Health

A violent clash between police and protesters led to a double amputee getting blasted with pepper spray, but video of the incident shows cops did not take his prosthetic legs as well.

Witnesses say the young man was unarmed and non-violent when he got pepper-sprayed by Columbus, OH police officers Sunday, but footage shows he threw items at cops ... like a sign and a bottle of liquid.

The guy reportedly crawled on his hands to get medical help, but the video shows protesters almost immediately gathered around him to drag him away ... which caused him to lose his prosthetic legs. The legs can be seen disconnected on the ground near him in the video.

More video of the protests shows Columbus cops using their bikes as battering rams to attack the crowd, which is in stark contrast to Mayor Andrew Ginther's statement earlier in the week.

The Mayor said police could deal with violent protesters, but "those on the other side who are truly peaceful, who are truly non-violent, who are truly non-aggressive need to have the space and deserve to have the space to exercise their First Amendment rights, and we should embrace that." The Mayor and City Council also banned the use of peppery spray against non-violent protesters.

So, why the violent clash with peaceful demonstrators Sunday? The Mayor seemed to justify it by saying cops tried for more than an hour to clear the streets, but "they were met with violence from some and took action, including using mace and pepper spray as appropriate to keep crowds in sidewalks."

We've reached out to the police ... we're told they're investigating the incident.

Luke Bryan wouldn't let the pandemic stop him from making an amazing wish come true for a young fan with cerebral palsy ... and her reaction will melt your heart.

Luke sent a special, personalized video to Emma Lookatch, brightening her day with a loving message and telling her he's hopeful they can meet in person when the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

Emma's a huge Luke Bryan fan, and the good folks over at Kids Wish Network -- a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses -- had arranged for her to meet Luke on the set of "American Idol," a meeting that was dashed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

While he couldn't meet Emma in person this time, Luke recorded a special greeting and sent it to her and her parents ... and ya gotta see Emma's reaction as she watches the message on a brand new iPad and Beats by Dre headphones.

Cleveland Cavs superstar Kevin Love is continuing his quest to raise awareness for mental health ... by donating a half a MILLION dollars to his former school's psychology department.

31-year-old Love -- who was a star for the UCLA Bruins in 2007-2008 -- has been outspoken about his battles with depression since 2018 ... and has been fighting to end the stigma against mental health disorders.

Love announced the $500,000 to UCLA on Monday ... one day after receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs.

"I hope one day we are able to erase the stigma around anxiety and depression, and we can only do that by improving diagnosis and treatment, fostering public conversations about mental health and encouraging people to seek help when they need it," Love said via Tom Withers.

Love's contribution is receiving praise from the university ... with Michelle Craske, professor in psychology, psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences adding, "When heroes like Kevin come forward and share their vulnerability, it shines a light on anxiety and depression, and that helps chip away at stigma."

"I want to thank Kevin for his leadership and his courage to share his personal story with the world. He has inspired and provided hope to many."

Florida Man is back with a vengeance -- this time, he's fighting his way into a Walmart, which has a mandatory face mask policy ... but FM NEEDS his discounts, 'rona be damned.

This wild scene went down Saturday in Orlando, and it starts off right in the thick of the action. An elderly man tries storming his way into a Walmart without a face covering -- but gets stopped by an employee at the front door. That wasn't gonna stop gramps here though.

He immediately got physical and started pushing his way through -- even shoving the masked employee out of his way ... to some success, at first. The guy did get by him -- after taking a tumble during the struggle -- and then started heading for some aisles. But, this Walmart employee (of the year?) caught up to him and held his ground ... give him a raise!

On the second go, he had backup with him -- just a regular Joe, it seems -- who chimed in and told the guy to get the hell out. He also noted the dude was getting his germs all over the place by making such a big fuss -- meanwhile, almost everyone else had coverage.

It seems the two-man press was enough for the old-timer to call it quits and scram, empty-handed at that. Guess he'll have to wait to get his weekly batch of $5 DVDs ... too bad.

