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The Alabama riverboat co-captain who got into that epic fight with a group of white boaters says the men threatened to beat him to death during the wild melee.

Damien Pickett, the co-captain of the Harriott 2 passenger ferry -- and the man who tossed his hat in the air -- told police the boaters who ganged up on him peppered him with threats during the beatdown on the docks, telling him "I'm gonna kill you, motherf*****. Beat your ass, motherf*****."

Damien's claims are part of his written account of the incident, first obtained by NBC News, where he tells police his side of the story.

The co-captain says crew members on the Harriott 2 asked the folks on the pontoon boat to move several times because it was docked where the ferry needed to land, and he says the boaters responded by giving them the middle finger.

Damien says he and a dockhand went to shore and untied the pontoon boat, moving it "three steps to the right" before tying it back to the dock to clear space for the Harriott 2 ... and that's when he claims 2 of the boaters ran up to him and yelled, "Don't touch that boat motherf***** or we will beat your ass."

The co-captain says the men continued to threaten them and then the pontoon boat's owner -- dressed in a gray shirt, red shorts and a sun visor -- eventually came over and got in his face.

Damien says the guy who threw the first punch was "a tall, older white guy" who hit him in the face ... and he says he soon found himself being attacked from all angles, so he started defending himself and fighting back.

The co-captain couldn't tell police how long the brawl lasted, explaining ... "I grabbed one of them and just held on for dear life."

So far, 4 people have been charged for the brawl ... Allen Todd, 23, and Zachary Shipman, 25, turned themselves in Wednesday and were charged with one count of assault 3rd degree.

Tyrese wants $1 million from Home Depot because he believes a cashier racially profiled him, and his whole exchange with her -- including a FaceTime call -- was captured on video.

The 'Fast & Furious' actor just filed the lawsuit on Thursday, but the incident went down back in February at a Home Depot in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. In videos shot by Tyrese's team, the actor/singer explains to the cashier that he had authorized his team members to use his credit card to complete a purchase, but the cashier wouldn't let them.

Tyrese was not physically in the store at the time ... he says he left because too many customers were recognizing him, so he left his team with his credit card. The problem for the cashier -- as she repeatedly explained to Tyrese, who had FaceTime'd her -- is that she needed photo I.D. to go with his credit card.

He told the cashier he was just in the store 5 minutes earlier, and seems to be insinuating ... 'You can see my face, you know it's me, Tyrese.'

When the cashier insisted she needed his I.D., Tyrese did a little name-dropping as he threatened, "Should I have the CEO of Home Depot call you tomorrow? Because he's my neighbor in Atlanta."

The cashier never backed down, and Tyrese ended up going back to the store to complete the purchase, but not before having a lengthy standoff with the cashier and her manager.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Tyrese he and his 2 team members -- Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez -- have been in that Home Depot on "many occasions" over the years.

Tyrese says he's seeking $1 million, because that's how much he estimates he's spent at Home Depot over his lifetime. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind ... he made some huge home improvements at the pad he sold last year -- dude built his own Benihana-style grill in the backyard!!!

He also wants punitive damages on top of the $1 mil.

For its part, Home Depot says, "Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form. We value Mr. Gibson as a customer, and in the months since this happened, we've reached out to him and his attorneys several times to try to resolve his concerns. We will continue to do so."

It's unclear if Tyrese has discussed his grievances with his Atlanta neighbor.

Bam Margera's got an avenue to maintain a relationship with his son ... but it looks like the former "Jackass" star will have to settle for FaceTime calls with Phoenix, at least for now.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Bam's estranged wife Nikki is getting sole legal and physical custody of their 5-year-old boy for the time being, while Bam's being limited to FaceTime visits.

The judge's ruling came down Tuesday ... Nikki was physically in court and Bam appeared via video conference, a foreshadowing of his upcoming interactions with Phoenix.

Remember ... Bam was requesting joint legal and physical custody of Phoenix, asking for overnight stays with his son every other weekend and accusing Nikki of doing everything she can to keep the boy away from him.

For now, Bam's only being allowed to see Phoenix over FaceTime via 20-minute calls on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, plus 30-minute calls on Sundays. Nikki's not allowed to monitor the calls.

Bam and Nikki are due back in court in a few months, so it seems this will be the status quo until then. As we reported, Bam was taken into custody Wednesday morning in a suburb just outside of Philly, being cited for public intoxication.

Sources told us officers saw him arguing loudly with a woman outside a hotel, and claimed he smelled like booze and was slurring his speech.

Bam Margera got in more trouble this week for allegedly being drunk in public ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us the ex-'Jackass' star was busted early Wednesday morning, around 4:30 AM, in Radnor Township -- a suburb just outside of Philly -- after patrolling officers say they saw him arguing loudly with a woman outside of the Radnor Hotel.

