Legal

Turbulence wasn't the only thing causing an extreme commotion on a flight from Manchester to Amsterdam ... a massive brawl erupted among passengers.

A KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam Thursday was the site of a wild scene, with a bunch of passengers pummeling each other. One guy is unloading on a fellow passenger with unrelenting punches.

It got so bad the pilot had to call ahead so cops could meet the plane when it landed.

You hear some passengers screaming at the aggressive travelers, trying to get them to stop .... but to no avail. Eventually, the flight crew was able to break it up.

It's unclear what caused the fight, but the passenger who posted the video said tension was "brewing the whole flight" after someone allegedly made a racist comment.

The Netherlands police tell TMZ ... once the plane landed in Amsterdam, officers came on board and arrested 6 passengers, all from England.

Police referred the matter to prosecutors for possible charges.

The Dave Chappelle attacker has opened a dangerous can of worms for comedians around the world, but especially in Los Angeles -- where the controversial District Attorney just rejected felony prosecution -- and one famous comedian worries the decision could lead to more violent, even fatal encounters.

Heather McDonald is outraged Chappelle's attacker, 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, won't be charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon.

McDonald blames L.A. County District Attorney, George Gascón, whom she believes should be recalled. Gascón has faced heavy criticism and has butted heads with the LAPD for his lax punishments and low bond figures for criminals. Our LAPD sources say they're outraged by the decision to kick the case to the L.A. City Attorney for misdemeanor prosecution.

Heather says she feels she'll have to take show security into her own hands to protect her from Chappelle copycats ... so she's offering free VIP tickets to cops who will enjoy the show and offer a measure of protection.

Heather says, "Unlike, Dave Chappelle, I travel alone and do not have private security or ten strapping male friends hanging out backstage when I perform."

For what it's worth, she says she'll be voting for L.A. Mayor candidate Rick Caruso in the upcoming election ... Caruso has promised to be tough on crime, although he has no power over the D.A.

Comedian Michael Yo has a different view ... that the attacker got punished enough thanks to a pummeling from Chappelle's team. Yo is confident audiences and comedians alike are sick of people interrupting shows, and will now take matters into their own hands ... dishing out beatings for trouble makers.

Dave Chappelle's attacker may have escaped felony prosecution, but the L.A. City Attorney has thrown the book at him, but because it's a misdemeanor it's only a paperback.

City Attorney Mike Feuer has charged Isaiah Lee with battery, possession of a weapon with intent to assault, unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance, and commission of an act that delays the event or interferes with the performer. These are all misdemeanor crimes, and the punishment is way lighter than a conviction on a felony.

The 23-year-old could face jail time, but because of overcrowding, COVID, etc., it's unlikely he'll serve much time if any.

It's interesting ... L.A. District Attorney George Gascón made quick work of rejecting the case, saying Lee's conduct did not rise to the level of a felony. When you look at the 4 charges the City Attorney has filed, it seems he has a different opinion of the severity of the crime.

City Attorney Feuer seems to subtly shade Gascón, saying, "My office takes protecting public safety extremely seriously." If he's convicted, Lee faces a potential maximum sentence of 18 months in county jail and/or a $4,000 fine.

Our LAPD sources say the Dept. is royally pissed that Gascón rejected the case and kicked it to the City Attorney. Gascón has been controversial since taking office ... rejecting many cases that were traditionally prosecuted.

Johnny Depp's team is trying to tear apart Amber Heard's testimony ... claiming it's nothing more than performance art.

Johnny's spokesperson tells TMZ ... their prediction during opening statements has now come to fruition ... that Amber has been "preparing to give the performance of her life in this trial." They now say their prediction was dead-on accurate.

They claim her stories of abuse have evolved with "new and convenient details" as time goes on. By contrast, they say Johnny's "recollections have remained exactly the same throughout the 6 painful years since her first allegations were made."

They also say the upcoming cross-examination from Johnny's team will be telling, as Depp's attorneys zero in on alleged inconsistencies in her stories. As you know, Amber wrapped up day 2 of her testimony ... where she told the jury he called her a "nagging bitch" and a "c***."

Amber also claimed Johnny once penetrated her with a glass bottle during one of his alleged violent outbursts.

42 Dugg's patented "Free Dem Boyz" slogan now applies to himself as well. The Detroit rapper -- who's signed with Lil Baby and Yo Gotti -- was reportedly arrested the moment he got off a plane from Memphis.

Dugg, whose government name is Dion Hayes, failed to turn himself in to a West Virginia federal prison camp last month to serve a 6-month sentence for illegal firearm possession ... according to The Detroit News.

The 27-year-old rising star, who was just named to XXL's 2021 Freshman list, hasn't exactly been living like a man on the run. In April, he released his joint album "Last Ones Left" with Collective Music Group labelmate EST Gee, and has been shooting plenty of music videos for it.

Like Pooh Shiesty -- who just got a 63-month sentence -- such legal drama could disrupt what was shaping up to be a promising rap career.

