You Might Want to Rethink

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.

A guy on Bumble didn't just strike out with a woman while trying to impress her -- he got arrested for it, because his pickup line involved the Capitol riot ... according to prosecutors.

According to legal docs ... a man named Robert Chapman began chatting with a woman on Bumble a few days after the January 6 Capitol riots and told her, "I did storm the capitol," adding ... "I made it all the way into Statuary Hall!"

The feds say after he boasted a bit more about doing interviews with the media, the woman simply replied "We are not a match." ... and according to the docs, she turned him in by providing a screenshot of their convo to law enforcement.

Based on the tip -- and some additional info about Chapman allegedly shared on Facebook -- the authorities say they learned he goes by Robert Erick on social media, and they discovered several more potentially incriminating posts.

Prosecutors say in one FB post, Robert said he was leaving "the rotten apple" of NYC to head "down to the District of Criminality to Enjoy some much deserved Entertainment."

A day later, the feds say he posted a photo of himself at the riots along with the caption, "I'M F**KIN INSIDE THE CRAPITOL!!!"

Chapman's now been arrested and charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted government property. He is one of more than 370 people arrested for involvement in the Capitol riot -- but he's one of few who was nabbed through a dating app.

Congrats ... denied and busted!!!

The 3 officers who watched Derek Chauvin choke the life out of George Floyd will soon go on trial for doing nothing to stop the murder. We surveyed a number of police departments around the country to see if they allow/encourage officers to step in when another officer -- even if it's a senior officer -- crosses the line ... like what happened in the O.C. this week.

What we found was interesting. Virtually every department we contacted said they have a policy in place requiring officers to intervene when another cop uses excessive force. The question is, of course, are these regulations really followed? Here's what we found.

MIAMI PD -- "The MDPD has a policy on an officer's duty to intervene. This policy is specific to seeing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which objectively is reasonable ... they are mandated to take action and stop these acts from taking place."

INDIANAPOLIS PD -- "Officers are required to take appropriate action when they are aware of violations of department policies. It does not matter the rank or seniority of the people involved."

NYPD -- "All members of the service must intervene to stop another member of the service from using excessive force. Failure to intervene in the use of excessive force, or report excessive force, or failure to request or ensure timely medical treatment for an individual is serious misconduct that may result in criminal and civil liability and will result in Department discipline, up to and including dismissal."

CHICAGO PD -- "A Department member who directly observes a use of force and identifies the force as excessive or otherwise in violation of this directive will, except in extraordinary circumstances, act to intervene on the person's behalf. Such action may include, but is not limited to, verbally or physically intervening to try and stop the violation."

LAPD -- "Regardless of rank, officers have a duty to intercede and report misconduct."

D.C. POLICE -- "The MPD has policy on an officer's duty to intervene. This policy is specific to seeing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which objectively is reasonable."

ATLANTA PD -- "Any employee present and observing or who becomes aware of another employee exhibiting behaviors or performing actions that violate any department policy ... shall intercede to prevent such behavior or actions, when in a position to do so safely."

DALLAS PD -- "It shall be the duty of every employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop, or attempt to stop, another employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required."

CHARLOTTESVILLE PD -- "Any law enforcement officer who, while in the performance of his official duties, witnesses another law enforcement officer engaging or attempting to engage in the use of excessive force against another person shall intervene, when such intervention is feasible, to end the use of excessive force or attempted use of excessive force, or to prevent the further use of excessive force."

NEW ORLEANS PD -- "The core component of the training teaches officers, regardless of rank, to intervene and de-escalate an encounter before harmful action is taken."

OKLAHOMA CITY PD -- "Intervening to prevent excessive force where officers observe another officer using excessive force and they have a realistic and safe opportunity to stop the other officer from using the excessive force, they should attempt to stop the other officer."

We contacted a number of other departments as well, and virtually all of them said they have a policy requiring officers to intervene when they see a fellow cop using excessive force. Furthermore, almost all of the departments say this policy was in place BEFORE the murder of George Floyd.

