Legal

3/6 -- 2:45 PM PT -- Paula Abdul responded to Nigel Lythgoe's latest barb, with her attorney telling Deadline ... "Mr. Lythgoe's answer to Ms. Abdul's complaint is classic victim shaming. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

Nigel Lythgoe is producing a slew of emails and posts from Paula Abdul which he says show they had a very friendly and loving relationship for years after she alleges he sexually assaulted her.

In the legal docs filed Tuesday, it's immediately clear Nigel's taking the gloves off with his former friend and coworker at "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" ... calling her a "well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune."

The scathing response includes several private emails Lythgoe says Abdul sent him, filled with flowery, kind and "adoring" language. For instance, a Sept. 12, 2014 email reads in part, "Hi sweetheart -- thank you for this lovely 'gift.' Please forgive me for not calling yesterday. Forever grateful to have you in my life! Love, love LOVE YOU! XO P."

Another, dated June 20, 2014, says, "Thank you for the beautiful flowers -- they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling! I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project."

Lythgoe's filing also includes pages of Paula's public tweets at his @dizzyfeet handle, starting in 2009 and continuing through 2015 when they were both working on 'SYTYCD.' Many of them include photos of them together and captions like, "You know the crew loves you, too!! :)) xoxoP" -- and, in a Thanksgiving tweet, she wrote, "I'm grateful that I met you too, Nigel! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! xoxoP."

TMZ broke the story ... Abdul filed a lawsuit against Nigel and FremantleMedia North America (producers of 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD') in December, alleging he'd sexually assaulted her twice -- the first time in "one of Idol's initial seasons" ... which would be the early 2000s, and the second at some unspecified point during her 2 seasons as a 'SYTYCD' judge. She started that gig in 2015.

According to the new docs, the pages of emails, messages and tweets "show how Abdul really felt about Lythgoe during and after the time she now alleges abuse occurred."

Lythgoe further attempts to impugn Abdul's character, claiming he championed her to be hired on 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD' ... "despite the opposition from other executives due to Abdul's already well-known erratic behavior."

He also claims her substance abuse issues were a frequent topic for 'Idol' execs, claiming ... "At her worst, Abdul was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions."

And, Lythgoe takes one other major swipe at Paula, saying her "credibility has been called into question on a serious issue" ... namely, the plane crash she says she survived in 1992.

In the docs, Lythgoe says, "There are no records whatsoever of the supposed plane crash. In one interview Abdul explained that she was able to keep the story under wraps with NDAs and because 'there was no internet at the time.' In another interview, she explained that at the time of the crash, there were 'no computers.'"

As we reported, Nigel dismissed her allegations against him as "false and deeply offensive" the day after she filed her lawsuit ... and he's, again, flatly denying the allegations in the docs.

He's asking the court to dismiss Paula's lawsuit, and he wants her to cover his attorney fees.

We've reached out to Paula's reps ... so far, no word back yet.

Sounds like Isaiah Stewart's got a mean right hand ... at least according to Drew Eubanks, who told cops his Valentine's Day fight with the Detroit player left him with bloody gums and loose teeth.

According to a Phoenix Police Department incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Eubanks made the complaint roughly five hours after he and Stewart were involved in an altercation at the Footprint Center just prior to the Pistons vs. Suns Feb. 14 matchup.

Eubanks, cops wrote in the report, said Stewart confronted him while he was entering the arena due to interactions the two had previously had while playing in a game three months prior.

"He got off the bus and he started, um, just talking s***," Eubanks told cops. "He said something along the lines of, 'You wanna run it back? We're right here. We can do it right now.'"

Cops say Eubanks told them he tried to walk away from the situation, but Stewart kept advancing toward him ... until they were face-to-face inside of a tunnel in the arena.

Eubanks told cops, according to the report, Isaiah then said, "We can do this s*** right now" ... before he threw "a sucker punch."

Eubanks stated the blow landed in the center of his mouth, causing his gums to bleed. He added, the report states, "My teeth definitely are like looser and they hurt."

When pressed more about why he believed Stewart was so upset, Eubanks stated nothing out of the ordinary happened between the two in their previous matchup.

"Just basketball stuff," the Phoenix center said. "It was, you know, lowering your shoulder. Trying to hit, hit somebody for a box out. Being physical. Talking on the court. That's all it was."

