Legal

We've seen thieves in action at stores across the country in some pretty wild clips -- but these two are taking it to another level -- using a stun gun to get away with a cart full of goods.

The wild video, shot Wednesday in the middle of the day at a Marshalls in Studio City shows a pair of women trying to leave with a cart full of stolen merch -- you see the building's security guard tried his best to stop them ... and that's when things escalate.

One woman pulls out a stun gun, and you hear the snapping and popping during the tug-o-war as she threatens the security guard with the weapon. During the melee, you hear a woman's voice yell at him to back up, and scream, "You can't touch us!"

Unclear if the guard actually gets zapped ... but it certainly appears like the weapon makes contact at one point. A witness tells us the guard also seemed to have been injured.

Finally, the guard gives up ... and the two women shuffle away with the stolen goods before loading them into their car and taking off.

Law enforcement sources tell us the two women were long gone by the time cops got to the scene, but the incident is being investigated as a robbery because the stun gun is a weapon.

Marlon Wayans says he's not to blame for missing his upcoming show after an issue with United Airlines, but apparently, the cops think differently ... because he's been hit with a citation for the incident.

A spokesperson for the Denver PD tells us Wayans got into it with a gate agent for the airline Friday as he was trying to fly out of the Mile High City. Cops say they spoke to all parties involved -- including Wayans -- and slapped him with a citation for disturbing the peace.

We spoke with a witness who tells us Wayans was pissed he had to check a bag during boarding, allegedly slamming his ticket on the counter and then proceeding to board the plane. The witness says the gate agent tried to stop Wayans, but he couldn't, so he called security.

However, a source close to Marlon says he was first told he had to consolidate his bag and then being told he had to check the bag altogether.

We're told about 30 minutes later, Wayans was escorted off the plane ... and that's the time when cops got involved. We got video of Marlon leaving the ticketing counter looking pissed.

As for Marlon, he took to Twitter to air his grievances with the airline, tweeting, "If this is how United treats their first class customers.... I'd rather fly any competitor coach. Sorry KC I'm gonna miss tonight's shows due to a United gate agent who probably hated white chicks."

For those not following along, "White Chicks" is a movie he and his brother, Shawn, starred in back in 2004.

Marlon, who was set to perform Friday night at Kansas City Improv, says the whole ordeal has forced him to miss his show, writing, "It's not my fault blame the gate agent and United Airlines can't believe how they allow their first class customers to be treated this way. I need corporate to reach out DM me. this agent was rude."

A source tells us Marlon was eventually able to get out of Denver on another airline.

Former President Donald Trump's indictments won't push him off the campaign trail ... he could use the legal drama to catapult himself back to the presidency, even if he's convicted.

Loyola Law School Professor Jessica Levinson joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," to break down the 37-count federal indictment -- it's the first ever against a former President, but she says if he plays it right, it won't block his path to a 2024 victory.

What's most shocking, perhaps, is Levinson says even if Trump loses in court -- he's also facing a NY state indictment -- there's nothing in the Constitution barring him from serving his term in a prison cell.

With all that in mind, Jessica thinks it should come down to a simple question -- do folks want to back a candidate who could be doing time while running the country?

She also clues us in on a potential tactic Trump's opponents could use to get some of his supporters.

As we reported, Trump was indicted once again Friday for allegedly taking boxes upon boxes of classified documents when he left the White House, and stashed them at Mar-a-Lago -- some of them were stored in a bathroom.

He's accused of breaking 7 different laws, including a whopping 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Looks like Kanye West's bullying may cost him in court ... because he's been slapped with a lawsuit over a pic he used to troll a Vogue editor.

In case ya forgot -- Ye went after a contributing editor for Vogue named Gabriella Karefa-Johnson amid his various rants last year ... after she called his "White Lives Matter" shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible."

Kanye blasted Gabriella by posting a photo of her and saying she's "not a fashion person" -- but according to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the pic was snapped by professional photog Michaela Efford, and she says she didn't give the rapper permission to swipe her work for his roast session.

Michaela says she snapped Gabriella's photo in September and notes Kanye used the pic on his social media about 1 week later without her permission.

Takeoff's mother Titania Davenport has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Houston venue where the Migos rapper was shot and killed on November 1.

