Steyn detailed the horrific aftermath of allegedly being shot at close range with a rubber bullet by an LAPD officer ... saying he was left with a ruptured testicle, passed out and almost bled to death in the streets.
Bloom later claimed Steyn got shot when he went to help a fellow protester, and that he received no aid for his injuries from law enforcement around him.
Steyn went on to describe a discussion he had with his daughter the night before the incident, in which he told her no matter how powerful the government or police are ... we can always march peacefully to fight for our rights, and that he won't let corrupt police continue to kill people.
Bloom also called for the use of rubber bullets by the LAPD to be severely curtailed or banned, and never shot at close range. She says her legal team has filed a complaint with the Inspector General and Internal Affairs as the first step of filing a lawsuit for Steyn ... and she's seeking witnesses who were at the May 30 protest.
The protester who allegedly took rubber bullets fired by LAPD officers to his scrotum is about to unveil his lawsuit against the cops ... and call for major reform.
Bradley Steyn -- along with his attorney, Lisa Bloom -- is about to address the media in front of LAPD headquarters ... and TMZ will be live streaming.
Steyn -- a renowned South African anti-apartheid activist -- is expected to detail his account of alleged police brutality encountered during a May 30 protest over the death of George Floyd in L.A.'s Fairfax district ... and announce legal action.
He claims he was roughed up by cops who shot him with rubber bullets at point-blank range in the inner thigh and genitals ... severely injuring him. He ended up losing a testicle.
Steyn and Bloom say they will call for "specific reforms."
The press conference is scheduled to begin Thursday at 10 AM PT.
12:05 PM PT -- George's family just paid their final respects, remembering their uncle, brother, son, cousin and nephew ... and it was super emotional.
His aunt, Kathleen McGee, spoke about the George the world doesn't know. His niece, Brooke Williams, called for justice and change. His brothers, Terrence and Philonise, said he was their Superman and talked about his final words, "I can't breathe."
10:54 AM PT -- Joe Biden’s pre-recorded message was just played at the funeral, and he addressed George’s killing -- and all the similar tragedies that have befallen black families -- by offering hope that Floyd’s death can be a turning point … one that finally helps America achieve true equality.
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As we reported … Biden met with George’s grieving family privately for over an hour Monday and listened to them express their pain. The family lawyer, Ben Crump, said the gesture “meant the world” to them, and added … “Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America.”
George Floyd's loved ones will pay their final respects in Houston Tuesday ... which has officially been declared George Floyd Day in the area.
Floyd's hometown funeral is the last of four services held for him over the past few days. The ceremony will be held at Fountain of Praise Church -- just like Monday's public viewing -- and then he'll be buried in a grave beside his mother's.
TMZ will be live streaming the event at 11 AM CT. Among those in attendance will be Ahmaud Arbery's mother. As we reported ... Ahmaud's father spoke during Monday's public memorial, along with parents of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
George's family also spoke and delivered a powerful message, saying they believe if he had known he needed to sacrifice his life to bring the world together ... he would have done it.
Floyd was honored last week in Minneapolis, and then again in his birth state of North Carolina over the weekend.
Of course, George's death has touched millions of people around the world, sparked international protests and demonstrations in his name ... and could lead to an overhaul of policing across the U.S., as evidenced by what's happening with the Minneapolis PD.
The cops involved in his killing have been criminally charged. Derek Chauvin is facing second-degree murder for having his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes. The other 3 officers -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- have also been charged with felonies, aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
3:56 PM PT -- George Floyd's public memorial in Houston has officially wrapped, and it ended on a powerful note with final words from family members of other notable black victims who've died at the hands of police brutality.
UPDATE
George's family came to the microphone first, saying they believe if he had known he needed to sacrifice his life to bring the world together ... he would have done it. Then, Eric Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, spoke, urging people -- especially the Floyd family -- to keep fighting for justice once the cameras stop rolling, going on to say that the struggle doesn't end there.
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Ahmaud Arbery's dad, Marcus Arbery Sr., spoke as well ... holding nothing back and saying his son was lynched by two white men, all because of the color of his skin. He too said the fight needed to continue. Finally, Michael Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., echoed that, telling the Floyd family to stay in touch when this is all said and done.
