Taco Bell Employee Allegedly Throws Boiling Hot Water at Customers

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A rep for Taco Bell tells TMZ ... "Everyone deserves to feel safe in Taco Bell restaurants. We take this very seriously and are working with our local franchisee to investigate. Due to pending litigation, we are unable to comment further on the specifics of the incident.”

A Taco Bell manager poured scalding water on two customers who complained that the restaurant got their order wrong, sending them to the hospital with serious burns, this according to a recently filed lawsuit.

In their $1 million suit, Plaintiffs Brittany Davis and her niece, a minor identified only as C.T., claim they pulled up to a drive-thru at a Taco Bell in Dallas and placed a $31 order, but they didn't get what they wanted.

So they circled through the drive-thru 2 more times to rectify the situation, but the employee was having none of it.

The pair then allegedly parked their vehicle and tried to walk inside the fast-food joint, but it was already closed. An employee unlocked the door, allowing them to enter.

After the two asked for their order to be corrected, one of the workers allegedly challenged C.T. to a fight before the manager appeared, holding a bucket of piping hot water.

The manager then doused C.T.'s face with the boiling water, which splashed the chests of both plaintiffs, according to the suit filed July 13 by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Luckily, the two were able to escape before they could be attacked again by Taco Bell staff, who laughed and clapped as they drove away, the suit claims.

Davis says she suffered deep burns to her chest and stomach along with brain injuries, which have caused at least 10 seizures. C.T. says she sustained discoloring and scarring burns to her face, chest, legs, arms and stomach.

Dallas PD is investigating the incident, which occurred on June 17.

Crump tells TMZ ... "Not only did Brittany and C.T. Suffer physical trauma because of the burns but they will now live with the psychological trauma that comes with an attack like this. Corporations have a duty to employ quality and stable employees who hold safety as the highest priority.”

We reached out to Taco Bell ... so far no word back.

Originally Published -- 6:27 AM PT

Robot vs. Boy in Chess Tourney Knight Takes Pawn, But I Take your Finger!!!

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ROUGH ROBITICS

Chess is supposed to be a non-contact game, but a boy in Russia find out differently when a competing robot crushed his finger during a tournament.

The boy was matched up against a bionic arm in the Moscow Chess Open when he moved one of his pieces, but didn't wait for the robot to respond. As he tried to make another move, the contraption simultaneously reacted and grabbed the boy's finger, squeezing it until the bone shattered.

Surveillance video captured the scary moment as people rushed to the boy's aid, managing to release him from the machine's grip and escorting him away.

Moscow Chess Federation President Sergey Lazarev told Tass media the boy's finger was broken and put in a cast, but he got back in the game the next day!

Lazarev added, “The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places by specialists for a long time. Apparently, the operators overlooked some flaws."

Lazarev also promised to find out what went wrong, strengthen the robot's protections and assist the family.

Texans' John Metchie III Diagnosed With Leukemia ... Likely Out For Season

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John Metchie III -- one of the Houston Texans' second-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft -- has been diagnosed with Leukemia ... and will likely miss the entire season while fighting the cancer.

The 22-year-old announced the news on Sunday ... saying doctors have thankfully described it as "the most curable form of Leukemia."

"I am currently receiving great medical care, am in good spirits and I expect to make a recovery at a later point in time," Metchie III added.

The receiver -- who played a huge role for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide the past two years -- said he will almost certainly have to sit out his rookie season in order to recover.

"My main focus will be on my health and recovery," he said. "Thank you in advance for your support and well-wishes. I cannot wait to come back stronger than ever. God bless."

Metchie III -- who piled up 2,081 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns the last two years at Alabama -- was expected to be a key contributor for the Texans after being selected with the No. 44 overall pick in April.

Get well soon, John!!

Jason Momoa Crash with Motorcycle ... Video of the Aftermath

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UPDATE

5:03 PM PT -- TMZ has obtained video of the crash scene after the fact ... and sure enough, you can see Jason walking back to his car as paramedics tend to the motorcyclist behind him.

UPDATE

Check out the footage -- taken from a camera mounted to someone's bike who happened to be cruising by -- and you'll see it was a fairly serious scene ... or at the very least, treated like one by the amount of man power that showed up.

