Arrests

Kyrie Irving took time out of a pre-game speech Wednesday to demand Joe Biden get Brittney Griner home ... saying straight up, "Do your job!"

The Nets star made the call-out just seconds before Brooklyn took on the New Orleans Pelicans ... right in the middle of the Barclays Center court.

The 30-year-old grabbed the mic, and urged fans to cheer his team and his teammates on ... before he turned the conversation to Griner and the U.S. President.

"I appreciate us being able to share this floor together, all of us as brothers," the point guard said, "but the big picture that's going in the world is free our sister, Brittney Griner, please!"

"POTUS, do your job!" he added. "Everybody do your job! Please bring our sister home."

Griner has been incarcerated in Russia since February ... after authorities accused her of bringing hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Biden has said repeatedly he's working hard to bring her home -- and U.S. officials have said they've made a substantial offer to Russia to get her out.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, said earlier this week on the basketball player's birthday that she appreciated the President's efforts.

Others around the NBA also used their season-opening platforms this week to raise awareness for Griner's situation ... with Steph Curry saying at the Warriors ring ceremony Tuesday that he didn't want anyone to forget about her.

A suspected serial killer is in custody in Northern California -- and police say they caught the guy while he was looking for his next victim ... this after 6 lives have already been taken.

43-year-old Wesley Brownlee was arrested Saturday morning in Stockton ... where Police Chief Stanley McFadden says he appeared to be scoping out a new person to kill. Stockton PD were surveilling him and stopped Brownlee after he left his house in a car around 2 AM. Upon a search, they say they found him armed with a gun and a mask around his neck.

Chief McFadden says there's no doubt in their minds he was "out hunting" and that they stopped another killing. Brownlee was booked for homicide -- although it's unclear if all of the murders are being pinned on him right off the bat.

Six men have been slain dating back to April 2021 -- all of whom were ambushed, shot and killed. Five took place in the Stockton area up through September, and the final one happened in Oakland more than a year ago. A seventh victim, a woman, was also shot in Stockton last year, but survived. A good handful of the victims are said to be homeless.

No motive has been ascribed ... none of the victims were beaten or robbed, simply shot and killed. Eventually, police declared they had evidence linking the murders -- and announced a manhunt to find the killer ... offering up as high as a $125k reward for help from the public.

Scary day for Kim Kardashian ... a would-be intruder nearly made his way into her home this weekend, but the guy was stopped just steps away from the front door.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... a man was arrested Saturday around 11 AM after wandering onto Kim's Hidden Hills property unannounced and uninvited. We're told he somehow made it past her gated community entrance and found his way to Kim's mansion.

Our sources security intercepted him and actually detained him right on the grounds -- but he didn't go down easy ... we're told there was a scuffle before he was ultimately pinned.

The cops were called and the man ended up getting taken away in cuffs. Our law enforcement sources say he was booked on battery and trespassing charges. We're also told this gentleman is known to the sheriff's deputies in the area, specifically at this location ... where he's apparently been caught on surveillance video before.

Sources say the man has an infatuation with Kim, but luckily ... it didn't come to fruition today. Unclear if Kim or any of her kids were home -- but a close call either way.

It's far from the first alleged trespasser who's landed on the doorstep of a KarJenner -- it's happened to Kylie, Kendall and others in the family as well. Might be time to start building moats around these places ... seems way too easy for randos to access off the streets.

Kim Kardashian's new podcast, "The System," is under attack by 2 siblings who survived a brutal crime, claiming podcast producers never reached out to them about the project ... a claim creators behind the pod are denying.

"The System" dives into the story of convicted murderer Kevin Keith -- a man Kim believes is innocent. Quanita and Quentin Reeves, who were shot during the alleged crime when they were just kids, say they were never given a heads-up about the podcast until its release.

Quentin told Daily Mail, "She did not contact us, not one time. Why aren't they contacting the victims?" They also claim Keith is guilty of the crime, saying they saw him do it.