At the time, Eubanks told cops he wished to prosecute ... and Stewart was issued a citation.

However, the report states that on Feb. 17 -- three days after the encounter -- Eubanks called cops and said he no longer wished to press charges.

On Feb. 19, cops say Eubanks told them "he had been thinking about the incident for a couple days and at the time, he was upset, but had time to think about it."

Stewart was still suspended by the NBA for three games. After serving the ban, he apologized to his team during a meeting with media members.

The sheriff for the area where 13-year-old Madeline Soto disappeared and died is under fire for seemingly posting a photo from the crime scene, and now the department is apologizing.

This debacle is playing out down in Osceola County, Florida -- where Madeline's body was discovered Friday by officials there in a wooded area after she went missing from her home in neighboring Orange County last week.

On Saturday -- a day after Madeline was found deceased -- a photo of human remains was reportedly posted to the official Instagram account for Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. The photo, believed to be a confidential image from the crime scene and since deleted, is said to show a body matching Madeline's description lying dead on the ground.

Now, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office is telling local news outlets the photo was accidentally included in a post about a community event for seniors. They add ... "We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused."

The Sheriff's office is neither confirming nor denying the photo depicted Madeline's body.

Somehow, this all gets worse for the Osceola County Sheriff's Office ... because the same morning the alleged Soto photo was posted on IG, another member of the sheriff's office shared a selfie with Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of Madeline's mother ... and the prime suspect in her disappearance and death, who has since been taken into custody.

Nirva Rodriguez, the OCSD executive director, shared the image on her personal Facebook page ... showing Sterns being led out of a building in handcuffs. She reportedly captured her post ... "If God’s love has been poured out over your life, don’t allow evil to keep you away from what He has prepared for you." Unclear what her intent behind the post/message was.

In any case ... the selfie was reportedly snapped after Sterns was booked on charges of child pornography and sexually battering a child.

Law enforcement has not specifically tied those charges to Madeline's case just yet ... nor have they officially charged him in her disappearance or death. He has yet to enter a plea.

Rodriguez's FB post with Sterns has also been deleted, FWIW ... and it's worth noting she oversees multiple divisions with OCSD, including media, outreach and community services.

Jenelle Evans quiere separarse de su marido David Eason, TMZ ha confirmado.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que la ex estrella de "Teen Mom" recientemente presentó documentos judiciales en Carolina del Norte, señalando su intención de separarse formalmente. Sin embargo, no es como que el divorcio esté sobre la mesa todavía, pero por lo que parece, bien podría ser el siguiente paso.

La presentación judicial -según lo informado por The Sun- hace varias alegaciones contra David en términos de razones para querer separarse, incluyendo las reclamaciones reportadas de comportamiento errático, abuso de sustancias y la negativa a trabajar, entre otros problema incluso más inquietantes.

The Sun señala que Jenelle lo acusa incluso de lllevarse a su perro en 2019 y más recientemente, ella dice que él está actualmente enfrentando cargos criminales por presuntamente maltratar a su hijo adolescente, Jace.

Publicamos la historia, Jenelle y David eran sospechosos de negligencia infantil después de que su hijo de 14 años de edad, Jace se escapó varias veces el verano pasado. Después de la tercera vez que lo había hecho, Jace aparentemente le dijo a la policía que David lo agredió.

Nuestras fuentes nos dijeron que Jace tenía marcas visibles en los brazos y el cuello cuando fue recogido, lo que llevó a la policía local a investigar y finalmente arrestar a David. Eason se enfrenta actualmente a dos cargos: delito menor de abuso infantil y delito grave de asalto por estrangulamiento.

La semana pasada, Jenelle estaba detallando un reciente intento de robo en su casa allí en Carolina del Norte, pero el nombre de David estuvo ausente de su descripción del horrible incidente.

Ahora sabemos por qué, The Sun informa que Jenelle está citando su fecha de separación el 16 de febrero y este documento fue presentado al parecer en algún momento hacia el final del mes pasado, el 23 de febrero.

Jenelle supuestamente va a hacer más acusaciones contra David, incluyendo la afirmación de que no ha comprobado en ella desde que se separaron oficialmente y que él está viviendo en su barco. Ella cita el hecho de que tienen hijos juntos y que supuestamente se ha ido fuera del radar.

