Police

Famous Dex's very bad week just got worse, because cops say they just busted him with a loaded gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper was riding in the backseat of a car when LAPD pulled it over Tuesday night in North Hollywood for not having a rear license plate. We're told Dex tried to get out and walk away during the traffic stop, but cops detained him and then searched the vehicle when they discovered one of the passengers was on probation.

During the search our sources say a loaded gun was found under Dex's seat, so he was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm.

According to police ... the rapper was booked on the felony charge and his bail's set at $35,000. We're told he's still behind bars.

We broke the story ... Famous Dex had another encounter with police last week, after he was allegedly robbed at gunpoint in the San Fernando Valley. He told cops the robbers made off with a $50,000 watch and thousands more in cash.

A retired LAPD homicide detective caught on video calling a Black man a "dumb n****r" after a minor traffic collision is prompting the police to review all 370 cases he handled during his career.

The man hurling racial slurs during the incident -- which went down last weekend in Santa Clarita, CA -- has been ID'd as John Motto. The LAPD says he's not currently a member of the force, he retired in May 2020 as a detective with the Operations Central Bureau Homicide.

The footage shows heated moments immediately after a car accident ... Motto got into an argument with the other driver, a Black man.

Motto claims the other driver used the n-word first, which he feels made it okay for him to then use it -- but Motto also added, "Go back into your little cage until the monkey controller gets here."

He's then used the n-word, again, to insult the other driver.

The LAPD says it's launched an internal investigation "to ensure there is no current Department nexus to this incident." It adds, "What is seen in the video is not reflective of the thousands of hard working and dedicated men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department."

Jenelle Evans' ex-BF, Nathan Griffith, is a wanted man for ghosting the judge in his DWI case.

A North Carolina judge issued an order for Nathan's arrest he failed to appear for a court hearing in connection with his 2019 DWI arrest.

As we reported ... the "Teen Mom 2" star was busted in Cary, North Carolina outside a grocery store ... where he was handcuffed and taken into custody.

He later told us his side of the story ... saying the arrest was bogus because he wasn't in his car when cops stopped him. Nathan told us his keys were actually locked inside the car. He also said he was walking to meet friends at a restaurant when he was coraled by cops.

Nathan says cops were responding to a report of a man sleeping in his car. But Nathan says he was wide awake ... he'd been walking for 5 minutes when cops showed up and took him back to the car.

Nathan and Jenelle, of course, were locked in a nasty custody dispute before they struck a deal last October.

Rich the Kid's been arrested for possession of a concealed weapon at LAX ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

We're told the rapper was going through security at the airport Monday afternoon when a loaded firearm was discovered in his carry-on luggage. He was busted shortly after 1 PM PT, but it's unclear if cops have processed him yet.

The LAX arrest comes on the heels of a pretty rough 2020 that saw Rich get sued a few times -- by a management company, a jewelry store, and Fashion Nova.

The year before wasn't much better ... when he was the apparent target of a shooting attack at a West Hollywood studio -- and in 2018, he was badly injured in a home invasion.

The calendar change isn't helping Rich much ... not yet, anyway.

Two men accused of using bear spray on the U.S. Capitol Police officer who died have been arrested and charged with assault ... but it's not clear if they killed him.

Federal authorities say Julian Khater and George Tanios carried out the bear spray attack on officer Brian Sicknick. They got busted Sunday, TMZ confirmed, some 2 months after the storming of the Capitol.

Sicknick died the night after the Jan. 6 riot, and while Capitol Police say he died from injuries sustained while on duty, the feds say they haven't determined if the alleged bear spray attack played a role in his death.

The feds say video shows Khater asking for a canister of bear spray from Tanios before spraying Sicknick and 2 other police in the face.

Khater and Tanios are charged with assault with a deadly weapon, civil disorder and obstruction of congressional proceeding. They are NOT charged with homicide, as there is still no official cause of death for Sicknick.

The maskless Uber rider seen on video coughing on her driver and yanking his mask off finally surrendered to police ... and she's facing some serious charges.

According to the San Francisco PD ... Arna Kimiai turned herself in to authorities Sunday and was booked into the San Fran County jail that night.

She's been hit with charges of robbery, assault and battery, conspiracy and violation of health and safety code. She's still in police custody.

Cops say Arna and her friend, Malaysia King, got into a March 7 altercation with their Uber driver because they weren't wearing masks.

By now you've seen the video, which seems to back up what police say ... that Arna reached over the driver from the backseat and snatched his phone. The driver was also allegedly pepper-sprayed as the women left his car ... although we don't see that in the video.

King was arrested last week and is facing similar charges as Kimiai.

We broke the story ... along with these legal issues, Kimiai is also being sued for a 2019 car crash in which the other driver claims she was seriously injured.