Our sources say they stopped, approached Bam and co. ... and claim he smelled like booze and was slurring his speech. We’re told cops took him into custody and transported him to a station nearby -- where he was issued two citations.

One citation was for public intoxication, and the other was for disorderly conduct.

The Alabama riverfront brawl now includes allegations of white men dropping the n-word and threatening to use a gun.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a woman who says she was working on the riverboat told police one of the white men who attacked a Black deckhand yelled, "F*** that n*****" before coming down the dock to fight him.

The woman, Crystal Warren, claims the alleged n-bomb dropped after the Black deckhand moved a couple of smaller boats that were taking up space on the dock and preventing the riverboat from docking.

Warren told police the riverboat captain initially asked the boat owners to move their boat, which she said drew middle fingers and curses from the white men on the boat. She says the riverboat was stuck waiting for 17 minutes until a smaller commercial boat picked up a deckhand and her 16-year-old son from the riverboat and dropped them off on the dock.

From there, Warren claims the deckhand and her son Daniel moved the boats that were blocking the dock and tied them back up, and she says she heard at least one of the men yell the n-word.

Warren also claims one of the white men threatened to go and get a gun during the fight on the dock ... a brawl that was captured on video and has already led to at least one arrest.

The viral video appears to show Daniel trying to pull the white men off the Black deckhand, and his mother says he was punched in the chest while trying to break up the fight, suffering bruised ribs and going to a hospital for a diagnosis.

Richard Roberts is the man accused of punching Daniel ... and he's been arrested and charged with 3rd-degree assault

5:32 PM PT -- TMZ obtained the mug shot for Richard Roberts, who we're told is currently in jail.

11:23 AM PT -- Montgomery PD says the riverfront brawl has resulted in criminal charges -- with three white males getting rung up. However, there's still more potential charges to come ... and cops consulted with the FBI to determine if the incident was a hate crime.

Chief of Police Darryl Albert says 13 people were detained Saturday, and brought in for questioning after the fight but they were all released. After further investigation, warrants were issued for three men -- 48-year-old Richard Roberts (2 warrants for 3rd-degree assault); one warrant for 23--year-old Allen Todd (charged with 3rd-degree assault); and one warrant for 25-year-old Zachary Shipman (charged with 3rd-degree assault).

Albert says one of them is already in custody, and two are set to turn themselves in later today for booking and processing.

Now, as far as the Black man who was hitting people with a chair -- Chief Albert ID'd him as Reggie Gray, but notes he has not been charged yet ... although, MPD wants him to come in for further questioning.

One last thing ... Albert says Montgomery PD was consulting with the FBI to determine if hate crime charges are applicable or not. The investigation is ongoing -- and it sounds like this is far from over.

The Alabama riverfront brawl landed people in handcuffs, but not necessarily in jail -- which may all change starting Tuesday ... 'cause cops are about to provide a big update.

Montgomery PD is holding a press conference, where they're expected to discuss 4 arrest warrants that were issued Monday in relation to the melee that went down over the weekend. The names of the individuals who are now wanted and the exact charges they're facing have yet to be released ... that's presumably what the police are going to address.

Many assumed the fight participants were arrested on the spot Saturday at Riverfront Park -- where there's tons of video showing folks in police custody. However, authorities have since clarified that all those people were simply detained that day ... and none were arrested.

Montgomery's mayor signaled in his statement from this weekend that more consequences were coming -- and he seemed to point the finger at the group that originally started beating up the security guard/dock worker, who was trying to get them to move their boat.

Of course, all hell broke loose after that ... several others came running to this guy's defense, and a lot of 'em started whooping on the pontoon crew, pretty brutally as it turned out.

The whole thing ended up playing out along racial lines -- Black versus white, it seemed -- and there was a lot of commentary about it in the aftermath, with many championing what they perceived as an act of solidarity among the Black folks.

Time will tell who gets dragged into court over this, and how much trouble they're in.

Tory Lanez has just been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion.

The rapper's sentencing was handed down Tuesday in L.A. after almost a full two days of sentencing hearings. Tory was facing over 22 years in prison. The sentencing was actually delayed several times over the last few months, at one point Tory begged the judge, "Please don't ruin my life, sir."

As we reported, Tory was found guilty in December of shooting Megan. Video, obtained by TMZ, from the now-infamous moment back in 2020 showed Megan limping near their SUV and leaving behind a trail of blood.

Tory was found guilty of all 3 charges against him -- negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.

The jury verdict was met with serious pain from Tory's family as it was read, because several members -- including his dad and stepmom -- shouted, "This system stands before God!" Some of his family members were even escorted out of the courtroom.