Anyway, the whole time you can hear the cameraman laughing it up -- and while we'll admit it's pretty funny watching this absurdity unfold ... it's also pretty jarring and surreal.

Comedian D.L. Hughley had some sort of medical emergency Friday night ... he was performing at a Nashville club when he went limp and passed out cold.

D.L. was performing at Zanies Comedy Club and a sold out crowd was enjoying his jokes when suddenly, at around 11 PM, it appeared something was amiss. His speech became labored. A security guard handed D.L. a bottle of water, and a minute later he just passed out cold while he was leaning against a stool.

The comedian's manager was at the ready and grabbed D.L. to break his fall. The manager carried him off stage and that was it ... no one told the crowd what happened, but it was serious enough for an ambulance and fire truck to show up. D.L. was put on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital.

We've tried contacting D.L.'s rep ... so far, no word back.

An apparent newborn baby got dragged out to the crockpot of potential disease festering in Tulsa -- and like mother, the kid too is unmasked ... and surrounded by hordes of bodies.

This screenshot is from a video that was filmed and posted on social media Saturday outside of the BOK Center in downtown, where Trump is hosting a rally -- the first one he's held in months since the start of the pandemic, and which promises to be packed.

The person who posted this was documenting her day ahead of the actual rally later this evening, and one of the last posts on her IG story shows this woman with what looks like a recently born child. The woman who posted says 3 weeks old -- tagging it #BabiesForTrump.

It looks like she had a convo with the mother -- in her original story, the woman comes over and seems to mouth some words to her.

The imagery brings all the worry to life ... thousands of people are lined up outside the Tulsa venue where Donald Trump will hold his campaign rally Saturday night, and it's hard to spot masks in the crowd.

The venue itself will hold around 19,000 people ... all of whom will sit inside for hours waiting for the rally to begin. City officials say as many as 100,000 people may turn up for the event. As we reported, doctors believe just based on the people who get inside the venue ... 800 to 1,000 will contract the virus.

Trump's anti-mask message has clearly connected with his followers, despite the clear science that masks help prevent the spread of the virus.

Authorities are expecting protesters at the rally ... one's already been arrested for trespassing, despite the fact she was peacefully protesting. And, Trump has dog whistled on Twitter that some of the protesters -- or as he calls them "lowlifes" -- will be met with violence if they dare make their presence known.

It makes no sense, but it's very clear a number of Donald Trump supporters who will attend Saturday night's Tulsa campaign rally have unbridled contempt for masks that help prevent the spread of coronavirus, because this dude mocked the masks with a diaper to block what he claims are COVID-19 farts.

Brian Clothier is wearing an adult diaper covering his pants with the inscription, 'Scientists say [farts] spread the virus. I COVID my ass to stop the spread.'"

First things first ... there have been a few tabloid stories suggesting the virus can be spread by farting, but doctors and scientists are poo-pooing it. The CDC has said there's no evidence of such a spread.

Even if it were true, why the contempt for masks? It's interesting ... no one from Trump on down has ever said masks are ineffective. Trump's own task force has recommended masks when people go out in public. Trump is clearly politicizing masks -- making them look like a sign of weakness, which is insane -- but why are his followers buying into a fiction that will get them sick?

Predictions based on models suggest anywhere between 800 and 1,000 people who attend the rally will probably contract the virus. And, then those people go home and infect others ... some of who could well die.

The fact that people at the rally are showing a hostility toward doctors and scientists who have offered a way to keep them and their loved ones healthy is the most baffling development since the hoarding of toilet paper.

PGA Tour stud Nick Watney was forced to withdraw from this week's RBC Heritage tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 ... officials announced Friday.

Watney, who played in the first day of the South Carolina tourney on Thursday, woke up feeling ill Friday ... and, according to PGA Tour reps, tested positive shortly after.

FYI, the Tour tested EVERYBODY prior to the start of the week's tournament ... with all results -- including Watney's -- coming back negative.

