Police

There's growing anger toward the LAPD for not arresting Will Smith on the spot even after Chris Rock said he didn't want Will busted -- but fact is, there were only 2 ways cops could have taken Will out of the Dolby Theater in cuffs.

LAPD sources with firsthand knowledge tell us only one officer was inside the auditorium, and he was backstage and didn't see the slap. Since it was misdemeanor battery, the only way a cop could arrest Will on his/her own is if it was committed in their presence, and it was not.

We're told the officer backstage heard what happened and then beelined it for Chris' dressing room, where he waited outside for a while and then asked Chris if he wanted to press charges. We're told Chris was clear he did not, and our LAPD sources dispute what Oscar producer Will Packer claimed ... that Chris was asked if he wanted Will removed.

So there was one other way Will could have been arrested. Someone in the crowd -- and there were several thousand -- could have gone up to a cop and asked to make a citizen's arrest. Under California law, "a private person may arrest another for a public offense committed or attempted in his presence." No one in the crowd asked to do that.

Now we've also learned there was a flood of angry folks -- people who either called LAPD or actually went to one of the divisions -- and asked to arrest Will for battery. Thing is ... they didn't witness the slap in person -- watching it on TV doesn't count -- so LAPD could do nothing.

The referee who was kicked and punched in the face repeatedly following a Georgia youth basketball game needed 30 stitches to stop the bleeding ... a tournament official tells TMZ Sports.

But, Kenneth Tarver -- the founder of KB Sports who helped put on the youth tourney in Lithonia over the weekend -- says, somehow, the guy is doing better now.

The terrifying incident was all captured on video on Sunday at the Love Of The Game event at the Stronghold Christian Church -- when several young players and other bystanders appeared to beat the hell out of a ref after a game had concluded.

Tarver tells us the game actually featured teams full of eighth graders ... but, he said he has no idea what caused the postgame scuffle.

Tarver said he has spoken to the referee since the incident -- and while he needed to be stitched up after the attack, Tarver said he's going to make a full recovery.

Tarver added that he's banned the team involved in the scuffle going forward ... and he vowed to beef up security at future events as well.

"I'm gonna make it safer for the officials," Tarver tells us.

Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Alex Carrington was Tased during a wild altercation with cops early Monday morning -- before he was arrested and booked on gun charges and more, police in New York announced on Monday.

According to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, Carrington was pulled over at 1:34 AM in Lockport after officers say he was was speeding and had no headlight.

Cops say during the stop, they suspected 34-year-old Carrington was drunk -- and asked him to get out of his car so they could initiate field sobriety tests.

According to cops, though, Carrington did not comply -- and officers say the situation turned tense, because they claim they saw a gun magazine in plain view in the pocket of his driver's side door while they were trying to get him out of the vehicle.

Cops say at one point, Carrington appeared to try to restart his car and flee the scene. But that's when officers say they Tased him and eventually got him out of the car.

Officers say as they were pulling him from the ride, they noticed he had a loaded Glock 17 hidden underneath his leg. They also say they found "two more loaded, high capacity magazines" within the car before they impounded it.

Carrington was ultimately taken to a nearby station, where he was booked on two criminal possession of a weapon charges, as well as resisting arrest, driving while intoxicated and more.

Carrington posed for a mug shot at the station -- and records show he's still in custody.

The college community that abuts UC Santa Barbara was out of control Saturday, after a rager left a bunch of people injured and hospitalized.

It was actually an annual event, called "Deltopia" ... and it's become wildly popular in the town of Isla Vista.

There were injuries -- one girl fell from a roof -- and OD's ... and there was enough that the Santa Barbara Fire Dept. declared the party a "multi-casualty incident." The SBFD said there were "multiple medical emergencies including multiple severe traumas."

The party went on through the afternoon Saturday ... it got so crowded that the EMTs had trouble getting the injured out of the area.

It's been a wild couple of days in IV ... on Friday there were arrests made and citations issued.