Sources connected to the case told us the Canadian rappers' lawyers were in contact with immigration officials before the verdict came in ... saying they were informed there was a strong chance he could be forced to leave the country, but obviously that hasn't happened.

A petition also grew online after the verdict in support of Tory ... and Tory even hired high-powered lawyer Jose Baez to work on his appeal.

Baez, who won an acquittal for Casey Anthony back in the day, joined us on "TMZ Live" in January, telling us he was all in to help Tory out -- adding he was pretty confident in getting the job done, claiming there were numerous procedural errors during the trial.

TikTok star Lexy Burke and her country singer hubby Austin Burke are super shaken after a bullet ripped through their Tennessee home.

Austin tells TMZ ... he was sitting on his couch Sunday night while Lexy was upstairs taking a bath when they both heard gunshots ... and then they felt their house rattle.

He says they checked their surveillance cameras and heard a gun being loaded, cocked, and fired. He called police, who came and quickly discovered a bullet hole in the home's exterior.

TMZ obtained a photo of the bullet hole ... as well as home security footage in which you hear the gun discharge. You can't see who fired the shot in the video.

Police in Nashville tell TMZ ... officers responded to the couple's home over the weekend for a shots fired report. We're told no arrests have been made and the case remains under investigation.

Austin tells us it's "incredibly unsettling" knowing someone fired a gun at their home in the middle of the night with his pregnant wife inside. He has no idea who did it.

Police have arrested someone in connection to the killing of O'Shae Sibley -- a gay dancer who was recently stabbed to death in NYC ... this after voguing to Beyoncé's music, no less.

The NYPD announced Saturday that they had a suspect in custody, whom they believe is responsible for Sibley's death. The unidentified perp is a 17-year-old boy, per cops, and he's being charged with murder ... which NYPD says is being prosecuted as a hate crime.

The suspect surrendered Friday in Brooklyn, accompanied by a lawyer. He'd been on the police's radar since the July 29 incident ... as they believed he went to school in the area. So far, he's the only one being charged, although it's unclear if he'll be tried as an adult.

The fact this is being pursued as a hate crime lends credence to what friends of Sibley's -- some of whom say they were actually there at the gas station that night -- have been saying on social media ... namely, that the suspect and whatever group of people he was with apparently had an issue with Sibley and co. being gay. It led to a full-blown shouting match, and an eventual scuffle that resulted in Sibley being stabbed ... which was caught on video.

Based on reports, it sounds like the whole thing emanated from Sibley and his friends dancing in the parking lot ... and playing Bey's music in the background. The singer paid tribute to Sibley after hearing about it -- she has his name up on her website's homepage.

Since his death, tons of people have been paying their respects in a number of ways -- including visiting the site of his murder and voguing/protesting en masse, in his name.

Twitch streamer Kai Cenat sidestepped a night behind bars after he was hit with three criminal charges for allegedly causing a violent melee at his PlayStation giveaway gathering in NYC.

Kai was issued a desk appearance ticket for felony riot and misdemeanor inciting a riot and unlawful assembly, before getting released from a Manhattan police precinct Friday night.

Video showed Kai dashing out of the stationhouse with his security and jumping into the back of an SUV, which sped away.

The DAT, as it's commonly called, did not require Kai to go through the criminal justice system and spend the night in jail at Central Booking. Instead, Kai was provided a court date to appear before a judge to address the charges.

As we reported, Kai announced on his Twitch channel he was giving away PlayStation 5 consoles and gift cards in Union Square at 4 PM Friday.

Thousands of people showed up to snag the freebies, igniting total chaos in the streets, although it's not clear what sparked the mayhem. Rioters attacked people, damaged cop cars, destroyed food carts and stores, and hurled bottles and rocks.

An army of NYPD officers quickly responded and spent the next 3 hours squashing the violence before finally restoring order. Kai was among 65 attendees taken into police custody.

Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat took to the streets of NYC, hoping to put on a huge giveaway ... but it resulted in all-out pandemonium, and him getting hauled off by cops.

It all went down at Union Square Park on Friday, where Kai and fellow streamer Fanum said they were giving away things like PS5 consoles and gift cards. The whole thing was set to start at 4 PM, but the mayhem broke out around 3:30.

The NYPD said thousands of people were at Union Square, and officers flocked to the scene in an attempt to break up the gigantic crowd. Kai and other people in the crowd were taken into custody at some point during the mess.

Clips from inside the madness have been circulating online, showing people getting attacked, garbage flying, and even some folks on top of a gazebo. It looks like a majority of the people in the swarm are pretty young, too.

For those unaware, Kai is one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, garnering 6.5M on the platform -- and another 5.5M on Instagram alone.

