charge.

The Internet thinks it has solved the mystery of the Solange Knowles/Jay Z elevator fight, but TMZ has learned the tweet is a fraud.

Shortly after TMZ posted the insane video of Solange losing it -- a photo of a tweet emerged in which Solange accuses Jay Z of hitting Beyonce ... and the image was forwarded over and over again yesterday.

But the tweet in question was never really posted on Solange's Twitter feed, and never even existed -- IT'S A TOTAL FAKE. Solange's rep tells TMZ, "I can confirm that Solange did not tweet that; that is not a real tweet."

But as far as theories go ... it's worth noting that Solange has deleted all Instagram photos with Beyonce in them ... except for one.

The mystery lives on ...

The women of "The Talk" are just like everyone else ... they could not stop talking about TMZ's video of Solange attacking Jay Z ... and Sharon Osbourne finds the fight awesome and comforting.

Our photog caught up with Sharon, Julie Chen, Aisha Tyler and Sara Gilbert (Sheryl Underwood had already run off) Monday night in NYC.

Chen describes the situation as "shady," but Osbourne says the brawl gives her a connection to the Z family.

And check out Sharon on "Watch What Happens Live," as she described crapping herself during an introduction to one of "The Talk" girls.

Jay Z and Beyonce are sitting courtside TOGETHER at the Brooklyn Nets playoff game in NYC tonight ... clearly sending a message they're still on the same team after the big elevator fight with B's sister.

The couple didn't get to their seats until the 2nd quarter. Once they sat down, they were smiling and acting like their usual couply selves ... and even chatted it up with LeBron James like nothing was wrong.

We broke the story earlier today ... B's sister Solange went bersek on Jay in a hotel elevator on May 4th ... kicking and punching him like crazy while B stood by and watched.

Jay Z found himself in a hand-to-hand combat sitch when Beyonce's sis, Solange Knowles exploded on him in an elevator -- all while Bey stood by like nothing at all was happening.

It's totally insane video of two sisters -- one crazed, one calm -- and one dude on the defensive.

Jay Z was ferociously assaulted by Beyonce's sister Solange  ... who was wildly kicking and swinging at him inside an elevator ... and the attack was captured on surveillance video ... obtained by TMZ.

According to our sources, it all went down at a Met Gala after party last week at the Standard Hotel in NYC.  In the video ... Jay Z, Beyonce and Solange step into the elevator ... and then Solange goes crazy, screaming at Jay before unleashing a violent attack.

A large man -- who appears to be a bodyguard -- attempts to hold Solange back, but she manages to connect at least 3 times.  At one point Solange throws a kick and Jay grabs her foot, but never attempts to strike her.  Beyonce stands by without getting physically involved.

And this is interesting.  When you look closely, you see the bodyguard hit the emergency stop switch on the 12th floor -- mid fight -- presumably to keep the fight private.

At one point, Solange smacks Jay with her purse ... spilling the contents all over the floor of the elevator.

Eventually the group exits the elevator ... but not before Solange takes a few last shots.

All three walked out of the building together -- Solange looks pissed -- but while Bey and Solange get in one car ... security walks Jay to a different one.

It's unclear what triggered the fight.

Mike Epps will not face criminal charges for allegedly punching a woman in the face at a movie premiere party ... but he's not completely off the hook -- and neither is the alleged victim.

We broke the story ... Simone Shepherd says she got into it with Epps' wife at the "Haunted House 2" premiere party ...and claims Epps hauled off and smacked her in the face.

Mike insists he never laid a finger on her ... but Shepherd showed us photos of her swollen jaw and claims the injuries were courtesy of Epps.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Epps won't be charged, but he's been ordered to attend a City Attorney hearing -- where he'll be lectured on the law and the importance of keeping the peace.

Chris Brown did NOT admit he assaulted the alleged victim in his D.C. criminal trial.

Mark Geragos Tells TMZ ... when Brown admitted to a probation violation Friday in the Rihanna case ... it did NOT constitute a confession in his assault case. Geragos says all Brown did was admit he violated probation in D.C. -- he was not more specific.

Geragos tells us ... HE -- not Chris -- conceded there was a factual basis to conclude his client violated probation based on the police report.

What's more, Geragos says there's no way the D.C. prosecutor could use Brown's admission as a confession, because the standard of proof in a criminal case is much higher than in a probation hearing.

Geragos says he merely told the Rihanna judge it's "more likely than not" that Chris screwed up in D.C. In a criminal trial, the prosecutor must show Chris screwed up beyond a reasonable doubt.

Apollo Nida won't be comparing himself to T.I. anymore -- especially when it comes to snitching -- because the rapper and his boy Killer Mike put the fear of God into Apollo in Atlanta yesterday ... and the whole confrontation was recorded.

TMZ broke the story ... "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Nida copped a plea with the Feds in his wire and bank fraud case -- and part of the terms included Nida agreeing to become an informant to help catch other crooks. Aka snitching.

