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A 17-year-old boy with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was punched in the head by a cop, who threatened even more punishment.

The incident went down Wednesday in Vacaville, California. Cops responded to a call of a possible stabbing or assault with either a pipe or a knife and found Preston on his scooter.  Preston was allegedly in a scuffle with a neighbor and picked up the alleged weapon but no one was injured.

In the video, you see the officer toss Preston's scooter to the side and order the teen to sit.  He gets in Preston's face and the boy then gets up and tries to run. The cop grabs him, yanks him to the ground and delivers a punch to the head.

You hear Preston scream, "You punched me in the f***ing head." The officer responds ... "You're gonna get hurt. Don't make me hurt you more. Don't make me hurt you more."

Preston's dad, Adam Wolf, posted this ... "The officer screamed at him to sit down which he did. The officer then moved Aggressively toward my son, threw his scooter and got in his face. My son became fearful, as would any child with Autism. The officer went to touch Preston, at which point Preston moves away.  At this point, Preston was confused and afraid and moves away from the officer even more."

Adam goes on ...  At that point the officer felt it was a good idea to THROW Preston to the ground ... I don't believe that Preston will ever trust a police officer again. I am pro police, but I am not pro ABUSE! This individual and department must be held accountable for their actions. NO child, disability or not, deserves to be treated like this."

Police detained Preston for an hour ... he was cited and released.

Elon Musk made a startling comment about the impending voyage to Mars, saying, "A bunch of people will probably die."

Elon was deep in conversation with Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize Foundation, when they talked about Musk's dream for humans to set foot on the Red Planet by 2026.  NASA's projection was 2033.

Elon waxed a little poetic, saying, "Going to Mars reads like that advert for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know it is dangerous. It's uncomfortable, and it's a long journey."

And then, he lowered the boom ... "You might not come back alive, but it is a glorious adventure and it will be an amazing experience ... Yeah, honestly, a bunch of people will probably die in the beginning."

Thing is ... he may be truth-telling, despite people not wanting to hear it.

Elon's take is that the upside justifies the downside ... "For the first time in the four and a half billion year history of Earth it has been possible to extend life beyond Earth and make life multi-planetary."

He went on ... "Humanity is the agent of life and we have an obligation to ensure the creatures of Earth continue even if there is a calamity on Earth, whether it is man-made or a natural calamity - if you look at the fossil record there are many mass extinctions. It is about ensuring we pass that threshold where it is self-sustaining if some calamity prevents the ships from going there."

Musk, who was barefoot during the interview, ominously asked, "What comes first - a self-sustaining city on Mars or World War Three?"

A confrontation between police and a black man got heated with an officer's response to the question ... Will they kill him like they killed Ma'Khia Bryant?

The incident went down in Washington D.C. ... as one of the officers responded, "Are you going to stab somebody like her?"

That set the man off, as he fired back, "No, but she called y'all for help!"

It's unclear if the man was stopped by police or if it was just a conversation, but the exchange has drawn heavy criticism. The Metropolitan PD is aware of the incident and is investigating.

As you know by now, Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old from Columbus, OH, was shot and killed by a police officer as she lunged at another girl with a knife. The incident has raised questions, including why police didn't use a non-lethal taser and why the officer fired 4 times.

Susan Sarandon and Cynthia Erivo are planning to draw attention to a little-discussed issue they want people to know about during the Academy Awards ... hospital pricing transparency.

TMZ has learned a PSA is set to air Sunday during ABC's broadcast of the award show -- which will star the two Oscar-caliber actresses doing a spot for a campaign known as Power to the Patients ... a national org that fights for patient rights when it comes to this issue.

We got a hold of the ad early, and it looks like Suze and Cynthia are fully on board with the effort ... noting that hospitals across the country are required by law -- as of this year -- to give patients a full rundown of what their services cost ... BEFORE using 'em on folks.

Most people who've been to the ER or who've had long-term hospital stays know this nightmare all too well ... you're in there getting treated for whatever it is you need, and not long after -- you get a FAT bill in the mail that amounts to tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars you never knew you were agreeing to while being treated.

The whole idea here is educational ... basically letting people know they have a right to know going in, and not to be afraid to demand a hospital's staff to disclose that type of info.

Worlds will be colliding on "Saturday Night Live" in a couple weeks -- because the hottest tech wiz in the game is set to take up hosting duties ... and yes, we're talking Elon Musk.

The Tesla CEO was confirmed to be the 'SNL' host for the weekend of May 8 -- this after Miley Cyrus posted the famous sticky note bulletin board that showed Elon as host and her as the musical guest. At first, it wasn't clear if this was legit ... or just a stunt/joke.

Not too long after Miley posted, however, 'SNL' itself confirmed with the same announcement. They had a helluva way of teasing the appearance, too, writing ... "Musk See TV."