Dave Chappelle's attacker seemingly committed a crime, but it won't be enough to charge him with a felony ... so says the district attorney.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office made the announcement Thursday, saying they've turned the case over to the city attorney, adding, "After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct."

Our LAPD sources tell us they pushed for a felony charge when they submitted their findings, but the D.A. clearly disagreed.  There has been a war brewing between the LAPD and L.A. County D.A. George Gascón, who has decided not to file charges in cases traditionally have been filed.

As we reported, Isaiah Lee was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon after the attack. Law enforcement sources tell us he pointed a replica gun with a knife attached to the barrel at the comedian as he rushed the stage.

Lucky for Dave, his team jumped into immediate action, restraining the attacker and pummeling him in the process.

Dave Chappelle gave mad props to Jamie Foxx, Busta Rhymes and Jon Stewart for stepping in and taking down the dude who attacked him at the Hollywood Bowl, but we've now learned the famous comedian was doing what he does -- joking.

Dave's spokesperson, Carla Sims, tells TMZ ... immediately after the attack, D.C. went directly back to standup mode, grabbing the mic and celebrating the beatdown ... saying Busta was helping stomp on the 23-year-old who was armed with a replica gun and real knife.

Dave also called Jamie out on the stage and thanked him for participating.

And, at the after-party, Dave told the crowd ... you know you've crossed the line when Jon Stewart gets a few licks in of his own.

Well, now Sims is telling us Dave's comments were simply part of his ever-evolving act ... in that none of the 3 guys threw a punch or otherwise participated in the takedown.

Now Jamie, Jon and Busta probably appreciate the clarification ... it's unclear if the attacker may lawyer up, claiming he was the victim of excessive force by people on the stage, so clearing things up would protect them from possible legal action.

Amber Heard is testifying for the second day, telling the jury Johnny Depp called her a "nagging bitch" and a "c***."

Amber told jurors ... a year into their relationship, it was apparent to her Johnny had an extreme substance abuse problem ... passing out, getting sick and losing control.

She described an incident where she says Johnny tried to burn a painting, and how he accused her of having an affair with a musician. She says during that time, Johnny was strung out on cocaine, and not eating or sleeping.

She says in 2013, during a junket in Tokyo for "The Lone Ranger," Amber called him out on drinking in front of his kids, and she says he became upset that she was judging him. She says he screamed at her in the hotel room and called her a "nagging bitch" and a "c***."

Heard has experienced a range of emotions on the stand since her testimony began Wednesday ... from sadness and happiness to anger. She detailed claims of Depp searching her for drugs, times he allegedly got physical with her and even how they first met ... including their first kiss on the set of "The Rum Diary."

Depp arrived at court Thursday in rockstar fashion -- with fans greeting him and holding flowers and posters to show their support. Depp waved, touched his heart and thanked them as he went inside.

It's unclear exactly how long Heard will be on the stand ... but her time will almost certainly include more explosive testimony and allegations.

We'll be carrying the whole thing live.

"General Hospital" star Steve Burton says his wife is having a baby, but he's not jumping for joy ... revealing the baby-to-be isn't his.

In a scenario that could happen on the soap itself ... Steve revealed his wife, Sheree Gustin, was pregnant -- but he "wanted to clear something up." Steve goes on to say, "The child is not mine. We are still co-parenting our three beautiful kids."

While it may come as a surprise to Steve's fans, he says he and Sheree are separated.

Steve and Sheree have been married for more than 20 years, and have kids Makena, Jack, and Brooklyn together. We've not yet seen any divorce docs filed.

DaBaby claimed self-defense when he shot a man who randomly breached his North Carolina property -- and it looks like prosecutors agree with the rapper -- he won't be charged.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Iredell County D.A. says it reviewed the case and has made the decision not to proceed with any charges.

TMZ broke the story back in April ... a man scaled DaBaby's estate walls and was eventually shot in the leg after exchanging words with the superstar rapper.

The eerie 911 call also showcased a cool, calm and collected DaBaby instructing cops of what had taken place ... with the man hollering in the background.

Ray J insists Kris Jenner was smack in the middle of negotiating Kim and Ray J's sex tape, but we've learned the businesswoman of the century was hands-off when the deal was cut.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Kris never negotiated with Vivid Entertainment, which distributed the tape back in 2007. We're told Kim and Ray J dealt with Vivid directly and with their lawyers.

In his interview, Ray J maintains Kris and Kim hatched the plot to make and peddle a sex tape in the wake of the enormous financial success of Paris Hilton's. Sources on the other side dispute that, maintaining she had nothing to do with planning the tape, and we've learned Kris was hands-off making the actual deal and had no contact with Vivid.

Of course, that doesn't mean Kris wasn't working behind the scenes, as Ray J claims.

As we've reported over the years, although the Kardashians claimed they never signed off on the tape, the reality is that Vivid could not have released it without the signatures of Kim and Ray ... if it did, there would be a slam dunk lawsuit, because Vivid could not use the name or likeness of anyone on tape without their consent.

Kim actually sued Vivid before the tape was released and that lawsuit was dropped ... we're told because she and Ray cut the deal they wanted and that cleared the path for the release of the video.