Si bien estos no son documentos de divorcio, Jenelle aparentemente está pidiendo la custodia física primaria de su hija, así como la manutención de los hijos. David y Jenelle comparten a Ensley, de 7 años. Ella también señala que quiere el control de la casa de la familia y la mayoría de sus bienes conyugales para sí misma. En otras palabras, se perfila un desacoplamiento desordenado.

Jenelle Evans has filed to separate from her husband David Eason ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the former 'Teen Mom' star recently submitted court docs in North Carolina signaling her intent to formally separate -- although, it doesn't like divorce is on the table just yet ... but, from the sounds of it, that's the next natural step here.

The court filing, as reported by The Sun, makes several allegations against David in terms of reasoning for wanting to split -- including reported claims of erratic behavior, substance abuse and refusal to work ... among other problems Jenelle cites, including other disturbing things.

The Sun notes Jenelle points out DE taking out their pet dog in 2019 ... and more recently, she says he's currently facing criminal charges for allegedly abusing her teenage son, Jace.

We broke the story ... Jenelle and David were suspected of child neglect after her 14-year-old son Jace ran away multiple times last summer. After the third time he'd done so, Jace apparently told cops David assaulted him.

Our sources told us Jace had visible markings on his arms and neck when he was picked up, leading local police to investigate and eventually arrest David. Eason's currently facing two charges -- misdemeanor child abuse and felony assault by strangulation.

Just last week ... Jenelle was detailing a recent attempted break-in at her home there in NC -- but David's name was noticeably absent from her description of the horrifying incident.

Now, we know why ... The Sun reports that Jenelle is citing their separation date as Feb. 16 -- and this document was apparently filed sometime toward the end of last month, Feb. 23.

Jenelle reportedly goes on to make more allegations against David -- including the claim that he hasn't checked in on her since they officially separated ... and that he's living on their boat. She cites the fact they have kids together ... and that he's allegedly gone off the radar.

While these aren't divorce docs, per se, Jenelle is apparently already asking for primary physical custody of their daughter, as well as child support. David and Jenelle share 7-year-old Ensley. She also reportedly signals she wants control of the family home, and a majority of their marital assets for herself. In other words, it's shaping up to a messy uncoupling.

The man who allegedly hit Terrell Owens with his car following a dispute at a basketball game last year has been hit with two criminal charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show Wonzur Ratcliff is now facing two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon ... after authorities say he was the man who rammed his vehicle into Owens' knee on Oct. 16, 2023.

Cops claimed the incident all went down because Ratcliff and Owens had gotten into an argument while shooting hoops on a court in the Calabasas, Calif. area.

Owens, cops said, did not require medical attention.

T.O. never formally commented on the matter ... although he did allude to it in an Instagram post two days after it happened. The Hall of Famer shared what appeared to be highlights of him playing in the game that led to the incident ... writing in the caption, "ABOUT LAST NIGHT…"

"BUT I DO HAVE A RIGHT TO PROTECT MYSELF. *hope the car is ok!!!"

This is not the headline NBA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer envisioned when he sunk $2 billion into building a brand new state-of-the-art arena.

Cops are on the lookout for the 2 male teenagers who broke into the Intuit Dome -- which is still under construction in Inglewood, CA -- and ran around the place like they owned it ... shooting hoops, climbing on scaffolding and spraying fire extinguishers.

They pulled off the brazen caper last week, recording the whole thing ... and proudly posted it on TikTok, which is likely what will get them busted.

The video shows them climbing a construction crew's ladder at night to gain entry, and then strolling around the empty hallways and bleachers. When they found an unfinished basketball court, they decided to take a few shots.

They did all of this while showing their faces, and, as a result, Inglewood Mayor B has since identified the pair and their parents. Butts told ABC 7, "It will be very clear to these young men -- and to people who are TikTok followers -- that you have a moment of TikTok greatness followed by a little bit of misery. And so we don’t play around with these things.”

It's unclear if cops have made contact with the suspects yet, or what their punishment might be.

3/2 9:58 AM PT -- Rachel Leviss' rep is responding to Lisa's dig ... calling the comments, "A disappointing choice for an executive on the show since victim shaming is a defense mechanism often used by abusers and coming from a person in a position of power can cause even further harm to a person's mental health.”

