Weapons & Guns

George Clooney is speaking his piece on the fatal shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life -- and he's torching the entire "Rust" crew over the tragedy, especially the assistant director.

The legendary actor weighed in while he was on Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast and he didn't hold back one bit ... lighting up AD Dave Halls, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the producers at large, who he says clearly skimped.

GC's biggest gripe is the gun that was handed to Alec should never have been handled by Halls ... but rather, Hannah herself or the head prop master.

George says there's been strict protocol for gun use on every set he's been on, and notes ... the protocol was grossly violated on "Rust," going on to say he's never even heard of the term "cold gun" -- while labeling the whole saga "insane" and "infuriating."

Now, while Mr. Clooney stops short of criticizing Alec Baldwin directly -- whom he says he doesn't know well -- he does make a stark comparison in how he's dealt with guns on set, and how AB apparently did.

George explains that anytime he's used a gun on camera, he's always checked it himself -- and does so extensively too ... saying he opens it, examines the chamber, shows it to whoever he's pointing it too and even fires six times at the ground as a final safeguard.

According to Santa Fe authorities, Alec didn't do any of that -- and ended up pointing the gun at Halyna and director Joel Souza during a blocking setup, and firing.

There's more George touches on -- including the producers of this film allegedly cutting crucial corners that allowed for an unsafe environment to fester, which is unfathomable to him considering the tragedy that killed Brandon Lee in the '90s.

The prosecutor in the Kyle Rittenhouse case is drawing fire for pointing an AR-15 directly at the jury ... and critics are comparing his conduct to the fatal shooting on the "Rust" set.

Assistant D.A. Thomas Binger was in the middle of his closing argument Monday, when he tried to stage a re-enactment of the scene captured on drone video, just before Rittenhouse opened fire ... killing 2 and wounding a third.

Binger was trying to show the jury how ominous the 18-year-old defendant was on the streets of Kenosha back in August 2020 ... by grabbing the gun in open court and pointing squarely at the 18 people in the jury box ... 12 of whom were selected to decide the fate of Rittenhouse.

Binger violated the first rule of gun safety ... don't point the weapon at human beings just for show. As you know, one of the protocols broken on the "Rust" set was just that ... Baldwin was pointing the gun at the Assistant Director and the Cinematographer.

The demonstration drew the ire of a bunch of folks on social media ... "Rittenhouse prosecution DA points a gun at the jury, finger on the trigger, to give an example of what it looks like working with Alec Baldwin on a movie set."

Another wrote, "Binger and Alec Baldwin need to attend a firearms safety class taught by Kyle Rittenhouse." And, there's more ... "Prosecutor in Rittenhouse case aimed a gun with his finger on the trigger at the jury while saying someone was reckless with his gun."

Alec Baldwin is being made a scapegoat in the fatal "Rust" shooting because of political views ... at least according to his brother.

Daniel Baldwin appeared Monday on "The Domenick Nati Show" ... and during the radio hit, he said his brother should NOT be taking the blame for the fatal incident on set.

The way Daniel sees it ... Alec is being scapegoated because he's the big star with outspoken political views, making for an easy target.

Daniel says ... "You know Alec's got the name though doesn't he, so let's go ahead and take Alec for his political views and the many, many wonderful things he's done for different charities and people and his wife and let's see if we can't sensationalize this and go after Alec."

DB adds ... "This is what he faces because he's opinionated and he's strong-headed and he has really staunch views on certain things and those people who don't like him will take advantage of him and persecute his wife. He's a target."

While Daniel doesn't go into Alec's political views, it's no secret Alec did not like Donald Trump, often imitating the former President on 'SNL,' and endorsing Barack Obama back in the day.

Remember ... one of the first to publicly pile on Alec was Donald Trump Jr., who posted t-shirts reading, "Guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people."

While it seems Don Jr.'s actions support Daniel's scapegoating theory, it's worth noting the District Attorney investigating the case in New Mexico, Mary Carmack-Altwies, is a Democrat.

Instead, Daniel says the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins ... along with assistant director Dave Halls.

In Daniel's eyes, Alec is exonerated by the fact folks on set told police Halls announced the gun he handed AB was "cold," meaning it did not have live ammunition.

As you know it was a fatal mistake ... the revolver in Alec's hands turned out to have live ammo.

Daniel says the buck stops with the armorer, but he's wondering why Halls said it was a "cold" gun if Halls didn't verify it ... and he thinks it's clear rules weren't being followed on set.