The high school track runner who was punched by another athlete mid-race wants to press charges ... and he could even end up filing a lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office claimed neither side wanted to move forward with pressing charges after the incident.

But, the Florida Firm's Nathan Carter, attorney for the punched runner, says that's not the case.

"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges," Carter said in a statement. "This is false."

"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery."

"Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges."

Carter adds the runner suffered a concussion as a result of the incident ... and is "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."

"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter added. "They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him."

The LAPD was standing by and ready to arrest Will Smith for putting hands on Chris Rock at The Oscars -- but Chris waved them off, saying he was fine -- according to the show's producer.

In a preview clip for his interview with 'GMA,' Oscars' honcho Will Packer says LAPD officers were ready to arrest Will if Chris so wanted, detailing the conversation that happened backstage directly following the slap.

In the clip, Packer tells T.J. Holmes cops were prepared to go and get Will from the crowd and make an arrest for battery ... letting Chris know he could press criminal charges against Will.

At one point, Packer claims Chris was being dismissive of what police were telling him ... and he says he told the comedian to let cops finish their spiel before making a decision.

In the end, Chris decided against pressing charges, and Will was allowed to remain front and center at The Oscars, where he won the award for best actor and gave a tearful speech.

Will's since apologized for the slap and foul language ... but at his show Wednesday night, Chris revealed he's still processing what went down and will talk about it later on his comedy tour.

The runner who was sucker punched in the middle of a high school race in Florida last weekend does not want to press charges ... this according to officers at the race.

A spokesperson for the Osceola County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports officers did attend the event over the weekend ... but say the punched runner did not wish to move forward with charges.

The spokesperson added that the other party involved in the incident -- the one who threw the punch -- also declined to press charges ... presumably over what appeared to be the runner making contact with him in the moments before the swing.

Cops did not provide further details.

As we previously reported, the wild scene all went down at the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational in Kissimmee on Saturday ... when an athlete appeared to punch a runner in a race after he seemed to be pushed by the boy earlier in the event.

The boys' schools have not provided comment on the situation.

No word yet on if the runner suffered serious injuries, but race results show he did not finish the run.

TikTok star Icy Wyatt has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another person with a firearm ... according to court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, officers say the 23-year-old was driving erratically Monday night in Sunrise, FL ...  when he stopped his car in the middle of the road. That's when cops say 2 people in another car asked him to move, which apparently set Wyatt off.

Cops say he followed them to a nearby Chick-Fil-A parking lot, where both parties got out of their cars and began to argue. Wyatt allegedly then went into his glove box, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

According to the report, one of the alleged victims turned back to get in the car, prompting Wyatt to strike them in the back of the head with the gun ... and Wyatt then peeled out of the parking lot. Cops say they were able to get his tag information and locate him.

When they caught up with Wyatt and arrested him, cops say he resisted and ended up kicking one of the officers in the thigh ... and then kicked the cage bars in the cop car while calling the officer a "c***" and a "bitch."

He was booked Monday night for 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on an officer and one count of resisting arrest.

Ezra Miller certainly doesn't seem to be making friends in Hawaii -- not only were they just arrested for a karaoke bar dispute -- cops were also called for another disturbance at a bar just weeks before.

In the video, shot earlier this month, you see "The Flash" star get denied entry to a bar -- with a female employee physically preventing them from going inside the Chinatown-area watering hole. A witness tells us the confrontation went down after Miller was kicked out of another establishment across the street.

Things got so contentious between Miller and the female staffer that cops were called, and more than half a dozen officers showed up.

You can see Miller chatting with officers before they asked the actor to leave ... law enforcement sources say EM was given a trespass warning, but they were not arrested.

As we reported, Ezra was arrested Monday for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar in Hilo on the Big Island. Cops say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a pub ... officers were told Ezra became agitated when folks at the bar started singing karaoke.