Elon hasn't responded to the news just yet -- but if 'SNL' is saying it's happening, we're pretty sure we can take that to the bank. It's probably one of the biggest host announcements they've had in a while ... since Eddie Murphy was said to be returning, tbh.

Of course, Elon is NOT a professional entertainer by traditional standards -- and that's usually who 'SNL' recruits to cameo on their show, especially when it comes to hosting. They usually stick with actors, musicians/artists, comics and/or athletes to take up the mantle ... although, they have deviated into other types of hosts over the years -- politicos, etc.

Folks will remember when 'SNL' had Donald Trump host in the run-up to the 2016 election. They also once had Steve Forbes on there as a host, as well as Rudy Giuliani and Al Sharpton. There've been other randos who've shown up and seemed out of place, but having Musk on would appear to be the first time 'SNL' has delved into the tech world for a host.

A woman got a blast from the past in the worst possible way -- learning of embezzlement charges against her ... all 'cause she supposedly never returned a rented tape in the '90s.

This story comes out of Oklahoma -- where Caron McBride told KOKH FOX25 she'd recently stumbled across a stunning discovery re: her criminal record -- namely, that she was wanted for felony embezzlement because she never returned a VHS movie from 1999.

The film in question is "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" ... and prosecutors say she rented it from a video store called Movie Place ... which ain't a thing anymore. Because the movie never made it back to its rightful owner, the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office filed the embezzlement charge in 2000, and it's been sitting ever since.

McBride says she was never aware of the charge, or the fact that she'd even rented that movie. As a result, the charge has been sitting in limbo, with her wanted by authorities. McBride says she only became aware of it after trying to change her surname at the DMV.

She says she tried clearing it up with the D.A.'s office, but it took a while before they ultimately decided to dismiss the charges against her. Thing is, she's still gotta get that charge expunged from her record -- which will undoubtedly be another pain in the ass.

Rob McElhenney's tale of rescuing a dog and reuniting him with his loving family will help you through ruff times ... especially when you see the pup's tail.

The "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star says he and his wife -- and 'Sunny' costar -- Kaitlin Olson, stopped traffic on an L.A. freeway when they saw the "handsome motherf**ker" running alone.

After they got the dog -- which looks like a Pit Bull mix -- in their car with the help of another good Samaritan named Bridget, Rob and Kaitlin took him to a vet ... where they learned he wasn't chipped, but he was assigned the name "Brad Pitt" because he's "so damn beautiful."

Rob chronicled Pitt's story on IG, and it gets so much better. He says they decided to rename the pup, Frank Reynolds because of his body type -- an 'Always Sunny' jab at Danny DeVito's character. Then they learned the dog's loving owners were desperately searching for him, and they also learned his real name ... Chance!

Rob says they spoke to the family on the phone and they were crying with joy, and soon after they brought Chance home for the happiest of endings.

As McElhenney puts it ... "Social media may be ripping apart the fabric of our society but ... Sometimes it's pretty great."

The end.

Police officers stopped and detained 2 guys riding by on their bicycles ... apparently because they looked like two other guys they were after, but considering the current climate, it was a pretty scary encounter for the cyclists.

Check out this video ... you see 2 young men -- possibly minors -- cruising on the sidewalk in Orlando, when all of a sudden they come across a few police cruisers that have their lights flashing. The cops tell them to stop, get off the bikes and to get on the ground.

The guy recording -- who seems to be shooting from a GoPro -- asks what's going on and why they're being stopped. He even asks why the officers have their guns drawn, but it's hard to make out if they're actually pointing weapons from his vantage point.

Anyway, the video continues ... and you see the guy filming seated on the ground with his legs crossed, continuing to ask why they were stopped. One cop tells him they're being detained for matching the description of a couple suspects.

Unclear what crime was committed, but the dude recording -- who is Black -- continues to insist he and his pal are innocent, and that they'd just come from shopping at a 7-Eleven.

In a later video ... he further explained what happened after they were stopped and searched. He says the officers actually trotted out an alleged robbery victim to ID them -- but he told the officers the 2 guys on bikes weren't the ones who did him wrong ... so they were cut loose.

Ma'Khia Bryant, a 16-year-old from Columbus, OH, is dead after a cop shot her 4 times ... and newly released body cam shows why police were called, and why the incident's sparked new protests over another police-involved fatality.

The incident went down Tuesday -- about a half-hour before Derek Chauvin's guilty verdicts -- when police responded to a call for a fight between a few teenage girls ... one of them being Ma'Khia. The body cam shows a chaotic scene when cops arrived in the driveway of a home.