According to the court docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Davenport claims the companies behind 810 Billiards & Bowling failed to take appropriate security measures to protect guests at the venue ... including her son, Takeoff.

The suit, filed Wednesday in Harris County, Texas also cites the lack of security prechecks while knowing Takeoff's celebrity would draw a huge crowd.

Patrick Xavier Clark, the man police say fired the fatal shot that killed the 28-year-old, isn't named in the suit ... but Davenport alleges 810 should have known there was a risk of violence based on past incidents on the premises and the crime in the surrounding area.

Takeoff had a huge memorial service inside State Farm Arena in his hometown Atlanta and the suit is seeking over a million dollars in damages to cover his funeral expenses, mental anguish, and more.

Rolling Stone was the first to report on Takeoff's mother's lawsuit.

Blueface might not be locked up at the moment, but if the new details about his recent Las Vegas robbery charge are true ... his freedom could be in jeopardy.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Blueface, his pregnant girlfriend Chrisean Rock and several others in their entourage are accused of assaulting a woman ... on May 29 inside the Palms Casino.

Cops say the woman walked up to Chrisean and professed her love for the reality star, and congratulated her on her pregnancy ... but also proclaimed she didn't care for Blueface, and added a "F*** him" for good measure.

According to the report, Chrisean didn't appreciate the verbal jab at her man, and punched the woman in the left side of her face. Cops say Blueface then snatched her phone, put it in his back pocket and mockingly said, "This is mine now."

Officers say the woman was able to retrieve her phone from Blueface, but claims another man in the entourage clocked her with an uppercut!!!

During the melee, Blueface allegedly kicked the woman in the face and chest until security intervened ... and Blue, Chrisean and co. fled in a Dodge Charger.

Responding police officers reviewed hotel surveillance footage, as well as the cell phone footage showing the moment Chrisean hit the woman.

As we reported, Blueface got arrested Wednesday while in court for another, more serious, case -- he's charged with attempted murder for a shooting incident last year outside a Vegas strip club.

"Good Times" star and "America's Dad" John Amos was left fighting for his life in the hospital after falling victim to elder abuse and possible financial crimes ... according to his daughter.

Shannon Amos just made the shocking announcement, saying she got a distressing call from her dad last month ... who informed her he was in the hospital in Memphis. Shannon says she was able to get John on a quick FaceTime -- as she was out of the country -- before his pain became unbearable.

Shannon says in the last few weeks, the Amos family has learned the 83-year-old, "Had fallen victim to elder abuse and financial exploitation."

She doesn't give details as to who is involved -- only saying a "caregiver" -- or what exactly happened to Amos, but does note, "His home had been violated, stripped of anything valuable." She also says the family is working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and cops to get justice.

In an attempt to help her dad's recovery and help bring those allegedly responsible to justice, Shannon's set up a GoFundMe with a $500k goal. Shannon says the money will be used for John's care, legal fees, and aftercare.

While many would say John's biggest role was James in "Good Times," he also starred in "Roots" and was on "The West Wing."

We've reached out to Shannon for additional details ... so far, no word back.

The late "Power Rangers" star Jason David Frank's karate school has allegedly fallen way behind in rent since his death ... and now the landlord is taking the school to court.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jason's Rising Sun Karate in Valencia, CA is getting sued by Valencia Marketplace, the shopping mall where the dojo's located. The suit claims Jason and co. are tenants under a couple of leases -- the original of which dates back to around 1998.

The problem, according to the docs, is that Rising Sun stopped paying rent around November and December 2022 -- you'll recall, Jason died on November 19, 2022. Valencia Marketplace says it served the company a written notice of its running balance that was owed back in March, but says the balance was never paid.

The shopping mall's now seeking a whopping $47,347 in unpaid rent from Rising Sun Karate.

Blueface wasn't in a Las Vegas jail cell for too long after being arrested for robbery Wednesday afternoon -- and Jaidyn Alexis, mother of his 2 children, was waiting outside with the appropriate party favors.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Blueface was arrested in court while appearing for a separate offense but was allowed to make bail and Jaidyn came in clutch.

For her loyalty, Blueface immediately launched into star-maker mode and began training her for a potentially lucrative rap career in the studio.

Under Blue's coaching, Jaidyn turned the untitled track into a diss song for the haters who called her ugly. However, she also ended up hating the recording process, and her coach!!!

