Police

Disturbing moment during a junior hockey game ... a player sucker-punched an official in the face, and the player has now been hit with a lifetime ban.

It all went down in the United States Premier Hockey League -- a developmental league for amateurs -- when a member of the South Shore Kings got frustrated with one of the refs.

Check out the clip, the official appears ticked off by something the player did and motions to send him to the penalty box.

That's when things went south ... 'cause as the player began skating off the ice, he punched the referee in the face, dropping him to the ice.

The other refs restored order ... and the official who was punched was helped back onto his skates -- but the damage had already been done.

FYI, Junior Hockey is typically played after high school, but before college.

The commissioner for the USPHL released a statement saying, "The action taken today by a USPHL player is completely unacceptable in the USPHL. The USPHL has zero tolerance for any player striking any official, at any time."

He continued ... "The player in question’s actions have led to a lifetime ban."

The Young Dolph murder case continues to produce new leads -- police say there are now more people they want to talk to about what happened that fateful day.

Memphis PD announced Sunday two persons of interest in connection to the homicide -- 26-year-old Devin Burns and 26-year-old Joshua Taylor ... both of whom the cops say they are unable to locate, and need the public’s help in finding.

Burns is described as 5'6" at about 135 lbs. and Taylor’s a tad bit bigger ... 6'6" at 180 lbs. MPD says Burns has unrelated open warrants for his arrest -- but both men appear to have posed for mug shots before.

It’s unclear how or why exactly these two are suspected to be related to the murder -- but cops say they want to sit down with them regardless.

The authorities have already nabbed two men they say are the actual shooters -- Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith, who’ve both pled not guilty to first-degree murder charges, among others.

A third man was also arrested ... Shundale Barnett, whom the police say served as an accessory in helping Johnson flee Tennessee.

Benny The Butcher is a suspect in a grand theft case, after the alleged victim claims he made off with some of her super-expensive jewelry ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ ... a few weeks ago, the rapper was sharing a room with a lady at the SLS Hotel in Bev Hills. When the woman woke up, Benny and her earrings were gone ... earrings she says are valued around $10k.

We're told Benny and the woman were the only ones in the room. When she called him, she says he admitted to taking the earrings ... and promised he would return them.

Well, a few weeks went by and the woman was still earring-less ... in fact, she says he changed his story, claiming the earrings were lost.

The woman has now filed a police report, naming Benny as the thief.

Spare D.L. Hughley the outrage over Kim Potter getting a 2-year sentence for killing Daunte Wright -- he says America's judicial system consistently lets cops off lightly, while ordinary Joes get the max.

We got the comedian and author at LAX Friday ... just a few hours after ex-officer Potter was sentenced for first and second-degree manslaughter. She could have gotten up to 15 years in prison, but D.L. says that almost never happens because, "There's a certain amount of accountability they refuse to ascribe to police officers."

Potter, who tearfully begged Daunte's family for forgiveness in court, shot and killed him during an April 2021 traffic stop outside Minneapolis. Her body cam appeared to back up Potter's claim she thought she was pulling her Taser, but accidentally drew her firearm.

Check out the video – D.L. seemed totally defeated by the news of Potter's sentence. Although he accepts the killing was accidental, he still can’t understand why police officers like her end up getting such light sentences in fatal shootings.

He compares Daunte's death to the 2009 Oscar Grant killing in Oakland ... where the officer also got 2 years for manslaughter. He was released on parole after serving just 11 months.

Kim Potter was just sentenced to 2 years for the killing of Daunte Wright ... though it won't all be served behind bars.

Potter received a sentence of 24 months Friday in an MN courtroom ... but only 16 months of that will be served behind bars, the remaining time will be on supervised release. On top of that, she'll have to pay a $1,000 fine. The sentence is significantly less than the 7 years prosecutors had suggested.

Potter broke down in addressing Wright's family during the sentencing hearing, apologizing several times for what happened and asking for the family's forgiveness.

As we've previously told you, the ex-Minnesota cop was found guilty of first and second-degree manslaughter after fatally shooting the 20-year-old black man in December.

Daunte's mother, Katie Wright, spoke during the sentencing hearing in an emotional moment that had the courtroom silent. She refused to refer to Potter by her first name, Potter only referred to Daunte as "the driver" through their exchange.

