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Thrill seekers got more than they bargained for at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk ... folks who were riding the classic roller coaster had to be evacuated near the top of the ride!!!

Footage from the beachside theme park shows several riders being led down the Giant Dipper's wooden structure Sunday ... holding on to the railing for dear life as they climb down a huge ramp. They're not quite at the pinnacle of the ride, but they're certainly uphill.

It's pretty scary ... the people being evacuated from the ride had their car stuck at the top of the coaster's lift hill ... so they have a lot of track to cover. In terms of why they had to get out and trek down ... we have an answer, and as it turns out -- it was completely necessary.

XXL magazine's debuting its 2024 Freshman class and riding the wave of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," but the outlet's also overlooking the song's main theme -- showing love for the West Coast!!!

The annual cover, which dropped Monday, only allows for 10 spots and this year's lineup filled 5 slots with artists from New York and other East Coast cities, including Cash Cobain ... who TMZ Hip Hop caught up with in March to speak on his viral "Fisherrr" moment.

Texas lyricists BigXthaPlug and That Mexican OT were also celebrated on social media for earning their spots through skill -- but fans on PDT were left confused as to why the rankings were so lopsided.

Kate Middleton just came out and confirmed TMZ's reporting -- namely, that her cancer treatments are going well ... and more importantly, that she'll be out in public tomorrow.

The Princess of Wales just posted a lengthy statement, in which she provides a pretty extensive health update after she announced she's battling cancer earlier this year. It's good news here ... as KM says she'll be in attendance for the Trooping of Colour parade Saturday.

Kate writes, "I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."

Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. has been found not guilty in his rape trial ... with the NBA prospect being acquitted of all charges on Thursday.

The decision was announced minutes ago ... with the jury coming to its conclusion after just over an hour of deliberation.

Shannon Jr. was accused of sexual misconduct following a trip to Lawrence, Kansas in September ... and was suspended from the Illinois basketball team after being charged with rape and sexual battery.

Enchanting -- the Texas-born female rapper who was once positioned to be the First Lady of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records -- died suddenly this week ... leaving him completely gutted.

On his IG, Gucci posted a pic of Enchanting with the heartbroken caption ... "So sad to have to say R.I.P to such a great young lady a true star we gone all miss you Chant 😢 💔"

Several other hip hop artists -- Erica Banks, Lakeyah, Omeretta, Gloss Up and more -- also paid respects to their colleague after Lil CJ Kasino, an artist manager out of Fort Worth, confirmed the news on IG while reminiscing about the tracks she laid down in his studio.

9:08 AM PT -- President Biden just addressed the conviction, saying in part ... "So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery."

He adds, "As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal."

8:56 AM PT -- Hunter Biden just walked out of court after being found guilty in his gun case -- and he was holding his wife and Jill Biden's hands ... and he seemed to be in relatively good spirits. A sentencing date hasn't been set -- but the judge reportedly noted sentencing typically goes down about 120 days after a verdict is rendered.

Young Thug's attorney Brian Steel followed in the footsteps of YSL Woody on Monday ... he was held in contempt and taken into custody in the middle of the trial.

Judge Ural Glanville and Steel engaged in a testy back-and-forth after the attorney -- based on information he claimed to have from a source -- accused the judge of having a secret conversation with prosecutors and Woody behind his back ... but then refused to give up his source for the accusation.

The whole thing turned into a clash of the legal titans ... and the judge ended up holding Steel in contempt for refusing to give up his source.

Dallas Cowboys legend Larry Allen -- arguably the best interior offensive lineman in NFL history -- has tragically died.

The team announced on Monday that Allen passed away on Sunday while on vacation with his family in Mexico. No further details surrounding his death were released.

"The Jones family and the Cowboys extend their deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the Allen family," the Cowboys said in a statement, "and grieve along with the many other friends and Cowboys teammates that also loved Larry."

President Joe Biden is weighing in on Donald Trump's guilty verdict ... and, unsurprisingly has taken shots at his political rival -- saying the dude's reckless for suggesting it was rigged.

46 spoke to the media Friday -- where he was mostly addressing the situation in Israel-Gaza -- but right from the jump, he chimed in on DT's conviction Thursday ... where he was found guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records.

Joe dove right in ... saying nobody was above the law, and that Trump got a fair trial just like everyone else in the country ... despite the ex-Prez strongly claiming he got a raw deal.

3:38 PM PT -- Omarosa tells TMZ ... "This verdict delivers a powerful blow to DJT, who believes that he is above the law! Donald has been Trumped by a jury of his peers."

Michael Cohen, meanwhile, tells us ... "Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters."

2:24 PM PT -- Donald Trump just addressed the media after leaving court -- and as expected, he called the verdict rigged ... continuing to insist he hadn't done anything wrong whatsoever.

KTLA weatherman Mark Kriski is recovering from a medical emergency -- as the beloved broadcaster suffered a mild stroke ... according to his wife, reporter Jennifer Gould.

Jennifer tells TMZ ... Mark suffered the stroke early Monday morning at their L.A. home. He was hospitalized, but she says he's on the road to recovery.

While he's still hospitalized, she says Mark is communicative, joking around and, generally, in good spirits. KTLA broke the news and just announced it on the air.

Diddy's legal troubles are getting even worse as a grand jury has reportedly been empaneled to hear evidence in his federal probe, indicating he could face a possible criminal indictment.

CNN published a story Wednesday morning, saying the Justice Department is moving forward in its investigation of the music mogul by notifying witnesses they could testify before the grand jury in the Southern District of New York, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Some of the potential witnesses would likely be Diddy's accusers who have filed lawsuits against him for sexual assault, human trafficking and other serious offenses. So far, Diddy has been named in 8 lawsuits, including the most notable one brought by his former girlfriend, Cassie, which they settled quickly.

10:10 AM PT -- Jake Paul is shutting down any online chatter about their fight being called off in the wake of Mike Tyson's health scare.

Jake says people "love to make s**t up," but reassured fans the July 20 bout is still a go. As he put it, "nothing changed."

Mike Tyson is recovering from an ulcer flare-up he suffered while flying cross-country -- and it was so bad, airline staff had to put out the call for any medical professionals on the plane to come forward.

Sofia Richie is officially a mom -- she and her husband Elliot Grainge say their bundle of joy arrived this week.

Lionel Richie's daughter gave birth to her own little girl ... Sofia says she gave birth on Monday, which she calls the "best day of my life."

And they've already got a name ... Eloise Samantha Grainge.

After two weeks of outrage, Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech finally resulted in someone's firing -- it just wasn't the Chiefs' placekicker who lost his job -- but instead, a member of the City of K.C.'s social media team got the axe after doxxing the Super Bowl champ.

On Thursday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas revealed the city "separated" from a K.C. staffer who publicly roasted 28-year-old Butker after his Benedictine College speech, tweeting, "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit."

The message was deleted shortly after ... and an apology put up in its place -- "We apologies (sic) for our previous tweet. It was shared in error."

Tennessee's top cop is stepping up for the King ... officially checking out misconduct allegations against the lending company that attempted to foreclose on Elvis Presley's estate.

TN Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced Thursday his office is investigating Naussany Investments and Private Lending, LLC -- the company that set the wheels in motion for Graceland to be auctioned off ... that is, until Elvis' granddaughter Riley Keough accused the company of fraud.

Skrmetti said, “I have asked my lawyers to look into this matter, determine the full extent of any misconduct that may have occurred, and identify what we can do to protect both Elvis Presley’s heirs and anyone else who may be similarly threatened.”