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UPDATE

Jason, of course, looks like he's fine -- which jibes with what we were told happened here. No sign of the injured rider themselves, but you can see their bike and gear on the side of the road. And for good measure ... there's a front and rear shot showing the whole thing.

Jason Momoa was involved in a scary car wreck with a motorcycle this weekend -- but luckily, everyone's okay and no one's being blamed ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 'Aquaman' star was traveling on Old Topanga Canyon Road Sunday out near the Calabasas area -- when at one point during his drive, a biker traveling in the opposite direction made contact with him coming around a curve.

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We're told the motorcycle rider crossed over into Jason's lane during this bend, and then hit the left front end of his Oldsmobile muscle car ... and kinda went flying, albeit only briefly.

The rider, fortunately, was able to land on his feet -- this according to our sources -- but not before bouncing off of JM's windshield and clearing the hood of his car to end up on the other side. Like we said, the rider was apparently left standing up after the collision.

The motorcycle rider was transported to the hospital with minor injuries -- including bruising to their leg and an injury to their thumb -- but beyond that ... they seemed alright. Jason's fine too ... cops were on the scene and took reports, but nothing else came of the accident.

Originally Published -- 1:27 PM PT

Rage Against the Machine Tom Morello Tackled by Security ... Oops!!!

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SMASHED BY STAFF

Rage Against the Machine has bodyguards that actually may be TOO on the ball, because an eagle-eyed hired muscle tackled a fan who rushed the stage and one of the band members got nailed as well.

It all went down Saturday night in Toronto, when Rage was playing its final song -- "Killing in the Name" -- and a fan (in a red shirt) sprinted toward the front of the stage, only to be blocked by security and hurled off into the crowd.

Thing is ... guitarist Tom Morello was collateral damage. Security made contact with him, knocking him to the ground close enough to the lip of the stage that he fell off.

It was a tense moment, as everyone waited to see if Tom was ok ... after a dramatic pause, he got up and waved to the crowd, which roared its approval!

Fact is ... security did its job and did it well. It happened really fast, so there was no time for precision. It's kind of funny ... Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Dave Chappelle clowned his security at the Hollywood Bowl when he was tackled, saying they musta been wearing street shoes.

It's been a rough tour so far. On the second stop, singer Zack de la Rocha injured his leg, and ever since mostly sits down during sets.

JAMES CAAN Died From Heart Attack

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Legendary actor James Caan died from a combination of serious heart problems ... according to his death certificate.

The document, obtained by TMZ, says James died from a heart attack and coronary artery disease -- the most common heart disease in the U.S.

The certificate says James also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, and congestive heart failure.

As we reported ... James died July 6 at 82 years old, but details were scarce aside from a family statement.

The death certificate says James died at 9:02 PM at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He's since been buried at Eden Memorial Park, the final resting place for many celebs.

Famous for his roles in films like "The Godfather," "Brian's Song," "Misery," "Dick Tracy" and "Elf," the certificate lists James' occupation as an actor with an impressive 60 years of experience in motion pictures.

January 6th Hearing 'Clark Kent' Look-alike Identified ... Up, Up And Away!!!

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The mystery hunk o' man seated inside the Jan. 6th hearing -- who's being called "Clark Kent" for obvious reasons -- is taking the Internet by storm, and TMZ's learned his previously secret identity.

Sorry to disappoint folks, but he's not a superhero ... although he's in a heroic field of work. Sources tell us he's 23-year-old Alex Wollet ... a med school student from Ohio.

Right now he's living in D.C. and doing a fellowship at The National Institutes of Health -- so, yeah ... Dr. Fauci and co. have some eye candy in the office. We obtained a photo of Alex wearing what looks like the same suit he was rocking at the hearing Thursday night.

The guy became a big thing online during the televised hearing ... where he was -- not accidentally, we think -- seated in the front row. He's already getting so much attention, he's switched his social media accounts to private.

As you know, the January 6th Committee is still undergoing hearings regarding last year's insurrection ... attempting to make the connection between former President Donald Trump to the storming of the Capitol.

Trump was exposed Thursday night as the Committee played outtakes of his pre-recorded Jan. 7th speech to the nation, making it clear the only thing he cared about was propagating the lie he'd won the election ... even after the deadly insurrection.