The stalking arrest for Britney Spears' ex-husband, Jason Alexander, came after he allegedly texted, called, and followed a woman multiple times at the gym ... and then showed up at her house.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a woman says Jason followed her to the parking lot of a Life Time Fitness in Franklin, TN on June 17. She says she told him to leave her alone, but instead stated he sent her tons of texts and called her multiple times.

She says he allegedly drove past her house, turned around, and drove past again the day after the parking lot confrontation ... and even claims he approached her at the pool of the gym while she was with her child.

TMZ broke the story, Jason was booked Wednesday morning for the alleged series of incidents and is being held on a $50k bond.

You'll recall, Britney slapped Jason with a 3-year restraining order last year after he crashed her wedding to Sam Asghari at her home. He ended up doing 128 days in jail for the ordeal.

Some reality stars have gone scorched earth against NBC and, it appears, in particular, Bravo ... claiming its reality stars have been subjected to "grotesque and depraved mistreatment."

TMZ has obtained a letter sent by attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos to NBC, claiming current and former cast and crew members of its reality shows have been tormented. Among the allegations:

-- Deliberate attempts to manufacture mental instability by plying cast members with alcohol while depriving them of food and sleep

-- Denying mental health treatment to cast members displaying obvious and alarming signs of mental deterioration

-- Exploiting minors for uncompensated and sometimes long-term appearances on NBC reality TV shows

-- Distributing and/or condoning the distribution of non-consensual pornography

-- Covering up acts of sexual violence

-- Refusing to allow cast members the freedom to leave their shows, even under dire circumstances

The pornography claim is interesting ... in the letter, the lawyers mention "distribution of revenge porn," though they do not elaborate.

The letter demands that NBC retain a slew of information, including "nonconsensual pornography in connection with cast members ... [and] alleged sexual violence perpetrated by or against cast members ..."

The lawyers claim NBC has "threatened [cast members] with ruin should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment."

This aligns with Bethenny Frankel's call to unionize reality stars.

We reached out to NBC for comment ... so far, no word back.

The Church of Scientology is clapping back at former member Leah Remini, dragging her for a lawsuit against them -- something the Church claims is total BS.

In an intense statement issued to TMZ from the church Thursday, they call the actress an "anti-free speech bigot." The church says Leah's "a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her."

The church even compares her to "an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite's bigotry and propaganda."

It claims Leah's been making a fortune on her "obsession" to take Scientology down since publicly leaving the religion in 2013 ... pointing towards her recent lawsuit by adding, "If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself."

The church says it's "not intimidated by Remini's latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia."

Joseline Hernandez just got slapped with two more felony charges from her backstage brawl at a Floyd Mayweather fight ... so she had to go through the booking process again at a Florida jail.

The "Love & Hip Hop" alum was in court Thursday for her arraignment when the judge dropped the bad news ... prosecutors are charging her with two felony counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.

Joseline stood before the judge stone-faced as he explained why she needed to be taken into custody again and booked on the new felony charges ... check out the video, it sounds like she won't be spending much of her day in jail.

TMZ broke the story ... police body camera footage from the aftermath of Joseline's epic beatdown of Big Lex captured her violent, profanity-laced rage from start to finish ... and the video shows her shoving cops.

Joseline had initially been charged with a felony charge of resisting officers with violence, plus a slew of misdemeanor charges ... and she previously went through the booking process for those charges.

But, as the judge explained, two new felony charges being tacked on meant Joseline needed to be taken into custody and booked a second time ... in part to prevent her legal team from finding some potential legal loopholes.

One of the women suing Lizzo claiming she was done dirty by the singer actually sang her praises, AFTER the alleged incidents she says terrorized her.

TMZ has obtained a video shot in April 2023, in which plaintiff Arianna Davis gushes over Lizzo, saying, "It's been so amazing and such a beautiful journey. I look up to her so much. I just want to follow in her footsteps, and I just want to share that with the Queen Lizzo herself."

Lizzo's lawyer, Marty Singer, tells TMZ, "These do not sound like the words of someone who was harassed or discriminated against by someone they described as 'THE QUEEN."

What's critical here ... Davis made her comments after the European leg of Lizzo's tour and after Season 1 of "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls." All of Davis' allegations involve alleged incidents before she shot this video -- an interview for Season 2 of the show, in which Davis pitches herself as a singer.

Davis and another plaintiff, Crystal Williams, appeared on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and acknowledged they were fired after Lizzo's team said their dancing was not up to par.

Lizzo broke her silence Thursday morning, saying, "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

Marty Singer adds, "They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and here a video shows that there are no legitimate claims in this lawsuit. We are confident that Lizzo will be completely vindicated in this matter."

Originally Published -- 6:25 AM PT