A statement to TMZ on behalf of Tenderfoot TV & Big City TV, states, "The production team of The System made multiple attempts to reach out to the Reeves siblings. At the time, they decided not to share their story and requested we no longer contact them."

Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne were thrust into a dangerous situation in Argentina this weekend -- one that left a paparazzi photographer going to cops and alleging assault.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the two stars were dining in Buenos Aires early Sunday morning, and as they were leaving a restaurant (Patagonia Sur in the La Boca neighborhood), there was an Uber waiting for them -- but the pickup went awry.

We're told that as the ladies were entering the car, a pap rushed them and started taking photos aggressively, intruding in their space. Our sources say the encounter freaked out the driver, who took off -- with Cara fully in the car, and Margot halfway in and halfway out.

Margot actually had to jump out of the car to avoid being seriously hurt, we're told, but even after she was on the ground ... the photog continued snapping. That's when a couple of male friends of Margot's, who were on hand, jumped in to help -- per our sources.

Now, we're being told the photog ran off and fell on his own at this point -- but he's telling police there in Buenos Aires something very different ... namely, that he was brutally beaten by these two gents, whom he perceived as security guards, and hospitalized.

According to the online Argentine newspaper Infobae -- which has been in business since 2002 -- the pap, named Pedro Alberto Orquera, was left with a broken arm and a bloody scalp after the alleged beatdown ... this per a police report the outlet claims to have seen.

They go on to say that the guy wanted to press charges ... and since then, the two men -- Jac Rhis Hopkins and Josei Mac Namara Callum -- have been detained. Our sources tell us they are NOT bodyguards (just pals) but that they are, in fact, in police custody.

Unclear if they've been arrested/booked on any specific charges yet. We've tried reaching out to the local authorities for confirmation, but so far ... no luck in connecting with anyone for info. Infobae reports the authorities are interested in prosecuting, pending an investigation.

No word on what may have happened after the alleged incident as it pertains to Margot and Cara -- but on the face of things ... it sounds like an upsetting altercation to say the least.

We've reached out to Margot and Cara's reps to check in on how they're doing. The two women are obviously close friends -- proven in recent house visits Margot's made amid issues Cara's been dealing with. They also travel together often, like earlier this summer.

We haven't heard back from either of their camps.

Jeffrey Dahmer had a foreboding look, partly because of his eyewear ... and now the shades he wore in prison are up for sale, and they'll go for more than anything at LensCrafters.

Taylor James, who runs Cult Collectibles out of Vancouver, Canada, tells TMZ ... he's willing to part with the serial killer's prison glasses for $150,000.

Dahmer was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to life in prison back in 1992, but he only lasted a few years behind bars before being beaten to death at the hands of a fellow inmate.

Taylor says he got his hands on the shades a couple years ago, along with a bunch of other Dahmer memorabilia, after being contacted by a former housekeeper for Jeffrey's father, Lionel. Taylor agreed to manage and sell the collection through his website for a portion of the profit.

Cult Collectibles sells a ton of items from its Jeffrey Dahmer collection online, including his cutlery, his bible, original family photos and a bunch of paperwork -- these items are up for sale. The prison glasses are not on the website, but interested parties are able to reach out to Taylor directly.

Ex-Baylor star Queen Egbo is going off on Kim Mulkey for shutting down a question about Brittney Griner during a press conference -- reminding her old coach that the WNBA superstar is the reason she won a national title in 2012.

Mulkey -- who's been LSU women's basketball coach since 2021 -- was speaking to the media on Monday when a reporter asked her thoughts on Griner's drug conviction in Russia, whom she coached at Baylor from 2009 to 2013.

"I don't think I've seen anything from you on that," the reporter asked ... and Mulkey made sure that would remain the case in a short response.

"And, you won't," Mulkey replied.

Egbo -- who played for the Baylor Bears from 2018 to 2022 -- felt some type of way about Mulkey's response ... and went on Twitter to speak against her former coach.