Daniel says Alec really liked Halyna and had spent some time with her family ... and we saw Alec with the family in the wake of the shooting.

No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made ... but Daniel believes when the dust settles AB won't be the one going to jail.

NFL linebacker Nigel Bradham -- who helped the Eagles win the 2018 Super Bowl -- was arrested Saturday ... after cops say they found guns and over 3 pounds of weed in his sports car.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Bradham was pulled over in Leon County, Fla. after cops say the tag on his C8 Corvette did not belong to his car.

During the stop, officers say they noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from his ride ... adding that Bradham told them he had a gun in the glove compartment as well.

Officers in the docs say Bradham told them he did not have his medical marijuana card on him, and cops say his name didn't show up in the registry. Officers then searched the vehicle -- and claim they found a huge amount of weed.

Cops say Bradham had "10 small plastic bags with marijuana in them" inside a satchel that also contained a Smith & Wesson pistol in it.

Officers also say when they searched the trunk of the Corvette, they found two more "large bags" of weed -- and say, in total, they located 3.45 lbs of marijuana in Bradham's car.

In the docs, cops also say the search on the gun in Bradham's glovebox, a Glock 23, came back as stolen in Missouri.

Bradham was eventually arrested and booked on three felonies -- possessing marijuana with the intent to sell, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

Court records show he posted bond on Sunday.

Sean Kingston allegedly punched and pulled a firearm on a music video director who had been staying in his home ... and we're told cops are now involved.

The music video director, who works under the handle GXDLIKE, tells TMZ ... he had been working and living at Sean's Los Angeles-area home for about 3 months when Sean allegedly assaulted him.

The guy claims Sean summoned him from the downstairs area of the home around 2 AM on Nov. 5 and wanted him to film something for the singer, but he says his phone was dead. He claims he then went downstairs to grab his camera and returned upstairs, but couldn't remember the name of the app to transfer the files.

The music video director alleges Sean got frustrated and punched him in the face, then dragged him into the hallway and pulled out a firearm ... telling him to pack up and get out. Law enforcement sources confirm that GXDLIKE has filed a police report with the LAPD for the incident.

The director claims the alleged attack left him with cuts on his face, but no major injuries.

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial did something that, on its face, seems pure and patriotic -- but, arguably it could also, unjustly, impact the outcome of the trial.

Judge Bruce Schroeder opened proceedings Thursday in Kenosha, WI by saying he wanted to take a moment to recognize Veterans Day. He asked if there were any military vets on the jury, or anywhere in the courtroom.

Only one person responded ... John Black, a member of Rittenhouse's defense team. Judge Schroeder then asked everyone in court to applaud Black for his service, which they did.

Now, it's Veterans Day and no one's saying Black doesn't deserve the respect. The issue here is ... because Black is the defense's use-of-force expert, should the judge solicit applause for him???

The questionable move by Judge Schroeder comes a couple of days after he ripped into the prosecutor for raising the fact Rittenhouse was silent after his arrest to jurors ... which they could read as a sign of guilt.

To be fair ... anyone with a passing knowledge of law knows you have a right to remain silent, so the prosecutor earned that tongue-lashing.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer for "Rust" -- is doubling down, claiming she was targeted for sabotage and she thinks she's now being framed ... this according to her lawyer.

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney Jason Bowles tells TMZ ... "We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed." This is a step beyond what Bowles said earlier in the week ... he alleged sabotage, but didn't say it was targeted at his client.

But, Bowles wasn't done ... he added, "We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived."

It's interesting ... this comes hours after the D.A. scoffed at the sabotage claim, saying no such evidence has surfaced.

Hannah's lawyer says his client met with Santa Fe County Deputy Sherriff's Tuesday, providing a full interview and continuing to cooperate.

Her legal team says more info keeps coming out that the D.A. needs to investigate, and they want the D.A. and FBI to get to the bottom of what happened with the live rounds they claim ended up in the "dummies" box.

Of course, there's another explanation ... that someone was target practicing during the lunch break and failed to take the live ammo out of the chamber.

The key gaffer on "Rust" is now taking legal action against Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls ... suing them over the fatal shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.

Serge Svetnoy just filed suit against the above-mentioned individuals -- as well as others -- claiming the defendants' alleged negligence caused him severe emotional distress in the aftermath of it all.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Svetnoy claims the bullet that struck both Hutchins and director Joel Souza actually zoomed by and nearly hit him too. Not just that, but the gaffer claims he was one of the first people on hand to tend to Halyna while she was profusely bleeding ... attempting to comfort her and keep her conscious.

