Arrests

Young Thug nearly didn't make it to the Grammys after he got put in cuffs just hours beforehand -- but, luckily, he didn't find himself in a jail cell come showtime.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... YT and a group of guys riding in a van were pulled over early Sunday morning for a traffic violation in WeHo. We're told Young Thug and the other passengers were taken out of the car and handcuffed.

As you can see in this video, obtained by TMZ, they were lined up outside a McDonald's ... and, at one point, Thug also had his hands over his head.

Our sources tell us one of the men in the vehicle -- not Thug -- told police that he was in possession of a registered firearm, but upon further inspection ... cops found the gun wasn't registered in California, so the guy got arrested on the spot. Everyone else was cut loose.

It's a good thing YT was able to walk away from this relatively scot-free, 'cause he was part of the opening act later Sunday alongside Camila Cabello. Seeing how he's the featured artist on her song, "Havana" ... it was kinda important that he be there.

He also ended up winning his first Grammy ever for his contribution to Childish Gambino's "This Is America," which won Song of the Year. YT was one of many MCs who provided backing vocals for the track.

Bow Wow was enraged at his girlfriend before their violent fight, forcefully snatching something from her, cornering her and getting all up in her grill ... according to a surveillance video obtained by TMZ.

The video taken from their apartment complex shows Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie Holden taking an elevator up to their unit after a night of partying. The rapper looks PISSED at Kiyomi Leslie, because he rips something from her hand, and appears to berate her.

The video shows rising tension between Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie leading up to their knock-down, drag-out brawl over the weekend in Atlanta, which led to both of them getting arrested for battery.

We broke the story ... Kiyomi Leslie told cops Bow Wow flew into a jealous rage because she was talking to another man at a party. Bow Wow backed her story up, and said she called him a "bitch ass n*****."

As we reported ... after the brawl, Kiyomi Leslie called 911 claiming Bow Wow hit her several times, took her phone and refused to let her out of a bedroom.

We also obtained photos of the injuries Bow Wow says he sustained at the hands of Kiyomi Leslie, and they show deep scratches on his face and bite marks on his body.

The "Fiji Water Girl" is full of herself and, instead of turning on the company that made her famous, she should have just enjoyed it and honored her contract ... that's how Fiji sees it, anyway.

Fiji filed a counter lawsuit Friday against model Kelleth Cuthbert -- real name Kelly Steinbach -- saying she's "bitten the hand that feeds her" and attempted to extort the company for half a million dollars. In docs, Fiji says Kelly's real motivation was getting a better deal ... aka more money.

As you know ... Cuthbert became a viral sensation after photobombing every celeb at the Golden Globes, and her likeness was later used on cardboard cutouts at various stores to promote the water. She sued, claiming she never gave Fiji her permission for that campaign.

Fiji's calling BS and, according to docs, it had a valid deal with Kelleth to be a brand ambassador for $90k, and claims it included using her likeness for its related ad campaign.

Fiji says she tried to skirt the deal by "suing the very company that is entirely responsible for providing her the opportunity and the means to capitalize on her fleeting 15 minutes of internet fame." Ouch. Body blow.

The company also says it has video and photo proof of Cuthbert signing her contract, which she claimed she never did.

Fiji's asking for Kelly's suit to be dismissed, and wants damages for its canceled cutout campaign.

12:30 PM PT -- Kelleth's lawyer, Kecia Reynolds, tells TMZ, "Kelleth will not be bullied by Fiji Water, the Wonderful Company, or its billionaire owners."

It might not make 21 Savage feel better right now, but something positive could come from his ICE arrest ... according to Miguel who's been tackling immigration policy issues for years.

The R&B-singing great was on "TMZ Live" Thursday when he tried to find a silver lining for 21, saying more and more people will now see the problems with ICE -- especially for non-famous people in the same boat as the rapper.

As you know ... the "Bank Account" rapper was arrested last weekend in Atlanta, remains in custody and could be deported. Even Jay-Z has now stepped in, calling 21's arrest "an absolute travesty" and providing legal assistance.