The Tour says Watney will now have to undergo strict quarantine and isolation rules to eventually return to action ... and says it's taking precautions for everyone and everything that might have come in contact with Nick at this week's event.

"Nick will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines," Tour officials said in a statement.

Watney played with Vaughn Taylor and Luke List in Thursday's opening round ... but neither golfer has withdrawn -- with both dudes still currently in the middle of their Friday rounds.

Well that didn't take long -- a day after AMC Theatres announced plans to reopen without a strict mask-wearing policy in place, it's reversed course ... all of its guests will now have to cover their faces when it reopens.

AMC CEO Adam Aron sparked a major controversy Thursday when he revealed he was trying to do the opposite ... by NOT requiring guests to wear masks when it resumes operations on July 15.

Aron said, "We did not want to be drawn into a political controversy ... We thought it might be counterproductive if we forced mask wearing on those people who believe strongly that it is not necessary."

So, Aron said it would be up to guests in states where mask-wearing is not required to decide if they want to wear one or not. He added ... "We think that the vast majority of AMC guests will be wearing masks. When I go to an AMC feature, I will certainly be wearing a mask and leading by example."

No need to be an example now, though, because AMC announced Friday it had made an error. The theater chain says its lax mask policy "prompted an intense and immediate outcry from our customers, and it is clear from this response that we did not go far enough on the usage of masks."

AMC's 600+ venues have been closed for almost 4 months, but it's set to reopen 450 of those locations in mid-July, and plans to be fully back in business by the time Disney’s “Mulan” is released, on July 24.

Seating capacity will be greatly reduced, however, and eating popcorn ... well, that will simply be more challenging.

Sir Ian Holm -- perhaps best known for playing Bilbo in 'The Lord of the Rings' films -- died Friday morning after a long battle with Parkinson's disease ... according to his agent.

The Oscar-nominated actor died peacefully in the hospital with his family by his side, the agent added.

Holm was born in England in 1931, and got into theater acting at a young age, studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduating in 1950 to the Royal Shakespeare Company ... where he became a star of the stage.

Ian won the Tony Award in 1967 for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in "The Homecoming."

At the same time, his roles were increasing in film and TV, as well ... including appearances in "The Wars of Roses," "Oh! What a Lovely War" and "Mary, Queen of Scots."

His first major movie role came in 1979 when he was cast as the android, Ash, in "Alien." Then, in 1981, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing the coach in "Chariots of Fire."

Holm's other notable credits over the years included "Brazil," "Hamlet," "The Fifth Element," "Ratatouille" and of course ... playing Bilbo Baggins in 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' films.

Ian also took home the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for the starring role in "King Lear."

Holm was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1989, and in 1998 he was knighted for his services to drama.

He is survived by his wife, artist Sophie de Stempel, whom he married in 2003, and 5 children.

Ian was 88.

Wanna see Steve-O ollie over the greatest MMA fighter ever???

Good ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained video of the former "Jackass" star boarding over Jon Jones at a New Mexico skate park this week -- and it's both awesome AND terrifying!!!

Check out the footage ... Jones laid down on a ramp and let Steve-O skate over him -- and the first attempt nearly cracked Jon's ribs, it's pretty damn scary!!

But, Steve-O eventually nailed the trick ... and Jon couldn't have been happier.

There's much more in the clip ... Steve-O can REALLY skate -- and Jon even tried his hand at going up and down a ramp a few times, too!!!

By the way, Steve-O tells us he was scared out of his mind to let Jon on the board, saying, "a wave of panic swept over me for the possibility that I might be responsible for the career-ending injury of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time."

But -- both dudes ended the sesh OK ... and Steve-O added, "so glad we got away with it!"

Us too!!!

By the way, if you're wondering why the duo are spending time together in New Mexico ... it's all for a great cause.

Steve-O joined the UFC champ to help his efforts with the C.A.R.E. project ... raising money and support for communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico.