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Despite COVID-19 cases surging in Los Angeles, hospitals overrun and a rising death count, there's a sick group of people storming grocery stores without masks ... and it appears they are part of a group that is targeting stores to wreak havoc.

30-50 members of this group stampeded the Erewhon Market near The Grove shopping center a few days ago, demanding to be allowed to shop without their masks.

The anti-maskers were seen forcing their way in and harassing workers while flouting the city's face-covering safety guidelines. Some even tried to get the employees to join them ... encouraging them to remove their masks and "live their lives."

Their stupidity and recklessness cannot be overstated ... they are screaming, defying and pulling penal code sections out of their asses, none of which makes any sense. Watch how they confront cops ... the police exercise remarkable restraint.

They took their stampede to other stores in the area, including a Trader Joe's.

The demonstration seems to be linked to a Facebook group that describes itself like this -- "So here we are, shopping around LA maskless, witnessing the unraveling of hijacked minds right before our very eyes."

Other posts on the group's page include members at various locations around L.A. in recent weeks -- including a post office, a Ralphs and a Lassens store -- boasting about shopping maskless and attempting to get others to take off their masks as well.

It's all disturbingly similar to other anti-mask demonstrations across the country in recent months, including a march at a Target in Florida in September.

These stampeders claim they're protesting freedoms being taken away, but there's also a healthy dose of COVID-denial and outright stupidity in the mix.

Justin Bieber's first time taking the stage for a live show in 3 years will be seen online all over the world, but will have an odd feel to it ... which perfectly sums up the year for big musical acts.

JB's putting on a New Year's Eve concert Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton hotel, his first concert since his Purpose World Tour wrapped up in September 2017.

Bieber was seen rehearsing Wednesday on the custom stage with scaffolding. Though the show will be virtual, we're told there will be a small crowd in the balconies ... with social distancing and mask protocols in place, of course.

The NYE concert will begin streaming worldwide on the Moment House platform starting at 7:15 PST ... sponsored by T-Mobile. If you haven't heard of it, Moment House was founded in L.A. in 2019 by a team coming from the USC Jimmy Iovine & Dr. Dre Academy for the Arts.

The platform allows artists to create special, ticketed experiences -- AKA "moments" -- for their fans no matter where they are in the world ... which has become a huge deal in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Access to Bieber's concert will cost ya $25 ... except for T-Mobile customers, who can watch for free.

Speaking of money ... this is a way Justin and other musicians can make money during the pandemic, since live concerts are pretty much out of the question for the foreseeable future.

In the year of everything going virtual -- including the ball drop -- what more can you expect?

Men trying to cope with mental health issues need a place to go for support -- especially during the pandemic -- and Addison Brasil's building an online community of men who get it ... the struggle is real.

The actor's cofounded an app called Tethr, with a goal of combatting the idea that men who suffer from anxiety and depression are less masculine -- a stigma that keeps them from seeking help.

According to Addison, Tethr is welcoming because it's a peer-to-peer community of dudes who are already comfortable opening up ... so it's easy to find common ground.

On "TMZ Live" Thursday, he pointed out 3 out of 4 guys admitted to feeling stressed, anxious or depressed ... and that was BEFORE the coronavirus. So, having an outlet to seek guidance or simply vent is more crucial than ever now.

Lil Tjay couldn't avoid getting arrested this time -- 4 days after NYPD searched him and found nothing, cops pulled him over again ... and now he's facing some serious charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the rapper was busted Wednesday afternoon in Brooklyn and booked for criminal possession of a weapon, marijuana possession and grand larceny.

We're told Lil Tjay was in a vehicle with 4 others when cops pulled them over for switching lanes without signaling. Our sources say the officer smelled weed in the car, which resulted in a search and the discovery of 4 loaded handguns and a large amount of marijuana.

We're told neither the rapper nor anyone in the vehicle took ownership of the firearms or the weed, so they were all hit with possession charges. It's unclear why they're also facing the grand larceny charge.

A group of teen suspects in an armed robbery at a high-end fashion store made a break for it to their getaway cars ... but a few of them were left holding the bag.

Beverly Hills police say 10 suspects grabbed handbags and fled from a Fendi store on Rodeo Drive Tuesday night, and video from a passerby caught their escape attempt.

Cops reportedly caught up with one of the 3 getaway vehicles, recovered several stolen Fendi items and took the underage teens into custody. They were later released to their parents, but the other suspects are still at large.

The woman who falsely accused a 14-year-old boy of stealing her cellphone and then physically attacked him is now wanted by the NYPD, and new video shows the attack.

The NYPD just released surveillance video from the Arlo SoHo hotel in NYC, showing the end of the confrontation, where the woman clearly attacks the child before fleeing.

Cops have put a pic of her mug out, asking the public to help them locate her.

As we reported, the child and his parents, Grammy-winning jazz musician Keyon Harrold and his wife, Kat, a musician herself who plays sax for Beyonce, were at the hotel when the woman confronted them and accused the child of stealing her iPhone.

After causing a scene, attacking the child and fleeing, an Uber driver found her phone in his car and returned it. So, she left it in the Uber.

Harrold spoke at a rally at City Hall Wednesday, along with his famed lawyer, Ben Crump, and Rev. Al Sharpton. He played "America the Beautiful" and "We Shall Overcome."

Pennsylvania cops say a man reported as suicidal left them no choice but to open fire ... during a fatal standoff witnessed by several nearby drivers.

State Troopers responded Wednesday to a call for a suicidal man on a highway overpass in Hamilton Township, and they say when they arrived the man was holding a handgun ... which they told him to put down.

The police say the 19-year-old man initially obeyed and placed it on the ground -- but after the troopers continued talking to him, he reached for the weapon and started walking toward them. When he pointed the gun at the troopers, they shot him. He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The fatal standoff played out as horrified drivers watched from a highway that runs under the bridge.

Nobody does December birthdays like Diddy -- he toasted his son Justin Combs' 27th with a luxury-filled bash in wide-open Miami.

Diddy led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to Justin during the Wednesday night celebration that started at Swan restaurant, and eventually moved to Victory Restaurant & Lounge. Both joints were packed to the gills with folks popping bottles and a custom Dior cake for Justin.

It's 2020, so the first thing that hits you looking at the video is ... no one, besides the staff, was wearing masks. That's life in Florida these days, where there are few COVID-restrictions.

Justin's gift from Pops was a Rolex, but not just any Rollie ... it's a custom-made one Diddy says he designed as a sort of family crest!

Just last week, Diddy also hosted a Miami yacht birthday party for his twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie -- and an 80th bday event for his mom, Janice Combs. Remember, she got $1 mil and a new car!

Take a seat, kids (some adults too) ... we've got bad news about those icicles you've been sucking on every winter, and this won't go down easy. 💩

Actually, Iowa meteorologist Katie Nickolaou is the real party pooper here, because after seeing social media clips of folks chomping on icicles ... she had to speak up.

Katie, who works at KMEG in Sioux City, Iowa, is imploring people to break their icicle habit ... unless, of course, they're into eating bird 💩. Check out her very scientific, and stomach-turning, explanation of the frozen treat.

The good news for Katie is her advice is spreading pretty quickly, courtesy of TikTok and Twitter.

Joe Exotic has not been pardoned yet, but it sounds like he has a plan to get sprung before Trump says adios to D.C.

The "Tiger King" star's legal team will fly to Washington next Wednesday ... we're told for a "high level" meeting in connection with their pardon petition.

Eric Love, who leads the legal team, clearly knows how to stroke Trump's ego. They chose January 6 for a reason ... it's the final straw, when the House votes to ratify Joe Biden as the next President, and when Trump's planning a rally.

There's a buzz in D.C. Trump may pardon a bunch of people Jan. 6 as a distraction, so the House vote doesn't get the attention it would otherwise get.

Joe's got several decades of sentence left, and, as we reported, he's already thinking about dying. Joe has told his team he does not want to be put on a ventilator if he contracts COVID, which is running rampant in the prison.

Buddy Valastro built a hospital this week ... out of cake batter.

The "Cake Boss" wanted to show his appreciation to the doctors who saved his right hand after it was mangled in a bowling accident, so he baked them a cake in the form of the hospital where he was treated.

Buddy posted a pic of his handiwork, with the caption, "Check out the super special cake I made for Dr. Michelle Carlson, the nurses and staff at @hspecialsurgery as a token of my immense appreciation!" adding, "It replicates the main hospital there in #NYC. 🌃 I could never thank them enough for all they have done to help me on this journey to a full recovery ♥️"

As we reported, Buddy was bowling back in September when he tried releasing a bowling pin from the cage mechanism. His right hand got lodged and compressed in the unit, which was lodged in the mechanism for 5 minutes. His sons rushed into a garage and got a saw to cut through the metal rod to free Buddy's hand.

Buddy was rushed to the hospital where doctors removed a rod and treated a ghastly wound. A second surgery was performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson, whom he gave a special shout-out when he delivered the cake.

The White House is scrubbing down hard to make sure the new president doesn't come down with the coronavirus like the last occupant ... and it's a pricey undertaking.

After President Trump contracted COVID-19, the feds are taking no chances with President-elect Biden ... Uncle Sam's reaching into his deep pockets for a deep clean at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... according to federal financial docs.

We've learned The White House is dropping a little over $127,000 on what's listed as "Inaugural Cleaning." It's a deeper clean than most transitions, what with the pandemic and Trump's bout with COVID and all.

Remember ... back in October, Trump quickly returned to The White House and shed his face mask after being discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he was pumped full of drugs to combat COVID-19. Uncle Sam doesn't want to see this same script play out with 78-year-old Biden, hence the deepest of cleans.

Oh, and $127,000 for the "Inaugural Cleaning" is just part of the picture ... as we first told you, the government's also spending $44k just to clean carpets at The White House. The carpet cleaning is in a separate procurement document so it seems the $44k is in addition to the $127k.

Don't worry if you miss the New Year's Eve fireworks this year because the Kardashian/Jenner squad put on a serious show of their own over the last 12 months on social media with some of the most awe-inspiring selfies worthy of a round of applause.

Burst through our gallery of every must-see hot shots the Calabasas crew shared on Instagram and test whether you've been truly keeping up with the celebrated sisters by guessing who's in the sexy selfie.

Talk about a piss-poor decision from an Amazon delivery driver ... this one in Florida -- shocker -- where the driver was caught on video peeing in front of the customer's apartment door.

This whizz incident went down at the Palms of Boca Del Mar apartment complex in Boca Raton, where a resident was expecting a trace laser ... typically used on pistols.

We're told the customer heard a loud slam from inside his apartment ... apparently the package hitting the ground. He looked at his security camera (ironically an Amazon Blink XT2) and was horrified seeing the driver handling his own package with care ... peeing inches from his front door. The driver appears to have zero qualms about relieving himself.

BTW ... the customer's laser was damaged. We're told Amazon's already shipping him a new one and looking into the incident.

As for the pee ... a rep for Amazon tells us, "We have very high standards for our associates, and expect every package to be handled with care. This incident does not reflect those standards. We’ve notified the right teams internally and will work with the customer directly to make it right."

Logan Paul's a "fake fighter" who has no business being in the ring with Floyd Mayweather ... so says his own brother, Jake, who tells TMZ Sports the dude is "f***ked" against the 50-0 boxer.

Of course, the YouTube superstar is set to face off against "The Best Ever" in a boxing exhibition on Feb. 20 ... a fight that has been met with mixed reactions.

Jake -- who's fresh off an insane KO of ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- thinks Logan is pretty much doomed against Floyd ... and believes the fight is doing more harm than good for boxing.

"My brother's f***ed," Jake tells us. "It's bad for the sport. I think it's just for clout."

Paul is echoing what Canelo Alvarez recently told us ... saying he thought it was a "lack of respect" for pros to go up against YouTubers.

Jake goes on to say he's the "real fighter" in the family ... pointing out he's got a 3-0 record ... while Logan still hasn't racked up a win.

There's still a concert in Times Square tonight, but Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull and Machine Gun Kelly won't be performing for drunken revelers ... instead it's all for 2020's biggest heroes.

Like most annual traditions this year, Times Square New Year's Eve is undergoing fundamental changes due to the pandemic. Don't worry, the ball's still gonna drop, but the concert is tailored for frontline workers, essential workers and their families.

For obvious reasons, NYC officials can't have Times Square packed to the gills with screaming partiers. The good news is the heroes of the pandemic are getting VIP perks to see the show live, and Pitbull's planning a special salute to them.

We're told Mr. Worldwide has some special words to share with the workers before he performs his anthem, "I Believe That We Will Win" ... along with other huge hits.

Jonathan Bennett's hosting the celebration, which kicks off at 6 PM ET and runs until midnight, and he says while 2020 really dropped the ball, it's not stopping Times Square from dropping the ball ... COVID-safely, of course.

The "Mean Girls" star's urging folks to enjoy the performances from the comfort of their homes -- the general public won't be allowed in Times Square. Still Jonathan told us why this NYE will still be bring plenty of fun.