As Miguel sees it, 21 could now become the face of immigration policy issues -- much the way Meek Mill did for criminal justice reform.

We've just obtained photos of the injuries Bow Wow says he sustained at the hands of his girlfriend -- before they both got arrested -- and they include some deep bite marks.

A source close to the situation tells TMZ ... Bow Wow is still recovering the knock-down, drag-out fight he and Kiyomi Leslie Holden got into last weekend in Atlanta.

We already knew from his mug shot that Bow Wow's face was scratched to hell ... but now we can see what looks like at least one nasty bite, and several scratches on his torso.

As we reported ... Bow Wow was arrested in Atlanta early Saturday morning for allegedly hitting Leslie, and she was also arrested for allegedly striking him.

We broke the story ... in 911 audio released from the incident, Kiyomi Leslie claims Bow Wow hit her multiple times, took her phone and refused to let her out of a bedroom in their apartment.

An additional 911 call was made by the apartment building's manager, claiming a resident heard a male voice saying he would, "Slap the f**k out of this bitch."

12:28 PM PT -- Contrary to the police report saying ATF was the arresting agency, 21's attorney, Alex Spiro, says, "ICE has confirmed he was targeted for immigration enforcement and nothing more. He was never arrested by the police, and some other individual's firearm and vehicle is not our concern here."

10:56 AM PT -- 21's attorney, Brian Steel, tells us both the Glock and the Dodge the rapper was driving are not his ... Steel would not specify who they belonged to.

21 Savage was driving recklessly and on a path to slam into a fully-marked cop car and that's why he was pulled over on the day he was taken into custody, and it looks like cops believe he was in possession of a fully loaded Glock ... this according to the police report.

TMZ has obtained 3 police reports which chronicle the events that led to the rapper being hauled into custody on the day of the Super Bowl.

According to the docs, 21 Savage was in a red Dodge Challenger that cops say drove across the sidewalk in an attempt to get onto another street. The cops pulled the car over and ATF agents -- who were also on scene -- ordered 21 to stop and throw the keys out the window. According to the report, 21 threw the keys out, along with a bottle containing an unknown substance.

21 got out of the car and was immediately handcuffed and taken away by ATF. The police report has an evidence inventory section and lists the firearm -- the fully loaded Glock -- as connected to 21 Savage. The gun was found in the glove box in the Dodge 21 was driving. It had an extended magazine.

In the center console, there was a styrofoam cup containing an unknown substance. As for the bottle that was thrown out of the car ... cops don't say what was in it but it was taken into evidence.

What's unclear ... how ICE got involved. We had been previously told ICE directly took 21 Savage into custody at the scene, but according to the various documents, there were a variety of law enforcement agencies involved -- DeKalb K-9 Unit, Vice Unit, Narcotics Unit, ATF, Georgia State Patrol and the DeKalb 90 Unit ... but no mention of ICE. A source at ATF tells ICE was there, but for some reason, the agency is not listed on the report.

And, the documents say the target of the operation was actually another rapper -- Young Nudy -- who was in a separate car driving alongside of 21 Savage.

There were actually 3 cars involved in the arrest and cops say all of the people inside were connected. One guy -- Kalil Smith, who was in a different car from Savage -- was driving with an M4 rifle in the floorboard with the muzzle pointed in the direction of the officer.

As we reported, 21 Savage is in the custody of ICE, which is initiating deportation proceedings.

Bow Wow's girlfriend claims the rapper hit her several times, took her phone and refused to let her out of a bedroom during the 911 call she made to cops.

In the call -- obtained by TMZ -- a distraught Kiyomi Leslie Holden tells the operator she was assaulted by Bow Wow and fled his apartment to make the call. Kiyomi Leslie claims cops showed up for a previous disturbance before the actual arrest, but Bow Wow and two of his friends refused to let her out of a bedroom to speak with officers.

An additional 911 call was made by the apartment building's manager who claimed a resident called her to complain about the fight. The resident allegedly heard a male voice saying he would, "Slap the f*** out of this bitch."

As we reported ... Bow Wow was arrested in Atlanta early Saturday morning for striking Kiyomi Leslie, but Kiyomi Leslie was also arrested for hitting him.

9:15 AM PT -- 21 Savage's manager says the rapper's "in lockdown for 23hrs of the day no tv or any communication besides our 10 min phone calls." He says 21's in good spirits, though ... thanks to hearing about the huge amount of support from his fans.

21 Savage was not turned over to ICE by the Dekalb County Police... turns out, ICE was on the scene when they pulled over the car in which the rapper was riding.

21's lawyer was irate over Sunday's arrest for being in the U.S. illegally, saying ICE knew about the rapper's status since 2017, when he filed for a U-Visa. Thing is ... until Sunday, ICE had no interaction with Savage.

What's more ... 21's lawyer says ICE blew it by basing the arrest, in part, on the rapper's previous felony. As we reported, 21 pled guilty to felony drug charges in 2014, but the record was expunged last year. ICE does not have to honor an expungement ... the arrest and conviction can trigger deportation action.

Ironically, 21 Savage's move to become a legal resident may have caused the arrest, because USCIS investigates the application and does a background check, which apparently revealed he was born in the UK, came to the U.S. legally in 2005 with a visa, but it expired the next year and he has been here illegally ever since.

As for why Savage decided to ask for a U-Visa in 2017 ... there's a form of relief available for people who have been in the U.S. illegally for 10 years or longer, who have a qualifying U.S. relative living here. In Savage's case, he has 3 kids who were born here. Problem is ... ICE apparently believes the felony conviction knocks him out of the box.

Another reason he may have wanted the visa ... it would allow him to leave the country to tour.

As for why 21's cousin -- rapper Young Nudy -- was arrested in the same bust ... he had a warrant out, stemming from an incident in 2017. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nudy is accused of shooting a man twice in the hip and once in the buttocks ... the man survived the attack.

21 Savage never hid the fact that he was in the U.S. illegally, and ICE is now trying to intimidate him into leaving the country he calls home ... this according to his lawyer.

Attorney Charles H. Kuck just delivered a blistering attack on the federal agency that arrested 21 Savage Sunday and is holding him for deportation proceedings.

Kuck says his client actually applied for a U-Visa back in 2017 and the application is pending, and ICE has known about it yet took no action until this weekend.

The attorney also takes aim at ICE for putting it out there that 21 Savage has prior criminal charges, suggesting he does not. Point of fact -- Savage pled guilty to felony drug possession back in 2014, but that conviction was expunged last September.

Kuck slams ICE for detaining his client, claiming he is not a threat to his community nor is he a flight risk ... he also has children here.

And, the attorney goes on ... "As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own." Kuck says his client has "U.S. citizen children" whom he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation.

The attorney accuses ICE of trying to "unnecessarily punish him," claiming the agency is trying "to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States."

Now, this is interesting ... Kuck says the Visa 21 Savage applied for is based on him being a victim of crime. Kuck tells TMZ, 21 Savage was shot during a 2013 incident where his best friend was murdered. Kuck says he was "severely affected physically and mentally." He goes on to say being a crime victim puts 21 Savage in a position for permanent residence.

21 Savage is a living, breathing example of that ol' saying, "fake it til you make it" ... at least according to ICE.

An ICE official told CNN on Sunday ... "His whole public persona is false. He actually came to the U.S. from the U.K. as a teen and overstayed his visa."

The arrest has totally shocked 21 Savage's fans ... who had NO CLUE about his British roots. We did some digging and to be fair, Sav has never claimed Atlanta as his birthplace. In multiple profiles on the rapper ... media outlets have referred to him as being "from" Atlanta or say he "grew up" there.

That said, it sure doesn't seem like he's ever gone out of his way to correct any reports of him being an ATL native. 21 definitely reps Atlanta in his rhymes ... and he's told tales about getting expelled from an Atlanta school for bringing a gun to class.

Still, he's never said he was "born" there.

As we reported ... Sav was arrested early Sunday in Atlanta by what ICE described as a targeted operation. ICE officials say 21 Savage is actually a U.K. national and has been illegally in the U.S. since 2006. They say he came here as a kid in 2005.

Bow Wow and his GF were in a knock-down, drag-out brawl before they both got arrested ... according to cops.

Kiyomi Leslie Holden called Atlanta PD around 4 AM Saturday to report Bow Wow for assault. She told officers on the scene the whole fight started when they got home from a party. Kiyomi Leslie -- who appears on "Growing Up Hip Hop" -- claims Bow Wow was pissed she was talking to another man at the party, and lit into her about it when they got home.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, Kiyomi Leslie says Bow Wow hit her in the head, pulled her by the hair, dragged her from her bedroom ... and told her to get the hell out.

For his part, Bow Wow acknowledged being pissed about the other guy ... telling cops she "disrespected him" by hanging "all over another man's body." He claims Kiyomi Leslie called him a "bitch ass n***er" when he complained about her behavior.

He claims he merely told Leslie to leave their home, and placed her bags by the door. He claims Kiyomi Leslie "grabbed a night stand lamp and threw it at him." He says she missed with the lamp, but scratched the hell out of his face ... which is obvious in his mug shot.

An officer on the scene says he saw the lamp on the ground when he entered the bedroom. Cops observed red marks on Kiyomi Leslie's fingers as well as broken fingernails.

TMZ broke the story ... Bow Wow and Kiyomi Leslie were arrested and booked for battery. Kiyomi Leslie says she broke 3 ribs during the brawl.

Blac Chyna's ex-boyfriend, rapper Kid Buu, was once charged and convicted of child abuse after cops say he punched his baby mama in front of their kid.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a then-19-year-old Kid Buu (real name Markquez Santiago) was busted in Florida in 2008 after he got into a fight with his girlfriend and baby mama, who was a minor. Their daughter was 2 years old at the time.

Cops say the squabble started over the girlfriend wanting to cash a check, which he snatched out of her hands while leaving their apartment. The GF told cops he later returned and found her in their bedroom, at which point she threatened to call 911.

Police say, at this point, he punched her in the face with a closed fist ... all while their then-2-year-old was present. According to legal docs, he then pulled out a gun and told her he'd "kill the cops" if they came.

She fled the home and called the police using a security guard's phone, and Kid Buu was eventually arrested after refusing to cooperate. He denied the allegations, and no gun was ever recovered.

Per court records, he pled guilty to charges of child abuse (without causing great bodily harm), intimidation, robbery by sudden snatching, and criminal mischief. He said he pled guilty "for my own convenience and to move on with life."

Kid Buu was sentenced to two years probation, which he completed in 2010.

This could have been problematic until recently, because Kid Buu was dating Blac Chyna. If Rob Kardashian knew about Kid Buu's conviction he might have pitched a fit because we're guessing he wouldn't want him around Dream.

12:45 PM PT -- Bow Wow's been released on bond.

12:20 PM PT -- Here's the mug shot for Leslie Holden, who we've learned is Bow Wow's on-and-off GF, and goes by Kiyomi Leslie. She's also on "Growing Up Hip Hop" with the rapper.

She's facing the same battery charge as Bow Wow, and her bond's been set at $8k.

11:15 AM PT -- TMZ's obtained Bow Wow's mug shot, which shows big scratches on his forehead and a mark below his eye.

According to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office ... the rapper's been charged with Battery Substantial Physical Harm, which is in conflict with what we were told earlier -- that both sustained minor injuries.

Bow Wow's bond's been set at $8k.

Bow Wow was arrested in Atlanta early Saturday morning for allegedly beating a woman ... a woman who was also arrested for allegedly beating him.

ATL cops tell TMZ ... there was some sort of dispute between Bow Wow and the woman at 4:15 AM Saturday. When they arrived, the woman claimed Bow Wow assaulted her. He claimed it was the opposite.

Both Bow Wow and the woman sustained visible, minor injuries.

Police identified the woman as Leslie Holden. We cannot find any relationship between her and Bow Wow.

Cops couldn't figure out which one was the true aggressor, so they arrested both and charged them with misdemeanor battery.