One girl was thrown to the ground at the feet of one of the officers, and you hear him yelling, "Hey, hey, hey, hey. Get down!" as Ma'Khia's seen apparently lunging with a knife at a different girl.

You see the officer quickly draw his gun and then fire 4 shots at Ma'Khia, who immediately falls to the ground. You can see a man standing nearby yell at the cop in shock, "You didn't have to shoot her. She's just a kid, man."

The cop responded, "She had a knife. She just went at her."

The shooting prompted protests near the scene of the incident, and in downtown Columbus. The officer's reportedly been taken off the streets while the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation investigates.

Ma'Khia was reportedly taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Neighbors say she was living in a foster home on the block where she was shot.

The teenager whose video was seen 'round the world of George Floyd being murdered by Derek Chauvin has spoken on the guilty verdict that just came down ... and she's elated.

17-year-old Darnella Frazier just reacted to the news Chauvin was found guilty on all 3 counts, and now faces a max sentence of 40 years. She says, "I just cried so hard😩This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!!"

Darnella shared her emotions on Facebook ... the same platform where she first posted the infamous 9 minute-plus video, which was the critical piece of evidence in Chauvin's trial.

She added, "THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU😭🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽George Floyd we did it!!🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️justice has been served✊🏽"

Darnella elaborated even further on IG, saying ... "My heart goes out to George Floyd’s family!❤️🙏🏽Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price. We did it❤️❤️✊🏽#justicewasserved."

It's no exaggeration to say Chauvin's conviction is due in large part to the fact Darnella captured every painful minute his knee was on George Floyd's neck ... nearly 10 minutes.

Her video was played almost daily during Chauvin's trial and, in the end, clearly helped the jury reach its unanimous decision in under 11 hours.

It's been a long road for Darnella -- you might recall, she was going through a hard time in the immediate aftermath of the video going viral -- with some people questioning her motives and even asking why she didn't do more. She and her fam told us she might need therapy.

President Biden saying he's "praying the verdict is the right verdict" in Derek Chauvin's murder trial is a breath of fresh air for Rev. Al Sharpton, who believes the Prez didn't do anything wrong by weighing in ... and showing he's human.

The Rev. joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday shortly before it was announced the Chauvin jury had reached a verdict in his trial for murdering George Floyd. Obviously, collective anxiety is high in the country -- which is why Biden's comments Tuesday morning were surprising to some. But Sharpton notes ... the President has a connection to Floyd's family, which the Rev. says makes his remarks appropriate.

Not only that, but Al says Joe should be allowed as President to show some empathy about a case that has greatly impacted the Black community and the nation as a whole. He says he welcomes empathy over contempt, which he accuses former President Trump of consistently demonstrating.

Sharpton also points out ... Biden waited to comment on the Chauvin trial until the jury was sequestered, so his comments couldn't have an influence on the outcome of the trial.

Finally, he takes issue with Chauvin trial Judge Cahill going off on Rep. Maxine Waters in court Monday. Rev. Al told us he thinks the judge was out of line and totally misconstrued Waters' remarks about protesting if the jury returns a not guilty verdict.

Eric Nelson is defending Derek Chauvin in trial -- but another attorney with the same name as Chauvin's lawyer is getting mistaken for him... and it's causing a whole lot of grief, and potential danger.

Eric C. Nelson -- a Minneapolis-based family law attorney -- tells TMZ ... people think he's the Eric Nelson defending Chauvin against murder charges right now. It's easy to see how this happens -- same names, same profession and practicing in the same area.

Still, Nelson tells us he wants to set the record straight ... because the deluge of hate and harassment he's getting a result of the mistaken identity is becoming overwhelming, both personally and professionally.

We're told Nelson has been getting BLOWN-UP lately -- both online and over the phone. He says about 95% of calls coming in these days are from randos who think he's the other Nelson, and just wanna talk about the case. Nelson says he's also getting nonstop hate mail.

Be it via email or phone, Nelson tells us he's getting a mix of unsolicited advice from would-be experts ... plus, a ton of hateful voicemails too.

Speaking of those ... TMZ has obtained samples of the messages being left on Nelson's phone, and they're ominous to say the least. People have called him a "piece of s***" and levied veiled threats against his practice ... suggesting he's running a crooked business.

Nelson says he reported that latter message to cops, because he found it a bit too dubious and threatening -- but nothing ever came of it. Adding insult to injury -- Nelson tells us his ratings online have taken a gut punch because of the false assumption he's THAT Eric Nelson.

He says his Google stars went from 5 to 1 in a heartbeat -- but, fortunately, Google saw it was a big misunderstanding and fixed the issue themselves.

As for what Nelson's doing to deal ... he's been sending out automated replies to make it clear he's NOT the Eric Nelson everyone's coming for. His website even blares that warning. Oh, and Nelson's also considering tweaking his biz name to feature his middle name, Carlyle.