As for why he's suing Baldwin, the suit claims he "owed a duty to the Plaintiff and other crew members and actors on the 'Rust' set to handle the Colt Revolver provided to him by defendant Halls with reasonable care and diligence for the safety of 'Rust' cast and crew." It goes on to say, "This duty called for Defendant Baldwin to double-check the Colt Revolver with Halls upon being handled to ensure that it did not contain live ammunition."

And, it goes on ... "This duty further called for him [Baldwin] to handle the Colt Revolver as if it was loaded and to refrain from pointing it at anyone." In other words, the suit claims negligence on Baldwin's part.

And, there's this ... according to the lawsuit, the scene Baldwin was rehearsing did not call for him to pull the trigger. According to the lawsuit, the scene called for Baldwin to draw the gun and point it in the general direction of the camera, but, "the scene did not call for Defendant Baldwin to shoot the Colt Revolver."

The suit also claims Baldwin was negligent as a producer on "Rust," saying, "... they attempted to save money by hiring an insufficient number of crew members to safely handle the props and firearms ..." It goes on to claim there were other lapses on the set, including violating industry norms, declining requests for weapons training days, failing to allow proper time to allow for gunfire, failing to send out safety bulletins and spreading the staff too thin.

The suit also claims the target practice that was going on shortly before the tragedy was "outrageous."

Svetnoy says he'd known Halyna for 5 years and considered her a good friend.

The ordeal was absolutely traumatic, so says Svetnoy, and has since left him in utter mental anguish ... to the point he feels he might not ever be able to get over it.

Terrence J told cops he escaped what appears to be an attempted robbery just outside his home ... and he also says the alleged suspects fired shots at him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor and TV host was pulling into his driveway in Sherman Oaks around 3 AM when another car pulled up with 4 Black men inside, one of whom ordered Terrence out of his car.

We're told he refused the command, and took off in his car -- and Terrence told cops the suspects chased him and fired at his car ... before they fled.

Our sources say Terrence, who hosts shows on BET and MTV, then flagged down a passing California Highway Patrol car, who called the LAPD.

The D.A. heading up the investigation into the fatal "Rust" shooting seems sure of one thing, but says the biggest mystery remains unsolved -- how live ammo ended up on the set.

Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies talked to 'GMA' Wednesday to answer about the ongoing investigation into how Halyna Hutchins ended getting shot and killed, and had to admit she still doesn't have much clarity about the live ammunition.

However, she did acknowledge there were multiple live bullets -- beyond the one that killed Halyna -- found on set ... just one of the "Rust" conditions she found alarming.

One thing she did appear ready to dispel was the notion that sabotage might've been at play -- a theory floated by head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's, own legal team just a week ago.

Check out how the D.A. responds ... while she says there's no evidence thus far to suggest anything like that occurred, Carmack-Atlwies doesn't completely rule it out as a possibility -- nor does she look the other way on what potential sabotage could mean criminally.

Indeed, if the evidence supported any sort of purposeful intent behind bringing bullets on set and/or mixing them into the box of dummy rounds Gutierrez-Reed dipped into to load Alec Baldwin's gun ... the D.A. says a higher murder charge could be on the table.

Like she noted the last time she held a press conference ... no one's off the table at this point as far as possible charges, and she reaffirms here.

There was another horrific injury on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" ... a film worker was bitten by a poisonous spider ... and the wounds look disgusting and painful.

Seriously, these grisly images of the man's injuries are not for the faint of heart ... because you can literally see the insides of his arm and shoulder, muscles and all.

The film worker, Jason Miller, says he was hired to help shut down the movie set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico ... and that's where he was bitten by a venomous brown recluse spider.

The spider bite sent Jason to the hospital, where he's having his left arm treated ... and you can see just how bad things look ... and why he's potentially staring down a lengthy rehab process.

Jason's mother says he might need to have his left arm amputated ... and she claims he's lawyering up to sue for workers' compensation.

He's also said to be very sick from the spider bite and doctors say he will need a skin graft to cover the open wound, once it finally starts to heal.

The Las Vegas Raiders have just released Damon Arnette ... after the former first-round pick was seen on video waving around firearms and threatening to kill somebody.

The footage of the 25-year-old -- who was taken #19 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft -- was posted on social media last week and eventually went viral over the weekend.

It featured Arnette brandishing three different kinds of guns ... all while telling someone, "I swear to God I will kill you, n****. On everything I love, I will kill you, n****. You talking crazy."

Arnette repeated several more times in the video that he would "real deal kill you, my n****."