"A player that built Baylor, 2 national titles, & a 40-0 record," Egbo said, "Yet her former coach refuses to say anything or simply just show any kind of support."

"Keep that in mind when you’re choosing schools."

The WNBA center also retweeted former Bears' player Chloe Jackson's comment about Mulkey's shutdown .. who said, "And I will say it again. SILENCE SPEAKS VOLUMES, smh."

FYI, Egbo and Jackson helped get Mulkey her third national title in 2019.

The reason for Mulkey's response may be stemming from Griner's comments shortly after going #1 overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft ... when BG claimed Mulkey told players to keep quiet about their sexuality for recruiting purposes and the program's image.

Baylor's new HC Nicki Collen, however, did speak on Griner ... saying even though she never coached her, she knows BG made Baylor.

Emoni Bates -- the No. 5-ranked high school basketball player in the country in 2021 -- has been charged with two felonies after he was arrested on Sunday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, the 18-year-old -- who now plays for Eastern Michigan University -- was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm.

The charges stem from an arrest Sunday in Superior Township, Michigan. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office told WXYZ Detroit officers initially pulled over Bates for allegedly failing to stop at a stop sign -- and cops say they found a gun on him during the ensuing investigation.

Jail records show he was booked at 11:19 PM and is currently still in custody as of Monday morning.

Bates' attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN on Monday, "Reserve judgment on this ... There's way more to the story. He borrowed someone's car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car."

Bates was a star basketball player at Ypsi Prep Academy in Michigan -- and finished his 2020-2021 season just below Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero on national H.S. rankings lists.

He ultimately signed with Memphis -- but transferred to Eastern Michigan after starting just 13 games in his freshman season.

He's expected to be a key player on this year's Eagles team.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's girlfriend is legally barred from contacting him following her domestic violence arrest, but the rapper tells us he doesn't think the no-contact order is necessary.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tekashi's girlfriend of 4 years, Jade, is prohibited from having any communication with him, including phone calls, texts, letters and social media.

Jade's also barred from using a third party to contact 6ix9nine ... and she's got to stay at least 500 feet away from 69.

Tekashi tells TMZ ... his relationship with Jade is fine, and he's allowing Jade and her child to stay in his Florida home until the case is resolved. 69 tells us he will shack up in a hotel as the legal process plays out, and when it's over he will move back in with Jade and her kid.

TMZ broke the story ... Jade was arrested last month after getting into a dustup with Tekashi in Miami, with their altercation caught on video.

For his part, 6ix9ine thinks Jade attacked him because she was drunk and was being influenced by her friends.

Kevin Holland, UFC star and real-life superhero, tells TMZ Sports he's done saving people near his home in Texas ... after cops in the area jammed him up for minor traffic violations!

You may recall, the 29-year-old fighter risked life and limb on (not one but) two occasions within the last year. In October, Kevin stopped an alleged carjacker, chasing down, and holding the would-be thief until police arrived and arrested the man.

Then, just a few months later, Holland risked his own life when he stopped an alleged gun-wielding man who pulled a weapon at a local sushi spot.

But, Holland -- who's fighting Daniel Rodriguez at UFC 279 on September 10 (more on that later) -- says local law enforcement recently gave him a hard time for a traffic-related incident, so he's done doing their jobs.

"I got pulled over one night on my way to the airport, right, and they were like, 'we gotta book you., I'm like, 'book me for what?' They're like 'for tickets,' I'm like 'tickets? How much are the tickets? I got the money right now, I'll pay you.'"

Unfortunately, they dragged Kevin down to the station ... before finally letting him pay (he's a star athlete -- he's got the cash). It took hours before he was cut loose.

"I'm there for like 3, 4 hours -- this is way back on my birthday. I missed the flight, you know, I was picking someone up from the airport," Holland says, adding, "So, they gotta Uber to the house and I'm like bro, I just literally stopped a shooting a week ago and y'all gonna book me for some tickets?"

Harmless detainment aside, we asked Holland if local authorities ever honored him for his genuinely heroic acts.