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We must never forget the name George Floyd or the global movement he has inspired. I’m proud to announce that tomorrow I will proclaim Tuesday, June 9th, George Floyd Day in Harris County.
Monday's memorial proved even more historic after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo declared Tuesday, June 9 George Floyd Day throughout their area.
The people of Houston are paying their respects to George Floyd in his hometown -- a public viewing will be followed by his final memorial service ... and TMZ's streaming it live.
The ceremony is being held at the Fountain of Praise Church. The public will have a chance to see George's casket ahead of the memorial service.
This marks the third of four memorials that have been planned and carried out for George -- you'll recall, he was honored in Minneapolis last week (where he was killed) and then again in North Carolina (his birth state) over the weekend. Now, he'll be remembered in H-Town, where he grew up.
The man's death has touched millions of people around the world -- having sparked international protests and demonstrations in his name ... and could lead to the dismantling of Minneapolis' police department ... and possibly other cities as well.
The cops involved in his killing have been criminally charged -- namely, Derek Chauvin ... who's facing second-degree murder for having his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes. The other 3 officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have also been charged with felonies, aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Customers inside a Target store were sent running for their lives after a man intentionally drove his car into the retail giant, planted fake explosives and live streamed himself in the act.
It all went down in Hammond, Louisiana Friday where cops say Walter Allbritton III used his SUV to plow through the front doors of the store before crashing into a register. A man recording the crash immediately ran through the Target warning other customers to run and get out.
Allbritton went live on Facebook to record the crash and allegedly dropped a fake explosive device in the store once his vehicle stopped.
The incident triggered a massive police response and after arresting Allbritton, cops allegedly found fake explosive devices at multiple other scenes around the area.
He's been hit with a ton of charges including terrorism, attempted aggravated arson, aggravated assault with a vehicle and manufacturing and possession of a delayed action incendiary device.
Cops say one person suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Al Sharpton just finished giving the eulogy and his words also brought the crowd to their feet. He said, "[George] did not die of common health conditions. He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction." Sharpton also took a shot at President Trump's recent photo-op and urged the Prez -- without ever mentioning his name -- to open the bible instead of using it as a prop. Sharpton said "George Floyd's story has been the story of black folks, because ever since 401 years ago the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to being is because you kept your knee on our neck. It’s time for us to stand up in George's name and say get your knee off our necks."
Sharpton also had a message for the flawed criminal justice system: "We don’t have a problem denouncing violence, Mr governor. We don’t have a problem, Mr. Mayor, denouncing looting. But it seems like some in the criminal justice system have a problem looking at a tape and knowing there’s probable cause and it takes a long time for you to go and do what you see that you need to do."
Floyd's family remembered George as a magnetic presence regardless of who surrounded him. One said, "When he spoke to people, he made you feel special. They felt like they were the president because that's how he made you feel." They also remembered his big bear hugs. "No matter who you talked to, they all felt special. They never felt left out. He would embrace them. What I'll miss the most about him is his hugs. When he wrapped his arms around you, it felt like your problems would go away." They also talked about how George was a HUUUUGE LeBron James fan.
The lawyer repping Floyd's family, Ben Crump, also gave an inspiring speech that brought everyone to their feet. He invoked the names of those who fell at the hands of injustice ... from Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor to Eric Garner, Stephon Clark and Trayvon Martin. Crump also had these inspiring words justifying peaceful protests, "What we are doing is helping America be America for all Americans."
The first of four services to honor George Floyd is about to get underway in Minneapolis ... and you can follow it live right here.
Thursday's memorial service will begin at 11 AM PT at the Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary at North Central University. It's a private event to be attended by family, friends and invitees of the Floyd family only.
On Saturday, a public viewing and a private memorial service will be held in Raeford, North Carolina. George was born nearby in Fayetteville, and his sister said "his family would remember him" in the state.