Bow Wow had been promoting a Super Bowl pop-up shop for his mom during Super Bowl weekend. He was also spotted at Shaquille O'Neal's SB event -- called Shaq's Fun House -- not long before his arrest.

Check it out ... he's introduced by Jermaine Dupri and gets a pretty big reaction from the ATL crowd.

Boston Celtics guard Jabari Bird appeared in court Wednesday to face new charges that he threatened to murder his GF multiple times during a violent altercation back in September.

As we previously reported ... Bird allegedly brutalized his GF at his Massachusetts apartment during a Sept. 7 incident -- allegedly choking and terrorizing her for hours.

Officials say Jabari roughed her up badly ... and she was only able to escape after Bird appeared to be having "seizure-like" symptoms during the end of the attack.

Jabari was arrested for assault and battery, strangulation and kidnapping ... and later pled not guilty to the charges in court.

On Wednesday, prosecutors tacked on TWO additional charges -- threats and witness intimidation -- alleging in court docs Bird told his GF he was going to MURDER her during the altercation.

"If you don’t stop talking I’m going to kill you," the victim alleges Bird said, according to court docs.

She added that Jabari also said while kicking her, “Tell anyone about this, I don’t care where you are, I’ll find you and I’ll kill you."

Bird appeared in Brighton Municipal Court Wednesday to face the new charges ... and once again pled not guilty.

Jabari is due back in court next month.

For his part ... Jabari released a statement shortly after the September incident saying, "I'm taking some time away from the team as I deal with my legal and medical issues. I apologize to my family, the Celtics organization, my teammates, the fans and the NBA for the unnecessary distraction that I have caused."

There's an eye in the sky over Bill Cosby, and Pennsylvania Prison officials are pissed about it ... TMZ has learned.

Cosby got an uninvited visitor last week when a drone was flown over his home away from home -- State Correctional Institute Phoenix. Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the drone made the pass while Cosby was being escorted around the yard. He gets an escort due to his blindness.

We're told prison security measures detected the drone and SCI Phoenix was immediately placed under lockdown for a full day. Prison officials believe a media outlet sent the drone to get a shot of 81-year-old Cosby ... who's doing 3 to 10 years for sexual assault.

It's unclear if the mission was a success. Our sources say Cosby's attorneys were notified of the breach.

For the record, all Pennsylvania prisons got drone detection systems last year as part of sweeping security upgrades.

8:33 AM PT -- New information about the Barstool Sports incident at the Super Bowl Opening Day event in Atlanta -- cops say PFT Commenter was NOT arrested -- but he was issued a criminal trespass warning.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... both PFT and Barstool president Dave Portnoy were "in possession of fake Super Bowl LIII media credentials."

"The individuals ... were issued criminal trespass warnings by APD officers at the request of State Farm Arena security staff."

"Neither man was arrested or cited. Both had the fake credentials taken away and were advised they would be arrested for criminal trespass if they attempted to enter either State Farm Arena, Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, or Mercedes Benz Stadium property again."

We spoke with Portnoy who tells us the trespass warning means he's not allowed to attend the Super Bowl, even though he has a ticket.

Portnoy also delivered a message to NFL Commish Roger Goodell.

PFT Commenter -- the cohost of the "Pardon My Take" podcast on Barstool Sports -- says he was arrested at the NFL's Super Bowl Opening Night event in Atlanta on Monday night.

The Barstool star -- real name Eric Sollenberger -- had been having a pretty successful night, firing off questions to everyone from Rob Gronkowski to Todd Gurley ... even Bill Belichick.

But at some point during the evening, event organizers decided they wanted PFT Commenter out -- and they sent security to escort him off the property.

Eventually, PFT says the Atlanta Police Dept. got involved and arrested him for criminal trespassing.

PFT says officials even called in the FBI to question him.

PFT's boss -- Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy was also escorted out of the event. Portnoy says he was not arrested.

Barstool and the NFL have a rocky relationship -- Portnoy and his team have attacked NFL Commish Roger Goodell on several occasions ... and it's clear they're not welcome at official NFL events.

Story developing ...