"No. They give you one of these (flips middle finger)! Stay out of our way kid!"

But, Kevin continued, saying it was never about recognition.

"The good thing is I don't do it for the medal or anything like that. It's just when you see something bad going on, the right thing to do is the right thing to do, but I ain't gonna lie, it was funny as hell when [the arrest] happened. All my boys were like, 'this why I ain't doing s**t good, I ain't helpin' nobody.'"

The good news is as long as you're not in the Ft. Worth area ... Kevin says he's got your back.

"I ain't doing nothing to Saginaw no more, man. I'll help everybody else anywhere else. If you in Saginaw, I ain't helping you."

As for Holland's fight with 35-year-old Rodriguez (16-2, 8 KOs), Kevin's unfazed by his opponent's trash talk (and there's been a lot of it).

"It seems like he's forcing it, trying to sell some stuff," Holland said ... "Do your thing, bro!"

Kevin also breaks down who the UFC offered him, why he and Daniel are fighting at a catchweight of 180 lbs., and much more.

His prediction for September 10??

NYPD is getting dragged on social media due to a viral video of a cop slugging a woman square in the face, leaving her down for the count.

The brutal incident reportedly went down Aug. 12 in Harlem, but the video's just now circulating online -- and it shows a group of officers in the middle of a crowd. NYPD says they were attempting to arrest a man in connection with an attempted murder.

The scene is total chaos, and you see one officer push the woman away from the crowd, and she seems to shove him back.

That's when the cop simply hauls back and throws one crushing punch to her face. She immediately falls backward on the pavement.

Citizens on the scene were absolutely shocked, and at least one man is heard yelling at the cop, "Why would you do that?!"

It's unclear if she fell unconscious, but moments later the cops had her up on her feet and put her in handcuffs.

NYPD seems to be describing the incident as self-defense -- it says, “While police were effecting the arrest, multiple individuals on scene interfered by physically assaulting numerous officers. One officer sustained a minor injury to the head.”

Two women reportedly ended up charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, and obstructing governmental administration -- one of them was additionally charged with menacing and harassment, and a third woman was accused of spitting at an officer.

Meghan Markle drawing a parallel between her marriage to Prince Harry and Nelson Mandela's prison release is pissing off a lot of people ... especially Mandela's grandson.

To be fair, The Duchess of Sussex says it was someone else who made the comparison, but going public with it is blowing up in her face.

She recently told The Cut -- she's the cover story -- about an exchange she had at the 2019 London premiere of the live-action "Lion King" film ... claiming a South African cast member told her, "When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison."

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson, doubts that conversation ever happened, though ... telling Daily Mail his grandfather's celebration was "based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa. So, It cannot be equated to as the same."

As you know, under Apartheid rule, Mandela served 27 years in prison for sabotage and treason before his release ... and Mandla doesn't think South Africa's joy for that event can be fairly compared to Meghan marrying into royalty.

Meghan spilled a lot during her recent interview ... including her eventual return to Instagram after having to give up her personal account due to royal control.

She says, "Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?”

She doesn't point fingers at any specific person or moment, though.

Kodak Black says the Florida cops who arrested him for allegedly trafficking oxycodone are still holding onto his car and thousands of dollars in cash nearly a month later ... and now he's out of patience and wants it all back.

Kodak is asking the court to make the Florida Highway Patrol officers who busted him return a Dodge Durango and $74,960 in cash they seized during the arrest ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, says his client can prove the car and cash belong to Kodak and were not involved in any illegal activity.

For starters, Cohen claims the Durango is registered to Florida-based record label Sniper Gang, and Kodak is a manager of that entity.

Since Kodak has already turned over the prescriptions for the pills found in the vehicle, Cohen claims there is no legal basis for the police to continue to hold the Durango and should return it pronto.

As for the roughly $75K in cash, Kodak's attorney says he carries so much dough around because he's a rapper and it goes with the territory ... claiming Kodak needs large sums of money on him to pay various expenses on tour. Also, he's often paid in cash for his gigs.