According to Hoke County Sheriff Hubert Peterkin ... no protesting will be allowed at this service. Peterkin said, "The memorial is about the life that Mr. George Floyd lived, and this is a time to embrace the family with expressions of love and kindness."
Finally, on Monday in Houston, there will be a public viewing at The Fountain of Praise Church, followed by a private service Tuesday. Floyd grew up in Houston but left several years ago when he moved to Minnesota.
Of course, Floyd was killed while Minneapolis PD arrested him on May 25. The video of his death -- showing ex-cop Derek Chauvin pressing his knee on Floyd's neck as he pled, "I can't breathe" -- set off a firestorm of outrage. Across the country, protests sprung up ... a few of which escalated to riots and violence.
All 4 Minneapolis PD officers involved in the incident were fired within one day, and 4 days later Chauvin was arrested -- initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison added a 2nd-degree murdercharge.
The 3 other ex-cops -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Keung and Tou Thao -- were also arrested and charged with felonies ... aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
1:35 PM PT -- The hearing is over, and the judge concluded there is enough evidence to move forward with the case … so it will now be kicked up the the Glynn County Superior Court.
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Before it ended, however, Bryan’s attorney stated in his closing argument that “any patriotic American” would have helped the McMichaels like his client did.
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12:22 PM PT -- The detective, now focusing on William "Roddie" Bryan, testified that, while searching Bryan's phone, they had discovered he had used racial slurs in the past in at least one conversation with a friend.
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10:15 AM PT -- The detective was asked if he believes Travis acted in self-defense. He replied saying he doesn't believe the incident was self-defense by McMichael ... it was self-defense by Arbery. The GBI officer added that he believes Ahmaud chose to get away from the men chasing him, but when he thought he couldn't escape, he chose to fight.
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The court is now in recess for lunch.
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9:24 AM PT -- The defense attorney questioned the detective about Arbery's mental health history. The detective said he learned of some treatment Ahmaud had received, but didn't elaborate much. The detective is also beginning to get grilled about whether this could be a case of self-defense.
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9:09 AM PT -- The GBI detective says there are several more examples of Travis McMichael using racial slurs on his phone and social media. This includes an alleged Instagram comment about using violence against black people -- "blow that [n-word's] head off."
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The detective also says Travis allegedly expressed online that "he loved his job 'cause he was on a boat and there weren't any n-words anywhere."
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7:54 AM PT -- The detective continued to explain the pursuit of Ahmaud by the 3 men that led to him being shot by Travis, and it concluded with a bombshell.
According to the detective's testimony ... Bryan told cops he heard Travis refer to Arbery as a "f***ing n*****" after he shot him, while Ahmaud was on the ground and before police arrived at the scene.
UPDATE
7:15 AM PT -- The McMichaels both appeared by video for the hearing. They were both in a court at the Glynn County Jail, where they're being held without bail. William Bryan opted to not appear on camera, although he was in the same room at the jail.
UPDATE
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective took the stand and testified he's found zero evidence Ahmaud ever took anything from the under-construction home he was walking through shortly before he was shot and killed. You'll recall, Gregory McMichael claims he thought Ahmaud matched the description of a burglary suspect.
UPDATE
The detective gave dramatic testimony about all the turns the McMichaels and Bryan made as they drove around the neighborhood, literally chasing down Ahmaud ... and eventually started recording video of him.
The 3 defendants in Ahmaud Arbery's murder will face a judge in a preliminary hearing to determine whether there's enough evidence to move forward with the case ... and TMZ will be streaming live.
The attorneys for Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. are slated to appear at Glynn County Magistrate Court in Georgia ... nearly a month after the McMichaels were arrested for murder and denied bond and 13 days after Bryan, who recorded the deadly encounter, was arrested.
The alleged murderers will appear in court via teleconference. All 3 have been charged with murder in the February 23 death of Arbery, who was simply jogging down the street when he was stopped and confronted by the McMichaels. A struggle ensued and Travis shot Arbery. He fell to the ground and died.