Graphic Video Shark Bites Off Fisherman's Finger ... 'I Lost My Goddamn Pinky!!!'

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Terrifying scene out on the open waters near Florida on Sunday ... a shark bit off a fisherman's finger -- and, WARNING, video of the incident is graphic.

The attack went down in the Content Keys -- just a few miles south of Miami -- when Brett Reeder was attempting to corral a 6-foot lemon shark that he had just hooked.

As Reeder went down to grab the beast and get his tool out of the fish's gills -- it suddenly turned and chomped down on his hand.

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You can see in video of the bite -- which, again, is VERY graphic -- blood spilled everywhere ... 'causing Reeder to yell out, "F***! I lost my goddamn pinky! F***!"

Brett, according to a follow-up video posted by his wife, Mandy, had to drive the boat all the way back to shore following the bite -- while bleeding profusely.

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Brett eventually made it back to land, and was immediately airlifted to the hospital. He underwent surgery upon arrival.

It's unclear if docs were able to save Brett's pinky in the operation -- the fisherman said in Thursday's follow-up video they'll find out the official results of the surgery later this week.

Fortunately, the guy appeared to be in good spirits, somehow smiling while recapping the incident on camera.

Disney World 2 Families Square Off in Brawl!!! 1 Person Hospitalized

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Screw you and Mickey Mouse ears!

The Magic Kingdom's looking more like a WWE ring after 2 families went toe-to-toe in a massive brawl Wednesday ... reportedly sending someone out of the park in an ambulance.

The tussle went down at Disney World in Orlando as tempers started to flare inside the theme park's Fantasyland. The families were near the exit of Mickey's PhilharMagic theater ... where a woman left the line to retrieve a cellphone she'd left on a nearby wheelchair.

When she returned, she tried to rejoin her family, but according to a report by Walt Disney World News Today ... that's when things got violent.

Another family -- dressed in matching Disney-themed red and white outfits -- allegedly blocked her from moving past them in the line, and next thing ya know, voices were raised ... and then fists were flying!

Guests walking by the brawl -- seemingly involving about 20 people -- began to scramble, with some even trying to calm things down. After several minutes, security eventually arrived to break up the fighting.

One man reportedly had a large cut on his chin and had to be transported by ambulance for medical care.

Fights at Disney parks aren't anything new, but this one might take the Mickey-shaped cake for the biggest.

MLB All-Star Game Fan Smacks Face On Pavement During Struggle W/ Security

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A fan being escorted from the MLB All-Star Game went face first, smashing his face on the hard pavement ... during a physical exchange with Dodgers Stadium security, and the insane scene was captured on video!

It's unclear why the fan was removed from baseball's 92nd Midsummer Classic in Los Angeles, only a few innings into the game. What is clear ... the dude went down hard.

The fan -- wearing a No. 22 Clayton Kershaw jersey -- is flanked by 4 members of Dodgers security and 2 police officers, and they're attempting to walk the guy downstairs, presumably out of the stadium.

But, as they reached the bottom, the guy aggressively turned toward security. The other members of the team yanked him back, and the guy was either pulled over or didn't move his feet, and ... thud!

Thankfully, the fan was helped to his feet, and looked to be okay.

"Four of you! Four of you! Four of you! Four of you!" the guy exclaimed as he was being ushered away by stadium security. "How many?" the guy asked, seemingly referring to how many people it took to get him under control.

Bystanders and fans were stunned ... and obviously, concerned for the well-being of the guy who just ate concrete.

Unfortunately, to add insult to injury, the man missed the American League defeating the National League, 3-2 ... winning their 9th straight ASG.

Real-Life Action Hero Pizza Delivery Guy Saves 5 Kids From Burning House ... Incredible Video

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LIFE SAVING DELIVERY

A 25-year-old pizza delivery guy rivals any Marvel superhero, by running into a burning house and saving the lives of 5 kids, risking his own life and suffering serious injuries in the process.

Nicholas Bostic was driving along a street in Lafayette, Indiana last week just after midnight, when he saw a house fully engulfed in flames. There were no firetrucks or other emergency vehicles in sight, so Nicholas decided to act ... he ran into the burning house and began yelling to see if anyone was still inside.