Their studio session bled well into Thursday morning with Jaidyn threatening to take even longer to prevent Blue from dipping off to go see his other girlfriend, Chrisean Rock ... who apparently didn't want to see him after his arrest!!!

Someone sneakily caught Chrisean's happy reaction that Blue was in jail but she denied that was her true feeling.

Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 is waging legal war with his neighbor in Beverly Hills ... and it's all because of a pine tree Mark says is growing too tall.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mark and his wife Skye are suing their neighbor over a tree they claim is blocking their view.

In the docs, Mark says the neighbor is violating rules adopted by the planning commission they hashed out years ago, which called for her to remove a bunch of trees and maintain a pine tree at a maximum height of 15 feet.

Mark says his neighbor is flouting the rules, claiming the tree is over 15 feet now, and new trees are growing in place of those that had previously been removed ... obstructing his view in the process.

In his suit, Mark claims his neighbor's been ignoring repeated requests to maintain the trees ... so now he's running to a judge for help.

Mark's seeking an injunction to force his neighbor to follow the rules and trim the trees ... he's also going after his neighbor for damages.

Jay-Z is at least $7 million richer than he was one day ago, and the money means he can finally put a more than 7-year-long legal battle behind him.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned Paralux Fragrances sent $7,259,061.31 to Jay's team on Wednesday -- that's what the company owed him after losing the lawsuit it filed, way back in January 2016, claiming the mogul hadn't lived up to promotional obligations for the cologne Gold Jay-Z.

As we reported, a jury ruled in favor of Jay more than a year ago, but Parlux had filed an appeal ... which it lost last week. As a result, the company was on the hook for the court-ordered amount of $6.8 million plus interest.

Here's a little perspective on how long the Parlux battle dragged on -- when the lawsuit was filed, Jay-Z was worth about $610 million, according to Forbes. Seven years later, he's more than quadrupled that!!!

While the $7 mil would be like hitting the lotto for most of us, it's a drop in the bucket for someone as successful as Jay.

TMZ broke the story ... he and Beyonce just paid $200 million -- CASH, no less -- for their new Malibu mansion. It's the most expensive real estate deal in California history, and the 2nd biggest in U.S. history, and on top of that, they also have a $100 million Bel-Air home.

Blueface is in hot water with the law yet again, this time showing up to court for one issue and getting arrested for another ... after police claim he was involved in an alleged robbery.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, BF was taken into police custody Wednesday and charged with a felony. As for why he was in court in the first place, he was supposed to have a preliminary hearing for his attempted murder charges.

TMZ broke that story ... BF was arrested back in November after prosecutors claimed he discharged a firearm into a house, building, vehicle or craft. In the new case, the alleged robbery was a direct violation of the stipulations the court placed on him after that case.

The white woman who shot and killed her Black neighbor -- a mother of 4 -- is getting off easy when it comes to charges ... so says attorney Ben Crump and the victim's mother, who both say race is very much a factor.

Crump and Pamela Dias joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," to reveal everything that led up to Friday's tragedy. Police say 58-year-old Susan Louise Lorincz opened fire through her front door, killing 35-year-old Ajike Owens, who was knocking on the door to defend her kids.

Lorincz was arrested Tuesday night, and charged with 2 counts of assault, battery, culpable negligence, and manslaughter. That last charge is offensive to Pamela, as she firmly believes her daughter was murdered.

Crump pointed out prosecutors still have the discretion to upgrade the charges against Lorincz, and he says that's warranted in this case.

Pamela and Ben claim Lorincz has been tormenting neighborhood kids -- including Ajike's -- for years about an open field where they play. They say her anger was completely unwarranted as Lorincz didn't own the land, which is adjacent to her apartment.

Perhaps most tragically, Pamela says 2 of her grandkids witnessed their mother get shot.

And, Crump says he has no doubt racism is a critical factor in this case -- he claims Lorincz has hurled epithets and insults at kids on previous occasions.

Lauryn Hill shocked fans at the 2023 Roots Picnic by using her headlining performance to orchestrate a mini-reunion with the Fugees ... a complete and total surprise for Pras, who we've learned was shocked at the request to join his former bandmates.

A rep for Pras tells TMZ Hip Hop he was able to make the performance happen last minute, as he's currently awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of conspiracy and fraud in April.