Travis and Gregory were arrested for murder May 8. They later faced a judge and were denied bond. Bryan, who recorded the incident, was arrested 14-days later and was slapped with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
As we reported ... authorities allege Bryan "did attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority, by attempting to confine ..." adding, Bryan was "utilizing his vehicle on multiple occasions during the above time frame, with the intention of confining and detaining Arbery."
So, the felony is false imprisonment, and if such a felony results in someone's death, that person can be charged with felony murder.
Bryan has claimed he was simply a witness and had no involvement in the killing. He also said he feared for his life after the video was leaked. The handling of the case has drawn scrutiny -- with good reason -- prompting the Georgia Attorney General to formally request the Justice Department get to the bottom of what happened.
We're also told bail may become a bone of contention.
Obama invoked the names of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X when discussing young people and the inspiration they've become during this movement. He said what's happening right now "reminds people of the 1960s and the chaos, the discord and distrust throughout the country." But he added, "I have to tell you, I know enough about that history to say there is something different here. You look at these protesters, and that is far more representative across America, peacefully protesting; who felt moved to do something because of the injustices they have seen."
Obama said the mobilization in peaceful protesting across America -- and frankly, across the world -- didn't exist back in the day. He said, despite the riots, the majority of Americans agree these protests are justified. And, that's the change he's seen so far in these protests.
The Prez said he wanted to talk directly to people of color and say "I want you to know that you matter; that your lives matter. Your dreams matter." He also challenged local officials on how to bring about real change, while urging young people to vote in local elections.
It should be noted ... Obama acknowledged law enforcement and the "vast majority who protect and serve. I've been heartened to see those in law enforcement who recognize, 'Let me march along with these protesters.' Those who recognize they want to be part of the solution. Those who listen. Change will require everyone’s participation."
Former President Barack Obama is making his first on-camera remarks about the death of George Floyd ... and TMZ is streaming live.
Obama is set to speak Wednesday during a virtual town hall sponsored by My Brother's Keeper Alliance -- an org that partners with his Obama Foundation. Barack is expected to address Floyd's killing, police practices ... and the racial bias still ingrained in the justice system.
Organizers have dubbed the event, "Reimagining policing in the wake of continued police violence" ... and it's supposed to kick off at 2 PM PT. This will be Obama's first time publicly discussing George Floyd's case on camera -- he's already addressed his death on social media and in a Medium essay.
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44 tackled issues surrounding police brutality while in office -- he rolled out a number of policies intending to curb those incidents, such as creating a task force with guidelines on 21st century policing, as well as limiting the transfer of military equipment to police departments.
Donald Trump's administration has rolled back some of those reforms, so ya gotta wonder if BO will directly call out the President during the town hall.
3:10 PM PT -- The two NASA astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, have finally disembarked the Dragon capsule ... and they're already looking forward to Saturday's rescheduled launch.
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1:23 PM PT -- Elon is going to have to wait a little longer for his company to make history ... SpaceX says Wednesday's launch is OFF due to "unfavorable weather in the flight path."
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SpaceX pulled the plug minutes before the rocket carrying astronauts to the ISS was about to blastoff from Florida ... and the next launch is tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 3:22 PM ET.
UPDATE
10:59 AM PT -- The astronauts are already loaded into the capsule and are going through safety protocols. As of now, all systems are go!
Elon Muskis looking to make more space history ... SpaceX is attempting to launch 2 NASA astronauts to the International Space Station ... and TMZ will be live streaming the mission.
Dubbed Demo-2, the mission marks the first time ever a commercial aerospace company is sending humans into Earth's orbit. The milestone is a decade in the making, as human spaceflight finally returns to American soil.
The launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon is set for 4:33 PM ET from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida ... and the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the capsule is taking off from the historic Pad 39A, which famously launched Apollo 11 way back in 1969, the first moon landing.
SpaceX and NASA are streaming the launch from takeoff all the way until Crew Dragon docks with the ISS, and it should take the capsule about 19 hours to travel from Florida to the space station.
The two veteran astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft are 49-year-old Robert Behnken and 53-year-old Douglas Hurley.