He heard nothing, but still felt there may be people trapped, so he walked through the house which was filled with choking smoke and made his way upstairs, where he found 4 kids ... they ranged in age from 1 to 18. They were sleeping, and Nicholas woke them and they ran to safety.

They were all outside, when one of the kids told Nicholas there was a 6-year-old child still inside the house. Nicholas ran back inside, but he had no idea where the child was ... he screamed for the child as he meandered through the burning home, even looking under beds.

He made his way upstairs, but then heard a child crying in the downstairs area. Problem was ... smoke was everywhere and it felt like an oven. Nicholas couldn't see but he wrapped his shirt around his mouth and took the plunge downstairs, where he located the child.

Nicholas scooped up the little girl in the blinding black smoke and looked for the door but he couldn't see it. So, he ran back upstairs with the child and jumped from the second-floor window, making sure he landed on his side so the child was protected from impact.

The child incredibly was unharmed. Nicholas, however, suffered severe smoke inhalation and, according to cops, "gravely cut his right arm."  You see in the video EMTs use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He was flown to a hospital where he was treated.

His cousin has created a GoFundMe account and so far he's raised north of $200,000.

Thor's got nothin' on you Nicholas!

Marlins' Miguel Rojas Tooth Flies Out Of Mouth ... After Taking Helmet To Face

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The Marlins' win on Thursday didn't come without a price for Miguel Rojas -- who had to sacrifice his tooth in order to make an out near the end of the game.

The wild scene all went down in the 9th inning of the Marlins' afternoon tilt with the Pirates ... when Pittsburgh star Oneil Cruz attempted to steal second base.

As Rojas was going to lay the tag on the rookie -- who slid into the bag feet first -- the Pirates star rose up and accidentally cracked Rojas in the mouth with his helmet.

Broadcast replays showed Cruz's head hit Rojas' so hard -- it sent a tooth flying out of his mouth and onto the infield dirt.

Rojas was forced to leave the game following the collision.

Miami, though, did go on to win the game in the 11th inning ... which we're sure will make Rojas feel at least somewhat better as he lay in the dentist's chair later this week.

Olympian Kim Glass 40 Stitches Removed From Eye ... Days After L.A. Attack

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IN GOOD HANDS

Positive update from Kim Glass ... the former Olympic volleyball star got 40 stitches removed from her eye -- less than a week after it was gashed by an object thrown by a man in a brazen attack in Los Angeles.

The 37-year-old shared the news in a video on her Instagram page Wednesday evening -- showing Beverly Hills doctor Kam Rezzadeh removing the sutures from her face in a delicate procedure.

"It was definitely down to your bone," the doc told her as he worked on her face. "But you're healing."

"One thing I've noticed with my patients is that when they're optimistic, it plays a huge part in the healing process."

Following the removal of the stitches, Glass went to Dr. Nicole Garrett in L.A. to use a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to get some of the swelling down -- and the former outside hitter said it worked marvelously.

"I just got out of the hyperbaric chamber ... this is the most I've ever been able to open eye."

"This is crazy," she added. "Like my eye is literally so much more open than before and this is my first session. I'm blown away!"

As we previously reported, Glass said a homeless man threw a metal object at her after she had finished eating with a friend in Downtown L.A. last Friday. She said she suffered multiple facial fractures and cuts in the incident.

Benson Parks, a good Samaritan, captured the aftermath of the attack on video while he held down the suspect ... showing puddles of blood on the sidewalk.

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MOMENTS AFTER ATTACK

Semeon Tesfamarian -- who, according to prosecutors, has a history of using weapons to attack people at random -- was arrested for the attack ... and later charged with a felony.

Prosecutors say he's facing up to 11 years in prison if convicted.

GSU Graduate Rushed From Chiropractor to Hospital ... Paralyzed with 4 Snapped Arteries in Neck

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A Georgia Southern University graduate is now paralyzed and in the ICU after going to a chiropractor for neck pain ... and leaving with 4 snapped arteries.

Caitlin Jensen was rushed to the hospital last month after going to an unnamed chiro practice for a neck adjustment. Her mother told WSB-TV the chiropractor called 911 and then her, explaining her 28-year-old daughter was "having a reaction to the treatment."