Remember ... cops pulled Kodak's car over last month and say the ride reeked of weed, prompting a search that turned up the cash and 31 oxycodone pills ... this according to cops.

Kodak's attorney claims he ended up providing cops with a prescription for the pills ... and insists there's no basis for cops to continue holding the car and cash as evidence.

The court has yet to rule.

Hours after Brittney Griner was sentenced by a Russian judge to 9 years in prison ... Trevor Noah went IN on the foreign country -- dragging Vladimir Putin, while calling Thursday's ruling complete "bulls***."

Noah held nothing back on "The Daily Show," accusing Russia of using Griner and her drug trial as political pawns to gain leverage on the U.S.

"We all know Russia doesn’t care about what Brittney Griner did," Noah said. "This is the same country that’s breaking every human rights law on the planet, but they’re like, ‘That woman has vape cartridge. She’s real criminal.'"

"Get the f*** out of here, man!"

Noah went on to repeatedly call Thursday's ruling "bulls***."

The comedian, though, did say there is a sliver of positive news to come out of Griner's sentence -- the U.S. and Russia can now seemingly begin prisoner swap talks earnestly.

And, Noah's clearly all in favor of giving the country whatever it wants to get the WNBA star back.

"Yeah, it seems like they win, but don’t forget, that person now has to live in Russia," Noah said. "Yeah, yeah. They’ll get there and be like, 'This whole country is prison. I miss food in Alcatraz, no!'"

Griner's Phoenix Mercury teammates, meanwhile, honored their star center with a 42-second moment of silence before their game against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night.

Players from both teams linked arms during the pregame ceremony -- and at the tail-end of it all, an arena-wide "Bring Her Home!" chant broke out.

The U.S. government says it's doing everything it can to get Brittney Griner home ... but now there's a Justin from Canada looking to help out, too -- and it ain't Trudeau.

Justin Bieber is reacting to Griner's 9-year sentence for bringing cannabis oil into Russia ... saying it "hurts" to hear the news, but he doesn't want to sit around and do nothing.

"If anyone knows of anyway (sic) I can help please let me know."

Bieber is just one of many notable figures furious over the sentencing -- Kyrie Irving called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to provide more info about Griner's status.

"What is truly happening with our Queen @brittneygriner @POTUS @VP?" the Brooklyn Nets superstar tweeted. "Please give us an Update."

WNBA star Lexie Brown added ... "Anyone that goes back to Russia to play is insane."

"Praying for BG man…this is breaking my heart seeing her right now 😔😔😔."

Ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III's reaction was simple -- "BRING BRITTNEY GRINER HOME!!!"

The NBA and WNBA released a joint statement ... saying Griner's verdict and sentencing was "unjustified and unfortunate," but reaffirmed the organizations will stop at nothing to make sure she comes home.

As we previously reported, the U.S. has made Russia a "very good offer" to bring her back to the States.

Brittney Griner was emotional in Russian court on Thursday ... apologizing for "my mistake that I made," while pleading with the judge to hand down a light sentence.

Griner issued the mea culpa at another hearing in her drug case ... telling the Moscow courtroom she was deeply sorry for inadvertently packing hashish oil in her luggage back in mid-February.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," the WNBA superstar said.

"I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

According to Associated Press reporters on the scene, Griner -- wearing a gray T-shirt and dark pants -- appeared to be very emotional while saying she was sorry.

Griner later urged the judge to take it easy on her when her sentence is eventually handed down ... saying she hopes the ruling "does not end my life.”

Prosecutors, though, reportedly argued in the courtroom Thursday that Griner did intentionally bring the cannabis oil ... and urged the judge to sentence the 31-year-old to 9.5 years behind bars. They also reportedly argued Griner should be hit with a big fine.

The judge is expected to make a ruling in the case as early as Thursday afternoon.

As we reported, Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges against her last month. She's facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have classified her as wrongfully detained ... and have confirmed they've made Russia a substantial trade offer to ultimately bring her home.