Tokyo Toni's trying to raise some cash to make Blac Chyna's appeal happen, but she also hopes the Kardashians can mend the rift between them.

We got Tokyo Tuesday in L.A., and she's calling BS on the Kardashian ruling ... she thinks they've got a solid chance on appeal, if they raise $400K she says they need for the lawyers.

Tokyo started a GoFundMe to raise the funds, but the page hasn't seen much activity -- so far it's at an anemic $810.

Tokyo also wants the Kardashians to "do what's right" and stop the war ... especially because Chyna and Rob share 5-year-old Dream.

As you recall, we caught up with Chyna the day after she lost her $100M defamation suit ... she seemed in good spirits, saying her time in court had been fun.

This photo shows how scary it must have been for Dave Chappelle Tuesday night at the Hollywood Bowl, because the gun/knife that was thrust toward him looked like it could have fatal consequences.

The knife is affixed to the barrel of the gun, like a bayonet. As we reported, the gun was a replica but the knife is real ... real deadly if the attacker had actually used it when he jumped on stage and lunged at Dave, slamming him to the ground.

The big question ... how on earth did the 23-year-old assailant get the gun/knife past the metal detector? Our LAPD sources say there was one entrance area where the metal detector could be circumvented. That itself is a HUGE problem.

As you know, a bunch of people, including Jamie Foxx and Busta Rhymes, pounded on the guy ... who was injured and taken to the hospital. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Dave continued his show and was uninjured, but he was clearly shaken up.

Amber Heard has started testifying in Johnny Depp's defamation case -- the first opportunity she's had to tell her side of the story during the trial ... and it will be interesting to see if she can turn things around.

Johnny's ex-wife is on the stand, with her attorneys asking her questions first. They'll presumably guide her through a completely different narrative than the one JD's legal team has laid out thus far with their witnesses and even their own client.

As you know ... Johnny's side has presented him as the real victim of domestic violence -- as opposed to the other way around -- with the actor claiming Amber would often pick fights and even resort to violence when things escalated. He's insisted he never struck her.

Johnny's witnesses have also backed his story ... with friends and workers who were around in those days saying they, too, never saw any marks on Amber during the period she claims she was being hit. Three LAPD officers have testified to the same ... which was major.

Now, it's Amber's turn ... and she's got a lot of ground to make up -- not just for the jury, we're sure, but in the court of public opinion ... which seems to be firmly on Johnny's side.

It'll be interesting to see how she responds to the most damning pieces of evidence that have been introduced thus far -- including the mystery of poop in Johnny's bed, the makeup mix-up that kicked this whole thing off ... and her admitting on tape to hitting her then-hubby.

Of course, people also wanna hear how she explains the fact Johnny got his finger cut off. He says it was injured when she threw a vodka bottle at him -- and we know she's denied that before ... but here, we'll probably get to hear the gory details from her POV all over again.

If Amber can come off as believable and compelling on the stand, it could have a big impact on the jury ... because as we said, she has not been painted in the greatest of lights at this point.

The same guy who allegedly rushed Dave Chappelle on stage also used the comedian as the inspiration behind his own rap career ... naming a song after DC.

You heard that right ... Isaiah Lee, the 23-year-old allegedly responsible for the attack, is a self-proclaimed rapper by the name of NoName_Trapper. He actually has a song on his 2020 album titled, "Dave Chapelle' on Spotify.

The song's lyrics are puzzling, mostly repeating, "laugh at you n****s a joke."

Lee also has a decent social media following, with 32k followers, and only follows 80 people ... Dave being one of them. He posted a bizarre video of himself yesterday with a filter to give himself a bloody nose and devil horns.

As we reported, Lee rushed and tackled Dave while he was onstage at The Hollywood Bowl Tuesday night -- holding what we're told was a replica gun and knife.

Dave Chapelle took a hard hit and fell to the ground, before Dave's team stepped in and gave the guy a severe beatdown ... Jamie Foxx was also in the melee, and got some hits in too.

Johnny Depp's supporters are out in full force -- showing the actor a ton of love as he arrives for court -- on the day Amber Heard is expected to take the stand.

Depp just got to the courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia where close to 50 fans, mostly women, greeted him with everything from posters with positive messages to flowers. Johnny clearly took notice, waving to and thanking everyone with a big smile on his face.

Of course, things inside the courtroom aren't as peachy -- with more shocking testimony that happened Tuesday -- including accusations Depp did a "cavity search" on Amber once when checking if she had any cocaine.

The entire trial has been full of wild claims, and Johnny's team rested its case earlier this week ... it's expected Amber will finally take the stand Wednesday.

Amber's legal team tried to get the whole thing dismissed after Johnny's team rested ... but the judge wasn't having it. A rep for Johnny told us on the decision, "Numerous witnesses have testified that Ms. Heard engaged in psychological, verbal and physical abuse towards Mr. Depp and we are pleased at Chief Judge Azcarate’s ruling to continue with the trial after Mr. Rottenborn failed to convince the court that there was reason to dismiss the case."