NASA says it wants to keep the astronauts on the ISS until another Crew Dragon capsule is ready to send more humans on SpaceX's next mission. Robert and Douglas say they're expecting to spend 1 to 3 months in space before returning home in Crew Dragon, which will land in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon into Earth's upper atmosphere, where the capsule will separate and use its own thrusters to make its way to the ISS. The capsule is fully autonomous, so the astronauts won't have much to do, unless something crazy happens. The rocket, meanwhile, should land on a drone ship after launch.
SpaceX has a $2.6 BILLION contract with NASA ... and the launch marks the first time the United States is sending its own astronauts into space since 2011, when the Space Shuttle Program ended.
Oh, and the capsule has a toilet, which could come in handy during the 19-hour ride.
Babyfaceis ready to reminisce about some of his greatest hits ... triumphantly returning to IG live to reveal stories from "Waiting to Exhale" especially for Mother's Day.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic film, and the singer and mega-producer is gonna celebrate the hit-filled soundtrack ... which he produced. It was a huge female empowerment film, which is why Babyface is honoring it on Sunday. Shout out to Moms!!!
The 11-time Grammy Award winner joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to talk about his return appearance on Instagram Live. As you know, his Verzuz battle with Teddy Riley damn near broke IG, and Face told us that's when fans started clamoring for an 'Exhale' party.
The Sunday show starts at 8 PM Eastern, and aside from a few special guests from the movie -- Babyface will also drop his first song in 5 years, "When I Get To Heaven," an ode to his late mother.
Babyface has been thinking about life and death recently ... telling us he got super scared during his bout with COVID-19, and even contemplated writing a will.
As we reported ... Babyface tested positive last month, and he says the road to recovery was difficult and frightening.
8:41 AM PT -- The shooting victim has been identified as 21-year-old Sean Reed. The shooting sparked outrage and protests Thursday attended by more than 100 community activists and organizers. Comedian Mike Epps, who is from Indianapolis, also chimed in on the fatal shooting calling on the cops to be punished. He added, "We gotta stop giving them an opportunity to kill us. They’re killing us because [they're] watching us kill us.
6:21 PM PT -- The shooting victim is dead ... according to local news reports. Police reportedly claim they used a stun gun on the man before the fatal shooting.
UPDATE
5:58 PM PT -- According to the police scanner, cops were in pursuit of a vehicle around 6 PM and the car chase lasted for about 10 minutes before officers called it off.
UPDATE
A few minutes later, an officer reported seeing the driver of the vehicle from the pursuit running near the intersection from the video. An officer later said there was a shooting and the subject from the chase was down.
A man running from cops was gunned down by police after bailing from a car ... and the officer-involved shooting was captured on the dude's live stream.
The wild scene unfolded Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis ... and the video picks up with the man behind the wheel of a car, calling out the street he was on ... and pleading for someone to "come get my stupid ass." All of this as he live streamed from a phone.
After bailing from the car, he started running on foot. It sounds like someone yelled, "Stop, stop." Then you clearly hear him respond, "F**k you" ... and then a flurry of gunshots rang out as the man fell to the ground. The phone's camera came to rest pointed up toward the sky ... and continued streaming.
That was followed by tons of police sirens and someone screaming, "Oh my God!"
Indianapolis police confirm there was an officer-involved shooting at the intersection the man yelled out on the video. It's unclear if the man was armed or why he was even on the run. Police say no officers were injured.
Much of the video is shaky and there's no perspective as to what was happening around him, but police say they're investigating what led up to the gunfire.
To those who paid to watch the "wedding" of YouTube stars Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau and were frustrated with the quality -- speak now or forever miss out on your refund.
In case you missed it -- the couple got married in Las Vegas Sunday in an eccentric ceremony attended by family, friends, fans and complete strangers ... and live streamed the event.
For some reason -- despite doubts about the couple's authenticity and Jake's own brother, Logan, predicting they'll barely last a month -- 66,000 people paid anywhere from $50-75 to watch live as the couple said "I do." BTW, it started late and only lasted about 10 minutes ... but those are the good reviews.