The release ultimately ends Arnette's rocky tenure in Vegas ... and GM Mike Mayock said it was a very difficult decision, but the team could not tolerate the video.

After joining the Raiders in 2020, Arnette struggled as a rookie ... and then had trouble getting playing time this season due to his poor play.

Off the field, he hasn't had much more success ... 'cause he's been hit with two lawsuits this year -- with one alleging he injured a woman during a car crash in 2020.

In the other, Arnette was accused of spitting on a valet worker at the Aria Hotel & Casino in Vegas.

Henry Ruggs is now facing FIVE total charges stemming from his fatal car crash this week ... including four felonies, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show the former Las Vegas Raiders star has been hit with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm (presumably for the injuries caused to his GF, the passenger), and two reckless driving charges -- all felonies.

Ruggs was also hit Friday with a misdemeanor charge of possessing a gun under the influence of alcohol.

If convicted on all counts, prosecutors say Ruggs is facing up to 46 years behind bars.

As we previously reported, Ruggs is accused of speeding in his Corvette while drunk on Tuesday morning in Las Vegas ... all while carrying a loaded gun in his car.

Officials say Ruggs reached a speed of 156 MPH ... and eventually slammed into the back of a Toyota at 127 MPH -- killing a woman and her dog.

In video, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see in the moments after the crash, Ruggs was swearing and sobbing just feet away from the wreckage.

Ruggs ultimately showed up to court on Wednesday in a neck brace and a wheelchair -- though he did not enter a plea.

Yella Beezy is in police custody in Texas, where he's been arrested on weapon and sexual assault charges ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper was busted Friday in Collin County, where he's currently in jail.

A law enforcement source tells TMZ … Beezy is behind bars after being booked on 3 different charges -- felony sexual assault, felony abandoned endangered child and misdemeanor unlawful carrying a weapon.

Yella Beezy is no stranger to getting in trouble in Texas ... this marks his third arrest in the Lone Star State this year alone.

TMZ broke the story ... YB was arrested back in August on weapons and drug charges, and the police say he was in possession of over 40 grams of a controlled substance plus a rifle and 4 handguns.

The husband of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has lawyered up, and is preparing to file a wrongful death lawsuit ... TMZ has learned.

Matthew Hutchins retained the services of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi ... according to the L.A.-based law firm. The firm's website says its attorneys specialize in personal injury and wrongful death litigation ... so clearly, Halyna's tragic death is in their wheelhouse.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the lawsuit will be filed on behalf of Halyna's spouse and their child, and there will be multiple defendants.

The Santa Fe County District Attorney and Sheriff's Department continue to investigate Halyna's death, and while no criminal charges have been announced ... they say all options are still on the table.

Halyna is survived by Matthew and their 9-year-old son, Andros. The law firm had no comment beyond saying it was now on the case.

As we reported, attorneys for the head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, are now theorizing that a disgruntled cast member intentionally put one or more live rounds of ammo in a box of dummy rounds.

They admit Hannah loaded the gun Alec Baldwin eventually fired, accidentally killing Halyna ... but say she had no idea she'd placed a live bullet in the revolver's barrel.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer on for "Rust" -- didn't hear or see anything that would make her think target practice (with live rounds) was taking place ... so insists her attorney.

Jason Bowles joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to clarify a few things he said earlier in the day -- the most important of which being his suggestion sabotage might've been at play here ... and that someone slipped a live bullet in a dummy rounds box on purpose.

We pressed him on that, asking what evidence -- if any -- he and/or his partners had to make a claim like that ... and Bowles seems to take a somewhat softer stance here.

Watch ... he explains they don't have a smoking gun, per se, and aren't pointing the finger at one person -- the possibility itself is there -- clear in the fact that a live round somehow made its way into a case that presumably only carried dummies, which are considered safe.

Of course, we also had to ask why the ammo was just out in the open if the weapons themselves were being guarded -- and Bowles has an explanation ... which makes sense.

He makes the point that dummies aren't dangerous, and don't necessarily need to be under a watchful eye at all times -- especially if no one is expecting a live round to enter the situation ... which he says is the case here. Namely, he's saying Hannah had no knowledge whatsoever of real bullets being anywhere near the set.

That leads to the final puzzling mystery of ... if target practice was, indeed, going down as frequently as we've heard it was during off-hours, how is it she didn't hear it or hear about it???

Bowles response is this ... if that was actually happening, it must've been taking place very far away from where she ever was, because he's firm that Hannah knows nothing about it.