Katie also expressed her frustrations in how selfish she thought Potter was after shooting Daunte, only worried about getting in touch with her union rep ... Katie asked the judge to give the maximum sentence.

On April 11, 2021, Daunte Wright was pulled over by police for an expired tag and an illegal air freshener. Cops attempted to arrest him when they learned he had a warrant, and he tried to flee ... that's when Potter pulled out a gun and shot him.

You'll recall ... Potter has said she thought she pulled out her Taser ... instead of pulling out her firearm. As you can see in the bodycam footage, she yells out "Taser" ... and moments later she says, "Holy sh**! I just shot him!"

She broke down on the stand during trial when recounting the events that led up to Wright's death.

Shortly after the shooting, the incident sparked protests and civil unrest throughout the U.S. over how Black people are treated by police.

The legal team for Wright's family insisted that his death was absolutely preventable.

Tennesee Titans defensive end Bud Dupree spent part of his Friday morning in jail ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the football player finally turned himself in for booking after he was cited for his alleged role in a January altercation at a Walgreens.

The Metro Nashville Police Department tells us Dupree was booked on a misdemeanor assault charge in the 9 o'clock hour Friday morning. He took a mugshot and he's no longer in custody, a spokesperson told us.

According to records, Dupree also had a court hearing scheduled for Friday.

As we previously reported, Dupree was cited for misdemeanor battery on Jan. 4 after cops say he attacked an employee at a Nashville Walgreens on Jan. 2, just hours after the Titans' home game against the Miami Dolphins.

In a statement, cops said Dupree grabbed the employee and then later tried to take the man's phone -- and eventually fled the scene before officers arrived.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the incident ... and in the footage, you can see Dupree did appear to grab a man and then wrestle with him for several seconds inside of the store.

Sources close to Dupree allege he was being heckled with nasty comments ... claiming the man threatened to spit on the women he was with and kick Bud in the knee.

Prince Harry is putting his children's security first, saying he doesn't feel safe bringing them to the U.K. because they won't get the kind of protection he had before leaving his royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex's attorney, Shaheed Fatima, repped him Friday morning in the High Court in London during a hearing to reinstate Harry's family's protection. She expressed Harry's concern that the security arrangement put in place when he and Meghan Markle left the royal family in 2020 is inadequate for Archie and Lilibet.

When they removed themselves, the family lost their public-funded protection in the U.K ... and have paid out of pocket for their security while in America.

However, they were also told they couldn't buy British police protection with their own money.

Harry now fears his children won't be safe in the place he calls home. His lawyer added, "It should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart."

Harry and Meghan have recently been raking in the cash ... an estimated $100 million deal with Netflix, and a deal with Spotify for somewhere north of $25 million. So, with all that revenue, why not use it to buy a private security force?

One downside of that option would be the lack of government intelligence ... which the U.K. police could offer.

After a sketchy incident went down with Harry last July -- getting chased by photographers while driving through the streets of London -- he began the process of trying to get a legal review of his security arrangements.

There's new video of the woman who jumped off a cruise ship into the ocean ... and she's clearly agitated a minute or so before she jumped.

You see the woman flanked by security guards who are trying to subdue her as she struggles to break loose. Security has her arms behind her back, but, contrary to the accounts of some passengers, she was not placed in handcuffs.

She's screaming "Alicia" as security tries moving her off the deck. She somehow escaped the grip of security and, without warning, jumped from the 10th floor of the ocean liner. One passenger says the woman hit the side of the vessel before going face-first into the water.

The 32-year-old woman disappeared from view ... 150 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The crew searched for several hours, to no avail.

She is heard screaming out the name "Alicia" as the guards help her up a flight of stairs and off of the pool deck after an alleged hot tub incident.

George Floyd's aunt, Angela Harrelson, knows his murder ignited a worldwide wave of activism, and she wants to make sure it continues ... as the federal trial continues for 3 ex-cops involved in his fatal arrest.

Angela joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," but on Tuesday she'd been in court to see ex-officer Tou Thao testify. He and fellow ex-cops J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are accused of violating George's civil rights during the arrest.

She called it a triggering day -- having to see the gut-wrenching video again, as well as listening to Thao's testimony.

Unlike Derek Chauvin, Thao, Lane and Kueng did not have their knees on George's neck ... but Angela told us why she feels they still bear responsibility for his death.

Angela, who was extremely close to George, has also written a memoir, "Lift Your Voice: How My Nephew George Floyd's Murder Changed the World." As she explained, writing it was cathartic -- but it also gave her a chance to be a voice for George.

She says she's urging others to keep using their voices as they did during months of marches for equality and justice after George's murder. Angela's point is ... when you see something that isn’t fair speak up, because every person can make a difference.

Bob Saget's death is creating a mystery for many experts, who wonder how he suffered such a severe skull fracture ... and what exactly he hit -- but authorities are firm on what didn't happen, and they think the injury was caused by something connected to the bed.

As we've reported, Bob died from a brain bleed after hitting his head on something. Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation tell us the Medical Examiner and police are clear there was no foul play, and they're certain the blow to his head had to happen in the hotel.

We're told the injury to his head was severe enough that they're sure he could not have made the 2-hour drive from Jacksonville to the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando.

But, here's the mystery ... some medical experts say the skull fracture is consistent with being hit by a bat, or falling as far as 30 feet. Obviously, that kind of fall didn't happen, but as for Bob being struck -- we're told the electronic front door lock to his hotel room shows no one else entered the room. Once Bob entered, the next time the door opened was when hotel staff found him in the afternoon.

Our sources say the authorities say it's most likely Bob struck a portion of the bed's headboard that is not padded. We're told it's wood, and the best guess is he hit his head. Since he was under the covers, they believe he quickly lost consciousness. What's interesting ... although authorities on the scene felt the headboard scenario was the most likely, the Medical Examiner never mentioned it.

Rather, the M.E. theorizes it was an "unwitnessed fall backwards."

We're told the authorities who discovered Bob's body did not see a bruise on his head. We're told the bruise was only discovered during the autopsy.

Saget's family has filed a lawsuit in Orange County, Florida to block the release of photos from the hotel room -- because under Florida law police could go public with the images.

An Indiana police officer is being accused of police brutality after a very physical arrest of a Black man named Adonis Tuggle ... and much of the arrest was recorded by his girlfriend.

The video was posted by someone named Bri Latto. Unclear if she’s the person shooting it or not, but the footage shows the officer in a scuffle -- pinning Adonis on the snow-covered ground while he screams out in pain.

It appears the cop is holding Tuggle down by pushing his elbow into his neck and/or face. The woman recording is yelling at the officer to stop, and complains the cop is hurting her BF.

She actually taps the officer at one point, and he tells her he’ll Taser her if she does it again.

As for what led up to the incident ... Purdue University police chief John Cox tell us the call came in last Friday from a third party saying it appeared a woman was being held against her will. He says there were no physical injuries suffered during the arrest.

Adonis Tuggle posted on social media, saying he's demanding justice. He claims Purdue PD is refusing to turn over body camera footage of the incident. Cops tell us he was arrested for resisting law enforcement -- a misdemeanor.

Alex Venegas, aka Flyysoulja from the 'Island Boys', is doing all he can to make amends with the family of an 8-year-old shooting victim ... after finding out his friend is suspected of killing the little girl.

As we reported, Andrew James Thomas was arrested during a raid at Flyysoulja's rented Florida home. He says the bust, and news of Thomas' alleged involvement in a murder, came as a total shock ... and now he tells TMZ, he'd love to help the child's family if they can connect.

For now, he's urging folks to stay away from gang violence. The TikTok star says he wants to be a positive role model, and encourage others to be better citizens ... because he hates seeing innocent people get hurt.

Flyysoulja was home Monday when cops descended on Thomas -- and he told officers his friend had urged him to hide a gun, but Flyysoulja says he refused to help him at all.

Cops ended up booking Thomas for gun possession, violation of probation for a separate robbery case, and first-degree murder for the deadly drive-by shooting of the child in Palm Beach.

While Flyysoulja and his twin bro became internet-famous last year for their viral and unintentionally hilarious "Island Boy" freestyle -- they're taking the raid very seriously.

Raiders star rookie Nate Hobbs begged an officer to not arrest him during his speeding stop last month ... with police video showing the football player told the cop, "I've already been arrested two weeks ago!"