Those who shelled out the cash to streaming app, Halogen, complained the video was shaky, lagging, froze often and the audio sucked. Many, of course, demanded refunds and we've learned they are getting 'em.
TMZ's learned both Apple and Google Play are paying customers back who purchased the Halogen app through the companies' app stores and bought the stream.
Halogen wouldn't tell us if they're compensating Google and Apple for the refunds. A rep for the company would only say, "Many high-profile creators use Halogen to broadcast their live events. Sometimes onsite technical issues with third-party production providers used by creators can cause fans to experience issues while viewing streams."
By the way ... Jake and Tana's so-called wedding came just a little over a month after they got engaged, and just days after she pulled a pregnancy prank.
As for the ceremony -- a fight that looked awfully set up broke out shortly after the officiant pronounced them husband and wife. The officiant also referred to their glorious day as a gathering in "holy cloutrimony." Sooo ... yeah.
Hard to imagine why anyone would question their union. Oh, there's also no record of them filing for a marriage license in Clark County.
At least viewers get refunds. Anyone who bought 'em a wedding gift -- good luck!
Van -- who is also the CEO of REFORM Alliance – tells us Meek stood before the court like a lion, and he says this case is night and day different than when it first started, because both sides now agree there were serious issues with the OG trial.
UPDATE
1:08 PM PT -- The hearing just ended without a ruling from the Superior Court panel. Meek's lawyers and the District Attorney's Office both reiterated they believe Meek deserves a new trial.
Meek Mill is back in court trying to get his conviction overturned from over a decade ago -- and he might have a shot based on who's on the bench ... a whole new set of judges.
The Philly-bred rapper is appearing Tuesday in Pennsylvania Superior Court, asking for his 2008 conviction on gun and drug charges to be tossed out based on shoddy evidence that was initially used by a cop who has since been revealed to be crooked.
Not only that, but even state prosecutors have recommended he get a new trial ... and did NOT oppose his release on bail after he got thrown back in prison for a few months in late 2017.
You'll recall ... Genece Brinkley, the judge who initially sent Meek to prison all those years ago, sent him back to the slammer in November 2017 after she found he'd violated his probation -- sentencing him to 2-4 years behind bars ... an incredibly harsh punishment.
Meek's legal team believes this stemmed from a long-standing vendetta the judge has against the rapper ... partly because he laughed at her prior suggestion of him doing a remake of Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" and giving her a shout-out.
After a lot of public outcry and petitioning by movers and shakers in and around the city ... Meek was finally released, much to the chagrin of Judge Brinkley.
Luckily for him, she isn't hearing his request this time around -- Meek is coming face-to-face with a panel of judges, who will decide whether the OG case from 2008 was legit or not.
12:11 PM PT -- Drake did his best Rob Gronkowski impression at the Raptors' parade -- catching a full beer that a fan threw his way ... and chugging the hell out of it!!!
Drizzy has been raging on Kawhi Leonard's double-decker parade bus all morning long ... and when someone tossed a brew his way -- he went full Stone Cold Steve Austin on it!!!
He cracked it open ... poured it down the hatch -- and appeared to dab afterward!!
The parade is going on hour No. 5 ... but there's a chance we haven't seen the best from Drake yet -- he's supposed to address the crowd once the parade reaches the end.
... getchya popcorn ready!!
Sorry, Kawhi Leonard, it might be the Raptors' championship parade day ... but all eyes will be on Drake ... 'cause everyone wants to know -- how crazy will Drizzy get!?!
Toronto shockingly upset the Warriors in six games last week ... and the Canadian city is throwing a party to celebrate -- and we'll be live streaming the whole thing.
Kawhi, Kyle Lowry and Nick Nurse will all be there ... but the man we all wanna see is the 6 God -- 'cause he's been front and center of everything during this Raptors' run.
12:37 PM PT -- The 2-plus year legal drama will continue as Soules' sentencing has been delayed. It'll be rescheduled for a later date. Defense attorney Robert Montgomery made a last-ditch effort to get the court to throw out the victim impact statements ... and the judge agreed to grant the motion.