Ezra allegedly hurled obscenities and grabbed the mic from a woman who was singing ... and cops say they were told EM also lunged at a guy playing darts and refused multiple requests from the bar owner to calm down.

Chael Sonnen allegedly threw a woman into a light fixture and struck her -- causing her to bleed from her face -- during a wild fight in a Las Vegas hotel in December 2021 ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. say they responded to the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18 regarding an alleged fight between Sonnen and several other people, including security guards.

Cops in the documents say a Four Seasons Engineer told them the altercation all started as he was coming out of a room.

Cops say the man said as soon as he opened the door, Sonnen punched him in the jaw. Officers say the man told them he then closed the door and called for security.

Police in the documents say, though, that a short time later ... a couple told them they encountered Sonnen outside of the room and the former UFC star got aggressive immediately.

Cops say Christopher Stellpflug and his wife, Julie Stellpflug, told them Sonnen -- who was apparently wearing a white robe and a partially bloodied T-shirt -- knocked a glass out of Christopher's hand.

Then, cops say the couple told them, Sonnen flew off the handle, attacking Christopher and throwing him to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. Cops say Julie told them he then turned his attention toward her after she tried to intervene.

In the docs, the officers say Julie told them Sonnen threw her against a light fixture and socked her in the face. Christopher, according to police, told them the strike caused Julie's lip to split and bleed.

Cops say a witness on the scene told them security eventually arrived, but Sonnen punched the guard in the throat. Police say the witness was then attacked, with the man saying Sonnen elbowed him in the chest several times and shoved him.

In the documents, police say the fight was eventually broken up ... and when they questioned Sonnen about it all, they say the former pro fighter told them he "did not have memory of anything."

According to the docs, Sonnen told them he and his wife took a sleeping pill hours before the alleged altercation and he "could not recall anything else."

As we previously reported, Sonnen has since been hit with 11 charges -- including felony battery by strangulation -- over the incident. He's also been sued by the Stellpflugs, who claim they both suffered concussions in the alleged attack.

Chris Rock is NOT going to file a police report -- at least for now -- against Will Smith after the latter smacked him squarely across the face ... but the window is still open.

LAPD brass said Sunday night that they were aware of an incident during the 94th Academy Awards between two individuals ... in which one person slapped the other. Obviously, they're referring to Will and Chris -- but they also note ... CR declined to press charges.

They add ... if Chris wants to file an investigative report at a later date, he can do that -- and they'll be all ears.

Now, as for how exactly the cops got involved in this has been a bit of a mystery until now -- namely, nobody really knew if they were called or if they actually spoke to Chris directly. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there were LAPD officers on site during the actual incident, whom we're told witnessed the hit -- and then approached Chris' team thereafter.

Essentially, they watched what they believed to be a crime ... otherwise, they wouldn't have approached him. Since Chris said he wasn't interested in pursuing it, it's routine in a case like this for cops to stand down.

Presumably ... Will could be dinged on assault and battery, but at the moment -- it doesn't seem he's going to face any repercussions for what he did. It's also unclear if the Academy will hold him accountable.

As you know by now, Will struck Chris on stage during the live broadcast following a joke the comedian cracked about Jada Pinkett -- which was about her shaved head ... a direct result of the alopecia she suffers from.

Popeyes has spoken ... condemning hateful language and offering up support after a racist customer went viral for hurling slurs at employees at one of its joints in Florida.

A rep for Popeyes tells TMZ ... they're disgusted over the video, adding Popeyes has zero-tolerance for this kind of hateful aggression at its restaurants. They're also working with the owner ... offering support and providing assistance to make sure employees feel safe.

The Popeyes rep goes on to say they'll review ways to better respond to negative and harmful customer interactions.

ICYMI, a video made rounds on social media of a white guy at a Popeyes in Okeechobee, FL. ... the dude is caught on camera, hurling racial slurs and threatening to lynch a Black female employee.

"You gotta expect that out of f***ing Colby Covington. He's a bitch for pressing charges. And, if I got a message for him it's 'snitches get stitches' around here homie. That's some bitch s**t."