A mountain biker nearly became a black bear's lunch in Montana ... with the wild animal ferociously chasing the cyclist down a hill -- and the insane scene was caught on video!!

The tense moments all went down in Whitefish about a year ago (though the video was just released by Montana Knife Company this week) ... when a bike rider got the surprise of a lifetime as he barreled down a steep mountain path.

You can see in the footage ... as the guy pedaled his ride -- the black bear was in hot pursuit, trying to nab the dude on his way down the mountain!!

At some points during the chase ... it got a little too close for comfort, 'cause the black bear tried to cut corners to get to the guy quicker!!

A spokesperson for Montana Knife Company tells us, "This is why even bikers and hikers should be carrying out knives!"

Fortunately, MKC tells us the bike rider was able to out pedal the beast and make it down the hill safely -- "Didn't get the guy!"

Britney Spears is getting behind the Black Lives Matter movement -- seemingly the first time she's publicly spoken out on the issue, but some social media followers think she's crossed a line.

The singer posted an image Monday of a Black man wearing a mask and holding a sign that reads, "White people have generational wealth. Black people have generational trauma #WeAreNotTheSame! #BLM."

Brit captioned the post too, with ... "Just sayin'," and the #BLM and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags.

Let's face it ... Britney doesn't typically weigh in on anything political, social or controversial ... besides her conservatorship, of course.

She usually keeps her IG posts pretty light ... and while the change had most of her fans applauding her apparent stance -- others ripped her for what they saw as "profiling," and pointed out many white people don't have generational wealth. One Brit follower reportedly begged, "Please don't go down this rabbit hole."

And, as you might expect, some of the "Free Britney" faithful took her BLM post as a sign she and her social media are being controlled.

Of course, Britney's BLM support comes as the Derek Chauvin jury is deliberating to decide if he murdered George Floyd -- the tragedy that fueled BLM marches and protests around the world.

The man who screamed violent threats at U.S. Olympic karate athlete Sakura Kokumai earlier this month has been arrested, officials say.

... and law enforcement says the suspect was also involved in a violent attack on an elderly Asian-American couple over the weekend.

As we previously reported, 28-year-old Kokumai -- a 7-time USA National Champion -- was hanging out at a park in Orange, CA on April 1 when some guy began yelling at her for no apparent reason.

Kokumai smartly recorded the incident -- capturing the man calling her a "stupid b***h" and yelling, "I'll f**k you up."

At the end of his tirade, Kokumai -- who is Japanese-American -- says she heard the man scream out something about her being "Chinese" and "sashimi" ... which you can sort of hear in the video.

Now, the Orange Police Dept. says they have arrested the suspect -- 25-year-old Michael Orlando Vivona.

Unfortunately, cops say they busted Vivona on April 18 after he was suspected of assaulting an elderly couple at a park,

"The suspect punched a 79-year-old Korean American male and his 80-year-old Korean American wife in the face," cops say,

"The assault was unprovoked and caused both elderly victims to fall down.  Community members at the park surrounded the suspect until officers arrived."

Cops say Vivona was arrested for elder abuse and committing a hate crime.

Once they realized he's the same guy from the Kokumai incident, he "was also arrested for threatening a Japanese American on April 1, 2021 at the same location."

Elon Musk claims the fatal Tesla crash this weekend in Texas was not the result of Autopilot failure ... but 2 federal agencies are not convinced.

The Tesla founder was responding to a Twitter comment disputing the working theory ... the 2 men who died in the crash were not behind the wheel ... likely because they were using the car's Autopilot feature.

The Twitter user pointed out Autopilot has safety features in place requiring someone to be in the driver's seat, and Musk responded by saying this person's research is better than reporters.

Elon went on to deny Autopilot was involved at all in the wreck, tweeting ... "Data logs recovered so far show Autopilot was not enabled & this car did not purchase FSD." FSD stands for Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature.

Musk goes on to say "standard Autopilot would require lane lines to turn on" and claims the street where the crash occurred in Spring, TX doesn't have them.

As we first told you ... the authorities have issued subpoenas to get data on the crash vehicle, and are working with Tesla experts on the investigation. Along with that, 2 federal agencies -- the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board -- are on the case.

According to authorities ... the 2 men who were killed in the Saturday night accident were talking to their wives about taking the Tesla for a drive and testing the driver-assistance technology just minutes before they took off and crashed.

Based on the initial investigation ... cops say one man was in the passenger seat and one was in the rear seat, but nobody was driving.  If neither was in the driver's seat, how did the car gain speed and crash if Autopilot wasn't engaged? After all, why else would one guy be in the back seat and the other in the passenger seat, other than to drive on Autopilot?