Charles Barkley ... this is not good.

The NBA legend is under fire for comments he made Thursday night on "NBA on TNT" -- comparing the women of Georgia to actual bulldogs.

Ernie Johnson was pointing out how Lakers' star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had dropped 29 against the Dallas Mavericks ... and shouted out KCP's college program, the University of Georgia.

That's when Charles chimed in ...

"Only school in the world they named their mascot after the women down there."

The Univ. of Georgia mascot is the Bulldogs -- and no, it didn't seem like Charles meant that as a compliment to the women for their hard-nosed demeanor.

In fact, Ernie Johnson knew it was a problem as soon as the words came out of Chuck's mouth ... and scolded him on the air.

"So totally uncalled for," Johnson said ... "Not even gonna dignify that with a response."

Barkley had a history of making fun of women in various cities -- he's repeatedly said the ladies of San Antonio are "big women" and blamed it on the delicious churros that are popular in the area.

A dad at an MLB game went from hero to zero REAL QUICK on Thursday ... fumbling a home run ball, dropping his nachos and losing a shoe in a sad moment that was all caught on video.

The scene went down in the 6th inning of the Reds vs. Diamondbacks game in Cincinnati ... when Eugenio Suarez hit a missile to deep center field.

The ball -- coming in HOT -- landed in a dude's hand ... but when the guy wasn't able to fully secure it, calamity ensued.

The Reds fan, who appeared to be with his son, fell down three rows of seats and spilled his nachos as he tried to recover the loose ball, and then he even lost a shoe!!

But, the worst part? ANOTHER FAN SCOOPED UP THE BALL BEFORE HE COULD GET IT!!

The kid with the man could not have been more disappointed ... showing a look of complete and utter disgust when the dude got back to his seat.

We'd like to say there was a happy ending here ... but it doesn't seem the guy got his nachos replaced or another ball -- and, by the way, the home team ended up losing 14-11.

Cardi B is indignant over what just went down on the House floor ... after U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman lectured the FCC about her "WAP" performance at the Grammys.

Here's the deal ... the Wisconsin Republican lambasted the FCC for broadcasting Cardi and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" rendition on national TV last month, saying it's contributing to America's moral decline.

Grothman says Cardi's performance was "inconsistent with basic decency" and even shades Vice President Kamala Harris -- whose name he mispronounced -- for being a Cardi fan.

Cardi fired back ... wondering why he's wasting time on the House floor ranting about her "WAP" performance instead of dealing with critical issues like police brutality.

Cardi says Grothman should pay attention to what's going on in his own state with the Jacob Blake shooting ... and she blames him for not helping Jacob's family get justice.

Athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics are NOT allowed to participate in any protests or demonstrations on the field of play, during an official ceremony or at the podium ... and those who do will be punished.

The International Olympic Committee revealed its policy for the Summer Games on Wednesday -- saying it spent 11 months consulting with various experts and athletes before drawing up its plan.

The main takeaway ... the IOC says after polling more than 3,500 elite athletes and Olympians ranging in age from 16 to 55+, it became obvious the "majority" are in favor of strict rules against demonstrations.

"A very clear majority of athletes said that they think it's not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium," IOC Athletes' Commission chief Kirsty Coventry said.

"So our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such."

What happens if an athlete violates the rule?

The IOC is currently working with the Legal Affairs Commission to "come out with a range of different sanctions so everyone knows what everyone can and cannot do."

In other words, they're still figuring out what the punishments will be.

The IOC announcement comes weeks after the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee decided it will NOT punish athletes who take a knee -- or engage in any other sort of peaceful protest -- at the Olympic trials.

However, the USOPC acknowledged it cannot prevent a "third party" -- like the IOC -- from taking action.

George Floyd's brother, Philonise, has a message for the Las Vegas Raiders -- he's not offended by the team's "I Can Breathe" post and is not demanding they take it down.