Nida tried to downplay our story with a tweet ... claiming T.I. and Michael Vick signed similar "snitching" deals in their cases. Big mistake, Apollo.

T.I. and Mike caught up with Nida in a parking lot yesterday ... and made it extremely clear -- he better keep T.I.'s name out of his mouth.

In the vid ... T.I. tells Nida their cases were not similar at all.

T.I.'s right ... we've seen the documents and his plea agreement with the Feds does NOT include a so-called snitching clause.

The-Dream's baby mama photographed her injuries immediately following her alleged fight with him last year and the graphic pics are now part of the police investigation.

As TMZ first reported, Lydia Nam is accusing Dream of punching, kicking and strangling her during an argument when she was pregnant with his child.

Now TMZ has obtained the photos, which show giant bruises on her arm and leg, as well as scratches on her neck and face.

According to the criminal complaint, Dream pulled and dragged her by her hair, choked her with a necklace she was wearing by twisting it tightly around her neck, kicked and punched her in the head and then grabbed her by the neck, pinning her to the wall and choking her again.

The complaint also alleged that when Nam tried to call 911, he violently twisted her arm and said he would kill her “like O.J. Simpson killed Nicole Brown."

Nam says she waited seven months to report the incident out of fear for her safety. The-Dream denies the whole thing.

It's all fun and games until someone gets hit in the head with a shovel ... but TMZ has learned police are investigating the infamous "shovel girl" video ... and assault charges now loom.

By now you've seen the video ... two girls are fighting when one grabs a shovel and throws it at the other ... nailing her in the back of the head as she hightails it out.

Now a rep for the Miami County Sheriff's office in Ohio tells TMZ ... they've assigned a deputy to investigate after they were contacted by the girls' high school. Maj. Steve Lord tells TMZ ... the girl who threw the shovel could be charged with assault or disorderly conduct.

The-Dream didn't say much as he walked out of court Wednesday night following his court appearance for allegedly hitting his baby mama, but he did make one thing clear ... he says he never laid a hand on her.

As TMZ first reported, Dream's baby mama, Lydia Nam, claims he punched, kicked, and strangled her one year ago when she was pregnant with his child.

Dream was arraigned in a Manhattan court Wednesday night on charges of assault, strangulation, harassment and reckless endangerment. He posted $20,000 bond and was ordered to stay away from Nam.

Poor Canada -- The-Dream's ex-girlfriend would rather see him rot in jail than return to Canuckistan ... and that's exactly why the producer believes she has falsely accused him of strangling her.

Dream is telling friends, the reason he was charged Wednesday with felony assault and strangulation is all because Lydia Nam was about to be kicked out of the U.S.

Here's the deal. Her visa is set to expire shortly. Dream says she found out there's a special visa that allows immigrants to remain in the country if they're crime victims and they're needed in the prosecution of the perpetrator.

So, Dream says, that's why she FALSELY accused him of punching, kicking and strangling her while she was pregnant with their son.

For Nam's part, sources close to her tell us, Dream didn't just attack her once ... he had a history of physically abusing her. She admits she waited 7 months after the strangling incident to file a police report, but she says the reason for the delay is simple -- she was terrified of him.

6:00 PM PDT -- Dream just posted $20,000 bail and was released from custody. He was ordered to stay away from Lydia.

10:35 A.M. PDT -- A rep for Dream just told TMZ, "Dream voluntarily surrendered to the Midtown North Precinct this morning in order to responsibly address the false allegations filed against him by Lydia Nam. He is innocent of the charges filed against him today."

The-Dream turned himself into cops this morning for an alleged attack on his ex-GF ... and TMZ has learned he's been booked for 2 felonies -- assault and strangulation.

Law enforcement sources tells us Dream walked into an NYPD precinct at 8:30 A.M. ET -- he had been wanted by police for questioning in connection with an alleged assault on his baby mama, Lydia Nam in April 2013.

TMZ broke the story ... Nam claims he punched, kicked, and strangled her while she was pregnant with his son. For some reason she didn't report the incident to police until 7 months later.

According to law enforcement sources ... Dream's been booked for the 2 felonies as well as 3 misdemeanors -- assault, reckless endangerment, and child endangerment.

The guy Columbus Short allegedly beat up in a bar fight has had it with the former "Scandal" star ... and now plans to sue after an out-of-court settlement fell apart because Columbus pled poverty.

The victim's lawyer tells TMZ ... Short offered to pay a handsome sum to settle with the guy he allegedly knocked out. But the lawyer says Columbus pulled the plug, saying he was just sacked from "Scandal" and his income stream dried up like a riverbed in drought-stricken California.

We're told the victim had asked Columbus for several hundred thousand dollars to cover medical expenses -- including an expected surgery to repair facial fractures. And of course, he wants something for his pain and suffering.

We're told Columbus can expect a lawsuit as early as Friday.

Columbus' lawyer had no comment.