Lisa Vanderpump is coming to the defense of her old friend Andy Cohen amid some new allegations -- and in the same breath ... she's taking a swipe at Rachel Leviss.

The former 'Housewives' star -- who obviously ended up getting up her spinoff show on Bravo -- was arriving at LAX at landing back in town Friday ... where our photog ran into her and asked her all about the latest drama going on in the reality world, and there's a lot.

For starters, our camera guy asked about Leah McSweeney's claims in a new lawsuit she filed this week against the Bravo honcho ... alleging he'd partaken in cocaine, not to mention claiming Bravo at large was a toxic hell hole that coaxed their stars into boozing/debauchery.

Well, Lisa has some thoughts on all that ... and she goes to bat for AC here, telling us she's never seen him do any hard drugs -- nor does she know him to be how Leah described.

On the notion that Bravo is pressuring 'Housewives' into drinking on set ... Lisa says what a lot of her contemporaries have already been making clear -- the stars are adults, and they don't have to do anything they don't want to. Bottom line ... she calls BS on Leah's suit.

Lastly, Lisa weighs in on the legal battle brewing in her own world ... namely, Rachel suing Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix over revenge porn, among other things.

She doesn't have very nice things to say about that either -- noting Rachel probably should've never compromised herself on camera the way she did if she didn't want it out.

We clarify, though, that Tom's alleged to have recorded her from his phone and circulated it with the cast ... but even then, she doesn't have much sympathy for her ex-employee.

Bottom line ... Lisa's good with Andy, not so much with Leah and Rachel. That much is clear.

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood was just granted a temporary restraining order against his model ex-girlfriend ... after he claimed the mother of his child made his life a living hell following their breakup in December 2022.

The allegations are all laid out in court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... with the 28-year-old hooper accusing Yasmine Lopez -- who boasts more than a million followers on social media -- of causing not only mental and emotional stress, but also financial damage to his valuable property.

Wood claims on February 23, 2024, Lopez and her friends trespassed at his California residence by climbing a fence ... and she proceeded to scratch the hood and doors of his Mercedes-Benz.

He says Lopez then entered his other vehicle, opened the front gate and began walking in his yard -- and neighbors who witnessed the incident called the police, resulting in her arrest.

Wood -- who has an 8-month-old son, Kobe Sean, with Lopez -- says cops then told him to pick up his son from her friend's house to avoid being processed through child protective services... but she refused to hand him over and began "making allegations against me and misrepresenting facts to the media to gain favor."

Wood also details an August 2023 incident in which he says Lopez broke into his home in Encino ... destroying statues, glass and vases and attempting to hit him. He says friends who were present at the time called the police, who de-escalated the situation.

It doesn't end there -- Wood also accuses Lopez of trespassing at his home in January 2023, when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks ... claiming she spray-painted his Lamborghini.

Wood believes Lopez is stalking him by using his publicized work schedule to track his location and vandalize his property.

Wood is also accusing Lopez of getting physical with him on numerous occasions and alienating him from their son.

He requested joint legal custody and primary physical custody of their child.

As part of the restraining order, the judge ordered Lopez to steer clear of Wood. She must stay at least 100 yards away from the hooper ... whether he's at home, at work, or even in his car. The one exception is for "brief and peaceful contact" ... which is permitted, but only when it comes to conversations about their child.

The TRO specifically directs Lopez to "not abuse" Wood, including any harassing, attacking, striking, threatening, or stalking of her ex-boyfriend.

There are several other boilerplate restrictions ... Lopez cannot possess a firearm while the order is active.

4:22 PM PT -- Tom Porto, the attorney for Ariel Young and her family, just released a statement on Britt Reid's commutation to TMZ Sports ... saying simply, "What’s different between this criminal defendant and every other criminal defendant in the state of Missouri?"

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid -- Andy's son -- just had his three-year prison sentence commuted to house arrest.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson made the surprising decision on Friday ... a little over a year after Reid was thrown behind bars for his role in a DWI crash that left a 5-year-old girl, Ariel Young, with life-altering brain injuries.

A spokesperson for Parson explained the move in a statement to media outlets ... saying, "Reid had completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and has served more prison time than most individuals convicted of similar offenses."