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see a Nevada State Police officer was livid with Hobbs on Jan. 16 in the Las Vegas area after he said he observed the guy going 110 MPH in a 65 MPH zone.

The cop can be heard chastising Hobbs in the clip after taking him out of his Mercedes ... saying the Raiders cornerback was putting everyone in danger by driving recklessly.

Hobbs tried to explain that he was in a hurry to make it to a football meeting on time ... but the officer was not pleased to hear that explanation.

"Why would you put yourself and everybody else out here on the roadway in extreme danger because you're going to a meeting?" the cop said. "Explain that to me."

When Hobbs apologized and insinuated it was a mistake ... the officer retorted, "Over 110 miles an hour? No signaling, cutting cars off, that's an honest mistake? No, that's a poor choice."

The cop then threatened to arrest Hobbs -- and that's when the Las Vegas player began pleading with him to reconsider.

Hobbs -- who had just been arrested for DUI in Vegas on Jan. 3 -- said, "I've already been arrested two weeks ago! I cannot be arrested again, sir. Please."

He added, "I'm begging you. I swear, I'm begging you."

Fortunately for Hobbs, the cop decided to not arrest him ... and instead hit him with a citation, towed his car and allowed him to leave.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is getting an up-close look at his Secret Service agents in crunch time -- a bomb threat in Washington D.C. forced them to whisk VP Kamala Harris' husband to safety.

Emhoff's Secret Service detail leaped into action Tuesday during his appearance at Dunbar High School in D.C. for a Black History Month event. An agent reportedly approached Doug and told him it was go time, and they went ... quickly.

Looks like DE was a pretty cool customer during the crisis.

Agents took care of rushing Emhoff out of the room ... while students and teachers were also evacuated. The White House says the building's been cleared and everyone is safe now.

It's unclear if there was a real bomb -- but the threat comes on the heels of dozens of other bomb threats at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. The threats started coming in as Black History Month was beginning.

The Florida home of the 'Island Boys' was the scene of a police raid that led to an arrest in a fatal drive-by shooting of an 8-year-old girl.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... a SWAT team executed a search warrant Monday at the property rented by the TikTok stars, Alex and Franky Venegas. Neither was arrested, but cops nabbed an apparent associate of theirs ... murder suspect Andrew James Thomas.

According to the police report, Alex was home during the raid.

Police say Alex told them Thomas ran toward him in a hallway while holding a black handgun with an extended magazine when SWAT knocked on their door. Alex claims Thomas tried to get him to hide the gun, but he refused.

Alex told officers he saw Thomas run into the laundry room and return without the gun. Police say they found the gun inside the laundry room closet.

Thomas was booked for gun possession and violation of probation for a separate robbery case. We're told he was also booked on a first-degree murder charge in the deadly drive-by shooting of an 8-year-old girl in Palm Beach.

Coral Springs Police Sgt. Ernesto Bruna tells TMZ ... it's not clear if Thomas was staying in the home or just visiting the Island Boys.

The Island Boys' manager tells TMZ ... they had no idea Thomas, who grew up with them, was a suspect in a drive-by shooting.

Drill Music is starting to get silenced in NYC ... but homegrown artists like Fivio Foreign are fighting to keep it afloat.

We got Fivio leaving The Palm in New York ... after having meetings regarding what seems to be the future of Drill Music on the airwaves. He said the meeting went well and feels like a step in the right direction.

When asked about the possibility of Drill artists getting indicted for their violent lyrics, Fivio called it BS, saying "That means you gotta go lock up Denzel for being a bad cop in "Training Day"!"

He says music is an art form where people can express themselves in the only way they know how, and it's unfair to single out one genre of music, or one community of people.

In case you're unfamiliar, Drill is a style of trap music that's been mainstream for the past decade, with artists like Chief Keef and Lil Durk associated -- as well as Fivio Foreign.

It's known for its violent and gritty lyrics... which is why the city of NYC has been trying to shut it down.

The NYPD claims Drill is making gang violence in their city worse, pointing to its lyrics as a source of inspiration for shootings. While they say it isn't a blatant cause of violence, at the end of the day, they believe it's a strong influence.