Doctors at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, GA say 4 arteries in her neck had been divided, and Caitlin's mom says every doctor who's looked at her connected her injuries to neck manipulation.

Caitlin had a stroke, went into cardiac arrest and had no pulse for 10 minutes before doctors resuscitated her -- and that's when they discovered she was mostly paralyzed with serious brain injuries.

Currently, she's only able to communicate by moving her toes, lightly squeezing her hand and opening her eyes -- her family's working on getting her out of the hospital and into a rehab facility in Atlanta.

A GoFundMe has been started for Caitlin, which has gotten over $58K in donations ... the page asks for people to "flood Caitlin with your prayers and positive energy and consider donating to this cause."

WWE Superstar Big E 'At Peace' If I Never Wrestle Again ... After Breaking Neck

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Big E doesn't know if he'll ever wrestle again after breaking his neck in March ... and that's perfectly okay with the WWE Superstar, who tells us he's "at peace" with the way his 13-year career played out.

The 36-year-old 8x tag team champ (WWE champ and 2x Intercontinental Champ, too) joined the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where Mojo and Babcock asked the wrestler for a health update.

“I’m doing really well," E said.

"I can live my life pretty normally. But [my necks] not in a position where I should be ramming my head against other things, immovable objects. So wrestling doesn't make sense right now."

And, E says things could've turned out far different.

"I feel great. Don't have any nerve issues, don't have any weakness, don't have any atrophy. I got real lucky cause it could've been a lot worse."

E broke his neck in March when Ridge Holland attempted a belly-to-belly suplex. It wasn't just his career that was in doubt ... there was concern the injury could severely alter E's life.

Months later, the former champ tells us doctors are taking a "wait and see approach" with his recovery and will reevaluate his progress after the 1 year anniversary of the injury. Meaning fans of the near 300-pounder shouldn't expect to see him competing in a WWE ring anytime soon.

"For me right now, March of next year is very far off. So, I don’t want to spend a lot of time worrying or stressing about that. I’m just kind of living my life," E said.

"I’ve been with this company for 13 years. That means a lot of Saturdays and Sundays in Poughkeepsie and Kalamazoo and most random towns. But, now I get to live my life a little bit and see some friends and I’m enjoying just being human.”

We asked E if he'd be content if he was never able to wrestle again ... and ultimately, he believes the answer is yes.

"Yeah, I think so. Honestly, my philosophy as a human being is learning to be content with whatever life brings you. I'm so grateful to not be in a wheelchair, but if I was, I would have to adjust to life in a wheelchair. That's just how I am programmed."

E continued ... "If I spend hours or days or weeks kind of mourning where I'm at in life, and not being what I wanted to be, that doesn't serve me."

Although Big E has been trying to make the most of his newfound "free time" ... the star wrestler admits he's tired of being in the house, which is why he was thrilled Triple H asked him to be a part of a WWE tryout for college athletes in the days before SummerSlam on July 30.

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CREATE THE CHARACTER

E -- who played college football at Iowa -- says he's interested to see if the athletes in attendance can make the transition to the WWE universe ... and hopes the tryout will yield the company's next generation of superstars.

Rage Against The Machine Singer Zack de la Rocha Messes Up Leg On Stage ... The Show Must Go On!!!

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Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha had a twist of fate during his Windy City performance … the guy messed up his leg, forcing him to rock out while grabbin' a seat.

Zack and his bandmates were 4 songs deep into their set at the United Center in Chicago on Monday night when the singer started hopping on one leg as he ran across the stage during "Bullet in the Head."

The video, obtained by TMZ, shows Zack trying to shake it off, but instead, he has to grab onto nearby equipment to stay standing ... unclear exactly what went down, but a serious ankle injury could be at the root of it.

Clearly, Zack could have used some medical attention, but he had other ideas -- the rock star parked himself on top of sound equipment for the rest of the show, belting out song after song.

At one point, crew members appeared with a walking boot for Zack on the side of the stage, but Zack wasn't having any of it. He just kept on rocking out while poppin' a squat.

Zack's band members came over and hugged him an hour later as the show wrapped up, before being carried off stage by stage personnel.

We've reached out to the band for an update on his condition ... so far, no word back.