We spoke with Philonise moments ago ... and he told us he does not believe the message was intended to be negative and he hasn't had any negative thoughts about it all.

In fact, Philonise kind of agrees with the post -- explaining how the world can finally take a breath now that the man who killed his brother has been convicted and will be held accountable.

As we previously reported, Raiders owner Mark Davis took responsibility for posting "I Can Breathe" on the team's social media accounts on Tuesday, moments after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on 3 counts in the murder of George Floyd.

Davis has said the post was inspired by the comments Philonise made at a news conference following the conviction when he explained, "Today, we are able to breathe again."

David and the Raiders have been getting a TON of pushback online from people who feel the post was insensitive -- considering Floyd told officers "I can't breathe" more than 20 times during the May 2020 encounter with Chauvin.

On Tuesday evening, Davis said he's sorry IF the tweet hurt the Floyd family ... "If I offended the family, then I'm deeply, deeply disappointed."

Clearly, Philonise feels no apology is necessary.

YouTube star Kyle Foregeard learned the hard way that allegedly pretending to be a Paul Blart has consequences ... like getting arrested.

So, get this ... Kyle, who is widely known in the YouTube and social media world for pulling off incredible pranks, is alleged to have impersonated a mall security officer at the Grapevine Mills Mall in Tarrant County, Texas.

What's more ... according to the police report, cops say Kyle even had his own segway. Word of the arrest eventually made it on social media after Kyle's prank group, the Nelk Boys, tweeted Monday that one of their own had just been taken into custody.

It wasn't long before the Nelk Boys' legion of fans made #FreeKyle a trend on Twitter. According to police records ... Kyle was taken into custody Tuesday but it wasn't long before he was released after posting a $750 bond.

Michael Richards allegedly pulled off a caper some people might call Kramer-ish -- cutting down a neighbor's 30-year-old trees ... but they're not laughing, in fact, they're suing the "Seinfeld" star and his wife.

Maxine Adams is suing Michael and his wife, Beth Skipp, claiming they sauntered over to her Pacific Palisades property on April 2 and "maliciously cut mature Brazilian Pepper Trees and underbrush" on her property.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Adams says her property is right next door to the Richards' -- they share a border which is only separated by a narrow public walkway.

Adams says Michael and Beth had no business chopping down her two 18-foot trees just to improve their ocean views. Adams says the trees were 30 years old and providing significant privacy and shade.

Adams claims the couple cut down the trees knowing full well they didn't have Adams's consent in order to "significantly enhance the value of their home as it would increase their view to the Pacific Ocean."

And, get this ... Adams claims she can't crane in new large box trees and instead will have to plant much smaller ones that'll take 20 years to reach the height of her old ones -- and will cost her more than $62k. She's suing for that amount, plus at least another $200k for the loss of aesthetic value to property.

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!"

The judge presiding over Derek Chauvin's murder trial is openly chiding Rep. Maxine Waters for seemingly stoking unrest over the case ... and even said she's opened the door for Chauvin to appeal the verdict.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson brought up the issue after closing arguments wrapped and the jury was ushered away ... griping to Judge Cahill that Rep. Waters' now-viral remarks from this weekend might've possibly tainted the jury ... and might sway their verdict.

ICYMI ... Rep. Waters was on the ground in Minnesota a couple days ago marching with protesters, and said she and the people of Minnesota are banking on a guilty verdict and wouldn't just accept manslaughter. She said if that didn't happen, she encouraged people to stay in the streets and get more confrontational.

Some took that as an "incitement of violence."

Nelson asked for a mistrial, based on Waters' remarks, but the judge didn't go that far ... telling Nelson he had faith jurors had followed his instructions up to this point in avoiding the news and talk of this case. Nelson's point was that there's no realistic way to avoid it ... especially because the jury hadn't been sequestered until today when it started deliberations.

Again, Cahill wouldn't bite ... but did express frustration at Rep. Waters, saying he wished public officials would stop talking about the case ... and even told Nelson it's possible Rep. Waters' words could be grounds for him to appeal a guilty verdict, and get a new trial.