Prince Harry still seems pretty upset about losing his Royal security privileges, and ya can't blame him ... especially because cops say he and Meghan Markle had an unwanted visitor on their property TWICE during the holidays.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 37-year-old man named Nickolas Brooks was caught trespassing at the Montecito, CA home of the Duke on Duchess on Christmas Eve, but Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officers let him off with a warning.

We're told the warning didn't work because cops say Brooks showed up on the property again on Dec. 26 ... so this time he was arrested.

Our sources say Brooks drove all the way from Ohio, but it's unclear what he wanted from Harry and Meghan ... or if they were even home at the time of his visits.

Brooks has been charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.

The incidents might seem like no big deal, but they highlight a much bigger point Harry suggested during last week's bombshell TV interview with Oprah -- he's worried about the safety of his family.

Harry told Oprah when he and Meghan left their senior royal roles and moved to North America ... Buckingham Palace stripped them of their UK security team.

Harry says he pointed out that the risks to him and his family were no less despite their change in status ... but he claims that didn't change the decision.

Breonna Taylor's death a year ago Saturday triggered a tense, violent confrontation in L.A. between protesters and police.

Two protesters jumped on the hood of an LAPD squad car ... the protesters began pounding on the hood and the car abruptly accelerated, hurling them onto the pavement.

Police showed up in riot gear as they faced off with protesters. Several businesses in the area were vandalized as well.

There were also demonstrations in New York and Louisville -- the city where Breonna Taylor was shot to death by police -- Saturday started out calm with a demonstration ... Breonna's mom, Tamika Palmer, was front and center.

The evening became tense as protesters blocked roads. Police declared an unlawful assembly and it appears the crowd began to disperse.

Protests also went down in Seattle, where cops faced off against demonstrators. Cops grabbed umbrellas held by some of the protesters and pushed back the crowd. Several demonstrators were arrested for various alleged crimes, including assaulting an officer, obstruction and resisting arrest.

This may be the slowest chase in police history ... San Diego cops went after a woman who allegedly stole a forklift, and she didn't have a fighting chance.

You see in the video cops ordering the driver to stop. The reality is ... they could have just casually walked up to the lift and subdued the driver, which is essentially what happened.

The woman was first spotted at a traffic light when she made a U-turn into a Ross parking lot. A bystander gave cops and assist by grabbing the keys out of the ignition.

Sometimes racism is subtle, oblique ... but not here.

United States Senator Ron Johnson says he didn't feel threatened at all during the failed coup attempt on January 6th, because the rioters were true patriots, but God forbid, if the shoe was on the other foot where Trump won and there was a BLM Capitol protest, well he says that would be downright scary.

The Republican Senator from Wisconsin made his comments on "The Joe Pags Show," and it's drawing heavy fire. Johnson said of the Jan. 6th insurrectionists, "Even though those thousands of people were marching on the Capitol were trying to pressure people like me to vote the way they wanted me to vote, I knew those were people that loved this country, that truly respected law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn't concerned."

Before we get to the BLM comment ... is he kidding? Cops were beaten by protesters, 140 of them were injured and one was killed -- respect law enforcement??? Law-abiding???

Now, as for Johnson's BLM comment, check this out ... "Had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned."

Someone's apparently pissed Jennifer Lopez performed at President Biden's inauguration -- they've been flooding LAPD with 911 calls to her home ever since then.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there have been at least 15 calls made to cops about J Lo's L.A. area crib for everything from loud music and people fighting to a man and woman arguing.

We know what you're thinking, but we're told this has nothing to do with Alex Rodriguez or their engagement-ending breakup. We're told the couple wasn't even in the home, and the complaints the callers reported turned out to be fake.

As for what's behind all the calls ... our sources say they started shortly after Jennifer's Inauguration Day performance. One operating theory is the calls were politically motivated, or just someone sour on her versions of "This Is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful."

The City of Minneapolis has reached a $27 million settlement with George Floyd's family after being sued for his death last year ... and it comes just weeks before Derek Chauvin's trial.

Floyd's family filed the wrongful death lawsuit in July against the city, Chauvin and the 3 other officers involved in the May 25 incident resulting in George's death. The City Council unanimously approved the settlement on Friday.

As we reported ... the family's suit alleged the city and the ex-police officers violated Floyd's rights, specifically calling out the neck restraint techniques used during his arrest.

Video of Floyd's arrest shows Chauvin kneeling on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

After the settlement was announced, George's sister, Bridgett Floyd, said, "Our family suffered an irreplaceable loss May 25 when George’s life was senselessly taken by a Minneapolis police officer. While we will never get our beloved George back, we will continue to work tirelessly to make this world a better, and safer, place for all."

She added, "Going forward, my work as Founder of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation will be a priority both in George’s birthplace of Fayetteville, North Carolina and around the country."

NFL star Melvin Gordon told cops several times before his October arrest that he had been drinking prior to getting behind the wheel ... new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

The Broncos running back was pulled over in Denver late at night on Oct. 13 after cops say they clocked him doing 71 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

In police footage of the ensuing stop ... you can see Gordon told a cop he had been driving fast because he was just miles from running out of gas.