Pras' admiration for his Fugees bandmates Lauryn and Wyclef Jean runs deep ... he considers them family and their longtime bond paid off for Sunday night's impromptu Roots Picnic performance.

We're told the invitation to perform was so sudden, there was no time for rehearsal ... but the legendary hip hop trio managed to belt out 6 songs from the classic multi-platinum album "The Score" for the crowd.

Due to Pras' looming sentencing, a lot of people think this was the Fugees' final performance for a long time, but not necessarily.

Things are really heating up for Prince Harry on the stand in his tabloid privacy case, getting grilled by the opposing attorney for failing to show actual proof of his claims.

The Duke of Sussex's cross-examination continued Wednesday ... where his lengthy witness statement was picked apart -- namely, pointing to the fact the guy hasn't brought any actual evidence of phone hacking, including alleged data Harry has cited.

Harry's explanation for this, so far, has been his suspicion that the Daily Mirror journos he alleges were spying on him/hacking his phone were probably using burners to cover their tracks ... plus the fact all this stuff happened so long ago, well over a decade at this point.

Then, some nitty gritty ... the opposing attorney, Andrew Green, went through several different stories that are at the center of the case -- and he broke down, one by one, why Harry thought phone hacking and/or spying was at the center of these gossipy pieces.

For example, a few articles were brought up from the mid-2000s referencing his relationship with his ex-GF Chelsy Davy -- details of which the Mirror reported on back then, including break-ups/ ups and down they'd gone through, which PH believes were reported on via illegal news-gathering tactics.

However, when pressed on why he thought that, he revealed that the unnamed "palace" sources cited in the stories couldn't have known about those things ... because he says he never discussed those things with any palace officials. There are also details from phone calls the two had that were reported on -- which cited friends as the source -- and Harry said he thought those were hacked from his voice mails.

What Green pointed out, however, is that a lot of these stories the Mirror did were actually out in other outlets too -- and sometimes even originated from other outlets, including American gossip mags -- and that they often cited anonymous sources who claimed to be in the know. What Green was getting at ... perhaps people in Harry's inner circle and/or people who worked for or with the palace provided the info, without any hacking whatsoever.

Essentially, Green was making the point that it's quite commonplace for outlets to get what some might consider inside info from well-placed sources ... and that citing anonymous sources is, oftentimes, exactly how a tabloid publication may have gotten the scoop.

Harry pushed back though ... insisting much of the content reported on by DM could've only been obtained by accessing his private records/correspondence. Green said Harry was "living in a land of total speculation" about where the info might've actually come from -- and Harry said he disagreed. They also butted heads at other points in the cross ... at one point, Green interrupted Harry (who kept turning to the judge) to say -- "Could I ask the questions?"

Long story short ... Green was making the case that a lot of what Harry's griping about had either already been out and reported on, usually citing anonymous sources, or that the Daily Mirror's stories were reported on with info that was easily accessible to the public. Harry called BS on that -- but when pressed on deets, he didn't seem to have any smoking gun. Just a lot of conviction and firm belief -- which Green consistently questioned and doubted.

Mick Mars' legal war with his former band, Mötley Crüe, is set to play out in court, for all to see -- but the Crüe is making a move to take it behind closed doors, despite Mick's protests.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mötley Crüe is asking a judge to send this case -- kick-started by Mick's lawsuit in April -- into arbitration, where they say it belongs ... and where it will be out of the public's eye.

Mick's lawyer, Ed McPherson, tells TMZ ... "This is yet another attempt by bullies to hide the truth!"

In their filing, attorneys for MC say several different entities have been created over the years to handle varying aspects of the band's biz -- things like touring and recording -- and those agreements contain binding arbitration clauses.

Translation: All grievances that might come up among members, must be handled in private arbitration, instead of airing them out in public courts

You'll recall ... this battle is all about Mick, their longtime guitarist, claiming the Crüe unfairly and unjustly cut him out of touring and his share of tour profits ... after Mick was diagnosed with a debilitating bone disease.

The band's called BS, arguing they were actually trying to do him a solid based on his condition, and even tried to give him fair compensation ... but they say Mick's going about this the wrong way by filing a lawsuit

Bottom line is ... Mötley Crüe's asking the judge to send the matter to arbitration.