As part of his commutation, Reid will remain on house arrest until October 31, 2025. He'll have to abide by a lengthy list of conditions in order to avoid being thrown back in prison, however -- including working at least 30 hours a week, submitting to random drug screenings, and completing at least 10 hours a month of community service.

Reid is also forbidden from making contact with Young or her family members.

Reid was first hit with criminal charges in the case after authorities said he got drunk days before the Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Super Bowl in 2021 and slammed his pickup truck into the back of a car Young had been riding in.

Authorities alleged Reid was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH zone just before the wreck, and had a BAC of .113 two hours following the accident.

Dash cam footage captured at the scene showed Reid was wearing a Chiefs COVID mask and a Chiefs sweatshirt in the minutes after the crash.

Reid lost his job with Kansas City's NFL franchise a short time later ... and didn't work in the league again before beginning his sentence in November 2022.

We've reached out to an attorney for the Young family for comment, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

DJ Akademiks is accusing Meek Mill of being a snitch after cops allegedly showed up to his house -- and if he wants to fight the rapper ... they now have the opportunity to do so!

There's a lucrative 7-figure offer on the table to sweeten the deal between these 2 foes ... and it comes courtesy of Celebrity Boxing czar Damon Feldman.

He tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he's got a cool $1 million purse locked and loaded for Ak and Meek -- in addition to other amenities, if they wanna take him up on this. Damon also says he has a venue in Atlanta booked for May 18, adamant he wants both guys to give it their best.

Meek already has a boxing trainer in his corner, but Damon says he's willing to provide Akademiks with one of his top guys -- if he's inclined to train ahead of the fight.

Ak told Adin Ross this week that he considers Meek a straight-up bully -- while going on to call him cowardly, accusing him of hiding behind his goons ... and he seems eager to take him with his fists.

They've had beef for years, of course, but the latest episode spilled into the e-streets over this wild Diddy lawsuit filed this week by his ex-producer ... who floated salacious claims.

Meek took the bait and went down a wild social media rabbit hole ... responding to Ak but all the posts have since run their course with fans.

Chad Wheeler -- a former New York Giants offensive lineman -- was just sentenced to 81 months in prison ... after he was convicted in November of roughing up his girlfriend during a violent encounter in 2021.

The 30-year-old learned his fate inside a King County, Wash. courtroom on Friday ... in front of some of his family and friends -- as well as the victim in the case, Alleah Taylor.

In addition to the nearly seven-year sentence, the judge also ordered Wheeler to have no contact with Taylor ... and to pay restitution as well. The sentence, according to court documents, is scheduled to begin immediately.

Wheeler was found guilty of one count of first-degree assault domestic violence back on Nov. 9 ... nearly three years after Taylor said he almost killed her during an altercation at their Washington apartment.

Taylor claimed Wheeler attacked her after she refused his orders to bow down to him. She alleged the football player grabbed her, threw her on a bed and choked her until she was unconscious.

Taylor said Wheeler was so violent, she suffered a concussion and an arm injury that required metal hardware to fix.

On Thursday night, just hours before Wheeler's sentencing took place, Taylor wrote on her X page, "Sending Chad to prison tomorrow!"

"I appreciate everyone that has supported me and the legal process to make this happen! It’s been a long road but we are finally here and finally receiving justice!"

Terrence Howard just got hit with a fat tax bill that he now has to pay back to Uncle Sam -- after ignoring a federal complaint against him ... a judge just ruled he's gotta pay up.

The actor was ordered to pay close to $1 million Friday in a federal tax evasion case out of Pennsylvania that he's been wrapped up in since last year -- when the feds came after him for what they claimed were hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes he owed.

Specifically, they were attempting to recoup a huge tab from him in the amount of $578,000 -- amounting to a huge tax bill they claimed had gone unpaid from 5 tax returns between 2010 and 2019.

And now, all this time later ... they finally got a federal judge to throw down the gavel in their favor. The weird thing ... it looks like Terrence blew all this off.

According to the legal doc, obtained by TMZ, the court notes Terrence failed to appear or otherwise defend himself at all in this case. That's odd ... 'cause he's somewhat active on social media -- posting promotional stuff for projects he's involved in, etc.

As a result ... he's now technically on the hook for $903,114.72. This whopping amount covers the unpaid federal tax income assessments, penalties and interest accrued.