Just seconds later, Gordon then admitted to an officer he had been drinking before driving.

The 27-year-old told the cop he had "a little bit" of alcohol ... but said he was not drunk.

When pressed by the officer about how much and what he drank, Gordon said he had "just one" drink of Pinot Grigio.

The officer then conducted field sobriety tests -- and you can see in the clip, it appeared Gordon could not walk in a straight line very well.

Cops then put the NFL player in cuffs and asked if he'd take a blood test to see if his blood alcohol content level was below the legal limit.

That's when Gordon admitted again that he had been drinking before getting behind the wheel.

"I've been drinking," Gordon said ... with one officer responding, "I know, I can tell."

Gordon continued, "I got some people that can drive me. I'm not going to lie to you. I play for the Broncos. Obviously, you probably know. And, I cannot risk getting in trouble. I live three minutes from here, probably four."

Gordon and the cop went back and forth over the tailback taking a blood test, with Melvin asking the cop repeatedly if the stop would hit the news.

"I'm scared to get in trouble, bruh," Gordon said. "I ain't going to lie to you, I'm in a f***ing position battle, bruh. I'm lowkey scared, bruh. Please, bruh."

According to police docs, Gordon ultimately did take the blood test ... and prosecutors later hit him with 2 charges of DUI and one count of speeding 25-39 MPH over the limit.

Gordon, though, pled guilty to reckless driving Wednesday, and prosecutors dismissed his two DUI charges.

Gordon was ordered to complete 12 hours of community service as well as pay $478.50 in fines.

"I will cut up your family ... Dismember [them] alive."

Federal prosecutors say a sports gambler sent this threat and other heinous ones to MLB players over social media back in 2019 ... and now, the guy is facing up to 5 years in prison over it all.

The man's name is Benjamin Tucker Patz, a 24-year-old from Napa, Calif. who federal investigators claim is a sports better who made violent threats to professional athletes during and after their games.

According to a plea agreement between Patz and prosecutors, Patz pled guilty on Wednesday to one count of sending a threat across state lines.

Prosecutors say he sent disturbing messages to both the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on July 20, 2019.

In the docs, prosecutors say toward the end of the Sox-Rays game ... Patz went on Instagram and fired off messages that included threats to "sever" a player's neck.

Some of the messages prosecutors say Patz sent included, "I will enter your home while you sleep ... And sever your neck open."

Others, prosecutors say, read, "I will kill your entire family ... Everyone you love will soon cease."

The maximum sentence Patz is facing is up to 5 years behind bars ... but prosecutors agreed to recommend a lighter sentence based on Patz’s acceptance of responsibility.

Still, the final sentence will be up to the judge.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, prosecutors said.

There's more ... in other documents in the case, obtained by the Associated Press, investigators claim Patz also sent threats to the Rams and Patriots after their Super Bowl in '19.

Vanessa Bryant has just won an important battle in her case against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... a judge ruled she can obtain the names of the deputies who allegedly took and distributed graphic photos from the Kobe crash site.

Vanessa alleges that shortly after Kobe, their daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Jan. 2020 ... sheriff's deputies took pictures of the wreckage and the bodies in it and shared the images.

County prosecutors had argued the names of the deputies allegedly responsible for sharing the photos should be kept under seal ... saying it could put the deputies in harm's way.

Vanessa, though, opposed that ... and it looks like she convinced the judge.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in favor of Bryant on Monday, according to the LA Times, writing in a ruling, "Although the Court recognizes that this case has been the subject of public scrutiny and media attention and that the Deputy Defendants are legitimately concerned that they will encounter vitriol and social media attacks, such concerns, by themselves, are not sufficient to outweigh the public’s strong interest in access."

The county will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling.

The people who stole Lady Gaga's 2 French Bulldogs and shot her dogwalker may have been part of a gang initiation, and the woman who found the dogs hasn't received her $500,000 reward because cops have not yet cleared her ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say ... cops told Gaga NOT to pay the reward she offered unless, and until, they determine the finder had no involvement in the crime. We're told cops don't believe the woman was part of the dognapping, but they're trying to figure out if she had any involvement after the fact.

Again, they don't know she's involved, but they're investigating. We're told Gaga is more than willing to pay the woman if she's cleared by cops.

What's more ... our sources say cops believe the dognapping and shooting of the dogwalker may have been a gang initiation. We're told there have been similar crimes in the L.A.-area recently, and this may well have been the M.O. in the Gaga case.

It's interesting ... if you look at the surveillance video of the crime, Ryan Fischer, the dogwalker, was not even near the dogs when he was shot in the chest. The dogs were to the other side of the dognappers. They could easily have just put the dogs in the car and taken off, yet they chose to shoot Ryan. That lends credence to the gang initiation theory.