Because the victim impact statements were thrown out, the judge also granted a motion to draft a new pre-sentence investigation report ... requested by both the defense and prosecutors.
Former 'Bachelor' Chris Soules will finally learn his fate in his fatal car crash case when he arrives to court for his sentencing at 11:30 AM PT ... and TMZ will be streaming live.
Soules is expected to arrive in Buchanan County, Iowa court any moment now and finally put the 2-year-old case behind him when a judge hands down his sentencing. As we reported ... Soules struck a plea deal back in November 2018 ... pleading guilty to 1 count of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, which is an aggravated misdemeanor.
It was a HUGE plea deal considering he initially pled not guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. As we first reported ... Soules was behind the wheel of a Chevy pickup when it rear-ended a John Deere tractor, sending it into a ditch.
The driver was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Chris was the one who called 911 to report the accident but prosecutors said he fled the scene before cops got there. Soules was later arrested at his house, but not before refusing to come out at first.
Soules, who was "The Bachelor" for season 19 in 2015, could get up to 2 years in jail.
9:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's publicist, Darrell Johnson, tells us, "Mr. Kelly steadfastly proclaims his innocence and looks forward to a speedy trial. Again, the state has failed to bring forth any proof concerning the sex tape, while claiming there was wrong doing!"
7:55 AM PT -- R. Kelly's lawyers were told it's not enough to insinuate something rotten was going on between Michael Avenatti and State's Attorney Kim Foxx ... the judge just told the singer's lawyers they gotta say what they mean.
The lawyers asked the judge to order prosecutors to preserve all communications between Avenatti and Foxx, but they didn't say why. The judge wants to know why these communications are so important, and what it might prove. So, the lawyers were sent back to the drawing board to tell the judge why these communications could affect the case.
For his part, Avenatti states they have already uncovered texts and emails between himself and Foxx, and they were published by the Chicago Tribune weeks ago. It's unclear what more may exist, but Avenatti is claiming they have it all, and he came up clean.
7:14 AM PT -- R. Kelly just made his way inside the courthouse suited and booted with a huge entourage behind him. He kept it moving though, not stopping for questions or photos.
The judge still deciding whether there will be a live feed inside the courtroom -- we're waiting to see what the ruling is. Fingers crossed.
R. Kelly is on a collision course with another famous defendant -- Michael Avenatti -- and it could all come to a head Tuesday morning when the singer appears in court to possibly challenge the authenticity of a sex tape.
The embattled singer is trying to blow up the sex tape by suggesting something fishy was going on between Avenatti and Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. In R. Kelly's legal docs, he notes Avenatti has publicly claimed to have had repeated conversations with Foxx, and based on what happened in the Jussie Smollett case, he describes the prosecutor as someone who is "able to be influenced and wowed."
He goes on to allege there are questions to suggest Foxx was "bullied or just simply manipulated by Avenatti."
Avenatti previously came forward with 2 sex tapes he claims show Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl ... and Kelly's legal team wanted to know more about Avenatti's relationship with Foxx, saying they were concerned Avenatti might have "bullied or simply manipulated" Foxx.
As we've reported ... the tapes are part of the new evidence that prompted prosecutors to hit R. Kelly with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
It's time for the NFL Draft ... and you know what that means -- FASHION, BABAYYYYY!!!!
Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa and the rest of the 2019 draft class have left their hotel in Nashville and arrived to Downtown Nashville for the main event!!!
TMZ Sports shot footage of all the big stars swaggin' out in some pretty amazing suits -- great stuff!!
Kyler rocked a dope pink suit, Nick Bosa had some Ohio State swag. Quinnen Williams looked stylin, Greedy Williams went all red everything ... it's awesome!!!
The 1st Round of the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off at 5 PM PT. The 2nd and 3rd round continue on Friday ... followed by Rounds 4 through 7 going down over the weekend.
A ton of prospects are there right now ... along with a bunch of NFL legends on hand for the big night. Of course, the big moment ... when the crowd rallies together to boo Roger Goodell, it's an annual tradition.
We've seen classic looks in the past -- remember Ezekiel Elliott's crop-top dress shirt??