That's 35-year-old rising UFC welterweight star Daniel Rodriguez going in on Colby Covington ... after the #1 ranked 170 lb. contender cooperated with police and pressed charges against Jorge Masvidal for allegedly attacking him and cracking his tooth outside a fancy Miami restaurant earlier this week.

"I'd do the same thing," D-Rod told us Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.

Of course, Masvidal allegedly attacked Colby as he was leaving Papi Steak in South Florida Monday night. Police responded, and took a report for battery.

Days later on Wednesday, Jorge turned himself into a local jail around 10 PM local time, and was hit with several charges, including felony battery, which can carry a lengthy prison sentence.

Some fighters, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, believe Colby was out of line for going to the cops -- especially after some of the trash talk the men engaged in leading up to their UFC 272 fight -- and you can count Rodriguez in that group.

"I respect Khabib for that. He's always been that kind of fighter that doesn't disrespect, especially family. Trying to promote, trying to sell a fight is one thing. But, when you throw family in the mix, it's kind of personal. So, ya know, I'm not mad at Jorge Masvidal for this incident where he ran up on [Colby] in Miami."

It remains to be seen if fellow welterweight fighters will heed Khabib's advice and not fight Covington. However, it's almost impossible to imagine fighters passing on an opportunity to take on the consensus 2nd best 170 lb. fighter in the world.

We also talked to Daniel, 6-1 in the UFC, about his health.

Jorge Masvidal is in jail in Florida ... he's been arrested over his alleged attack on Colby Covington.

Jail records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show the 37-year-old UFC star was booked in Miami at 10:27 PM ET on Wednesday, where he posed for a mug shot.

The records show he was booked on two charges -- aggravated battery with a mask, and criminal mischief. His bond has been set at $15,000, the records show.

WPLG Local 10 News shot video of Masvidal as he entered the jail in cuffs. The footage shows he sprinted into the station without taking any questions from reporters.

As we previously reported, Masvidal has been accused of punching Covington twice as his UFC rival was leaving popular restaurant Papi Steak on Monday night.

In police documents, cops say Covington told them Masvidal hit him in the mouth and the eye -- causing him to fracture a tooth.

Cops also say Covington suffered an abrasion on his wrist and a damaged watch.

In video we obtained shortly after the alleged incident, Covington can be heard appearing to describe the attack, saying, "He's over here swinging, trying to come at me, and I ran ..."

Covington has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Story developing ...

The moment Conor McGregor, driving his convertible Bentley, was pulled over by Irish cops for traffic violations was caught on video by a group of "Notorious" fans ... just minutes before the UFC superstar was arrested.

The video clearly shows 33-year-old Conor driving his $200K+ Bentley Continental GT neck-and-neck with another car on the Dublin highway ... when moments later sirens are heard, and a white squad car is behind McGregor.

It's unclear how fast Conor was going at the time of the video -- the two cars in the lanes next to him are going at the same rate of speed. Still, McGregor doesn't look like he's sweatin' the run-in with police.

The clip then ends ... but as we previously reported, Conor was taken into custody for several traffic violations. His pricey car was towed.

While at the station, McGregor was administered drug and alcohol tests, which he passed, according to his rep.

McGregor, who's still recovering from his broken leg, was later released on bail.

Although it's not the worst thing Conor's been accused of over the years, he could still face 6 months in jail, if convicted, according to the Irish Independent.

This is a first ... a Bev Hills jewelry store was hit by robbers who smashed the window that displayed super expensive bling right in the middle of the day and made off with everything inside.

It went down at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills just after 1 PM. The store was open when 5 people showed up and took some kind of instrument to the window, shattering it .... the thieves grabbed everything in the showcase and took off.

A source at the Beverly Hills PD tells TMZ they have never seen such a brazen robbery like this ... even with all the smash-and-grabs around town.

The robbers never went inside ... they just took what was in the display window and split.