Demi Lovato isn't backing down in her diet food war with a frozen yogurt shop -- she's now warning the store about messing with her ... but also walking back her comments a bit, saying she was having a really bad day.

The singer continued going back and forth with The Bigg Chill -- the fro-yo shop she attacked Sunday for its placement of sugar-free items -- by sending a DM to them, complaining about the "GUILT FREE" label on cookies in the store. TBC defended itself saying the pic was old.

Demi swatted back ... insisting they carried another, similar "diet culture" cookie -- and also warned TBC to stop fighting with her, and that they didn't wanna mess with her. She even dropped the ol' ... "customer is always right" on 'em.

However, Demi's apparently seen the some of the backlash against her, because she just went live on IG, and restated her initial complaint -- her visit to TBC seriously triggered her eating disorder issues -- but she hopes she's opened a dialogue with TBC about relabeling some products.

She added that she had a very bad day and weekend afterward, and feels like she needs a mental health day. Demi apologized if it seems like she's a big celeb using her power to take down a small biz.

Demi Lovato has a lot of people scratching their heads over this one -- she got mad that a fro-yo shop advertises "diet" options ... something she considers triggering and harmful.

The singer took to IG Saturday to call out a frozen yogurt joint called The Bigg Chill ... which apparently has low-sugar/low-fat/fat-free goodies positioned toward the front of one of their stores and/or checkout counters.

She writes, "Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebiggchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter."

Demi went on to tell them to "do better" ... and hashtagged her gripe with #dietculturevultures. If you're confused about what the heck she's upset about ... you’re not alone.

However, she elaborated with another comment, saying she's gonna use that hashtag to call out "harmful messaging" from brands that she believes perpetuate a society that enables and also praises disordered eating.

What she SEEMS to be saying ... by this place putting these low-cal foods in people's faces like this, they're also gaslighting/shaming them, and making them feel bad for wanting a treat, which Demi sees as hurtful -- especially for those who have eating disorders and body issues.

TBC responded to Demi in her DMs, which she published. They explained they have those alternatives for diabetics, folks with Celiac disease, vegans and a host of others who might want (or need) the so-called "diet" options. Demi appears to have realized ... she jumped to conclusions and perhaps even overreacted, as noted in her response.

She recommends that they label things better to be more inclusive. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The NYPD made the point traffic stops can go south fast -- but in doing so, they appear to have confused H2O for a harmful substance ... that's what the Internet's saying, anyway.

The department's news division posted a video Saturday that shows body cam footage of an NYPD officer making a "routine traffic stop" as they dubbed it. The cop asks for license/registration, and then the man gets out of the car ... to the confusion of the officer.

Before you know it, the guy chucks some type of liquid into the cop's mug, who stumbles back ... clearly shocked by what just happened. You hear his partner seem to ask what it was he threw, but then the video cuts out before you can see what happens next.

Now, NYPD claims this suspect doused the cop with a "chemical" before fleeing, tossing a Molotov cocktail ... before finally being arrested. They add the officer wasn't hurt.

Internet sleuths quickly attempted to pick this apart, however, and pulled screen grabs from the moment this guy threw whatever it was into the cop's face ... and at first glance, they're saying it looks an awful lot like a cup full of ice water without a lid or top -- nothing more.

Unclear if that is, in fact, what it was ... but to us, it does look like agua. Technically, that is a "chemical" in that it's made up of elements from the periodic table ... but the police make it seem like bleach or something that was tossed here. The NYPD hasn't elaborated.

Folks are also questioning their "Molotov cocktail" description ... wondering if it was actually what you'd consider a traditional bottle firebomb, or if it was just the container seen in this video. The NYPD posted an additional photo of what they say is a Molotov cocktail recovered from a traffic stop, but they don't directly connect it to this suspect/sitch here.

We've reached out to the NYPD for clarification ... so far, no word back.