La mujer que afirma que la hermana de Hailey Bieber -Alaia Baldwin Aronow- le arrojó un tampón, dice que está presentando cargos y tenemos un nuevo video para mostrar lo salvaje que realmente fue.

Échale un vistazo a este material de archivo obtenido por TMZ, que muestra Alaia siendo expulsada del bar, y como se puede ver, las cosas estaban agresivas a la salida, por no hablar de lo que supuestamente estaba ocurriendo al interior.

Échale un vistazo, se puede ver a una mujer con ropa oscura -nos dicen que es Alaia- que se está enfrentando a lo que parece ser el personal de seguridad del bar. Hay un montón de gritos y Alaia parece estar en el suelo. Finalmente, se arrastra por las escaleras.

No es nada agradable de ver, eso es seguro, y puede servir como pista para hacerse una idea de lo que pasó en realidad. Por lo que sabemos, Alaia supuestamente se volvió loca y atacó a la gente, y supuestamente le lanzó un tampón a una de las camareras.

Hablando de esa camarera... estuvo invitada en "TMZ Live" el viernes y nos dijo lo que según ella ocurrió.

Alaia ya sumaba un montón de cargos, pero Haliegh Cauley, la camarera, nos dice que tiene la intención presentar cargos indignada por todo el asunto, y criticando a Alaia por arrojar fluidos corporales.

1:54 PM PT -- Alaia Baldwin Aronow's attorney, Drew Findling, tells TMZ … "On February 24, 2024, Ms. Aronow traveled to Savannah, GA to celebrate the upcoming marriage of a close friend. Sadly, what should have been a celebratory girls night out, unfortunately took an unexpected turn."

He adds, "Ms. Aronow is embarrassed and saddened by the events of that night and is proactively taking the necessary steps to ensure that it never happens again."

The woman who claims Hailey Bieber's sister, Alaia Baldwin Aronow, threw a tampon at her says she's pressing charges -- and we got new video to show how wild this really was.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, that shows Alaia getting thrown out of the Savannah, GA bar she's alleged to have attacked people last weekend -- and as you can see ... it was quite the scuffle on the way out, let alone what allegedly happened inside.

Take a look ... you can see a woman in dark clothing -- who we're told is Alaia -- and she's getting into it with what looks to be the bar security staff. There's a lot of yelling going on, and Alaia appears to be on the floor ... and eventually, she crawls away down the stairs.

It's not a pretty sight, that's for sure ... and it kinda tracks with what people told police that night -- namely, that Alaia allegedly went haywire and attacked people ... including allegedly throwing a tampon at one of the female bartenders who checked on her in the bathroom.

Speaking of that bartender, she actually came on "TMZ Live" Friday and gave us the alleged blow-by-blow ... recounting what she says happened, and what she's gonna do next.

Alaia was already booked on a slew of charges over this -- but Haliegh Cauley, the bartender, tells us she intends to see this through and press charges ... outraged over the whole thing, and slamming Alaia for chucking bodily fluids her way ... or so she claims.

In other words ... this is far from over. Alaia hasn't responded to the arrest news yet.

Joel Souza recalled being rushed to the hospital after the "Rust" shooting ... and said he couldn't believe he'd been shot with a real bullet ... that is, until doctors showed him proof.

The director -- who was wounded in the same accidental shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" back in 2021 -- testified Friday during Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's trial that he didn't understand he'd been shot even while standing in the hospital.

Souza explained he did understand something had hit him -- but he couldn't believe it at first when doctors told him a real, live bullet had hit him.

Joel said he told hospital workers repeatedly they didn't understand what happened, repeating often that the incident took place on a movie set -- so there's no way a live bullet could've struck him.

After much protesting, JS says docs showed him an X-ray of his back ... and a real bullet was right there nestled underneath his skin, and he finally accepted the truth.

Of course, all this and much more has come out during Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter trial that kicked off last week.

A number of Hannah's former coworkers have testified on behalf of the prosecution ... with line producer Gabrielle Pickle even claiming she recommended a system to Hannah so she might keep track of the on-set guns better -- which she said Hannah turned down.

It's all part of the prosecution's argument that Hannah's sloppiness with guns and ammo on the set is to blame for the tragic incident.

For her part, Hannah's lawyers are claiming she was under an incredible amount of stress because she served as both armorer and prop assistant for the movie.

It looks like the trial will continue into next week.