Crime & Arrests

Ex-NFLer Justin Bannan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in his attempted murder case ... after the defensive lineman allegedly shot a woman back in 2019.

41-year-old Bannan -- who played 11 seasons in the NFL -- was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault and burglary back in October 2019 ... after he shot a woman in the shoulder in Boulder, Colorado.

The woman survived -- and she's suing Bannan over the shooting -- but he's also being prosecuted criminally and faces serious prison time if convicted.

Officials say at the time of his arrest, Bannan told a bizarre story about how he was on the run from the Russian mafia and had ditched his cell phone over fears he was being tracked.

Bannan also claimed he did not intend to fire his weapon, claiming the shooting was an accident and he never intentionally targeted the female victim.

Officials say the woman had worked in the same building as Bannan ... but they really didn't know each other.

Cops also say when the 6'3", 310-lb. Bannan was arrested, he was carrying a rolled-up $20 dollar bill, which later tested positive for cocaine.

According to FOX 31 Denver, Bannan is now set to undergo a mental health evaluation at a state hospital.

Bannan was a standout defensive lineman at the University of Colorado from 1997-2001 ... and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

Drew Drechsel, the reigning "American Ninja Warrior" champ, is now facing federal charges for luring an underage girl for sex.

Last year's 'ANW' winner allegedly began a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in New Jersey back in 2015 ... according to legal docs, obtained by TMZ. Drechsel, nicknamed the Real Life Ninja, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Saint Cloud, FL.

The feds say the alleged victim contacted cops in NJ in June 2019 and told them she started having sex with Drechsel when she was 15 and he was 26. She claims they first met in 2014 after an 'ANW' contestant event, exchanged numbers and began texting each other.

In the docs, the alleged victim claims Drechsel invited her to his gym in Hamden, CT as a 15th birthday present, and they had sex after his girlfriend left the gym. She told police she informed her mother about the encounter the very next day.

The mother alleges Drechsel didn't deny having sex with her daughter when confronted, but claimed he did not know the girl's age.

According to docs, the alleged victim also told cops she met Drechsel multiple times outside a NJ gym and had sex with him when she was 15 to 17 years old.

The feds say she told them Drechsel frequently asked her to Skype him while she was naked, and they allegedly found child pornography on Drechsel's cell phone ... along with his requests for her to delete their text messages.

Drechsel -- who won $1 million on 'ANW' -- remains in custody after a judge found him to be a flight risk and danger to the community. U.S. Marshals are transporting him from Florida to NJ, where he'll stand trial.

Detroit rapper 42 Dugg's wearing a new accessory, but there's no celeb jeweler involved this time -- instead, it's cops who've put a GPS monitor on him after he allegedly tried to evade police.

The rapper was busted Monday in Oakland County, Michigan nearly 2 months after cops say he fled from officers in a Detroit suburb ... according to Oakland County's chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton.

Walton tells us cops tried to pull over a 2020 Chevy Tahoe that ran a stop sign back on June 5. We're told the Tahoe initially pulled over but took off when the cop approached the car, and actually managed to make a clean getaway.

Well, not all that clean. We're told the cop ran the plates and discovered it was a Hertz rental ... that was under a local promoter's name. A detective did some digging and found out Dugg is one of the promoter's clients.

Walton tells us the detective ultimately reviewed surveillance video in the area and identified 42 Dugg as the driver. The 25-year-old rapper was finally tracked down and booked for fleeing a police officer -- a third-degree felony.

Dugg eventually posted $20k bond but got a GPS ankle monitor as part of his conditional release. If convicted, the rapper faces up to 5 years in prison, a $1,000 fine and suspension of his license for 1 year. He's due back in court next week.

Dugg is best known for his collabs with Lil Baby ... including "Grace" and "We Paid," which have more than 106 million YouTube views. We've reached out to Dugg, so far, no word back.

Benzino allegedly flew into a jealous rage and took his anger out on his baby mama, Althea Eaton's new man and his truck ... which led to his arrest.

The incident went down Friday morning in Braselton, GA where Benzino allegedly got into a shouting match with a man who was hanging out with Althea ... according to cops.

That other man told cops he "and a female he has been seeing, Althea Eaton, were out for a walk in the neighborhood" but when they got back to his truck, Benzino "approached him in a threatening and harassing manner." Cops say the man told them he didn't know Benzino and had no idea Althea was involved with someone else.

According to the police report, the guy tried getting into his 2018 Chevy Silverado but Benzino wasn't having it, and allegedly hit the truck multiple times with his fist. Cops say they saw 2 dents in the driver's side door.

Now, Benzino told a much different story -- claiming he was in the area watching his son play tennis when "a male came up to him and told him he was going to shoot him."

Benzino denied damaging the dude's truck, but witnesses backed up the other man's claims. Benzino was ultimately arrested and booked on 1 count of criminal damage 2nd degree and 1 count of disorderly conduct. He was taken to Gwinnett County Jail where his bail was set at $8,450, and we're told he remains behind bars.

As we've reported ... Benzino's had his share of trouble with the law, and NO lack of serious drama with Althea.

Aerial performer Sam Panda got detained by Myrtle Beach police for her revealing swimsuit, and she had to have a long thong debate to get released.

Sam says "some Karen" called the cops on her for her bikini, and the video starts with her being walked away in cuffs as she and her friend ask for clarification.

The cops actually busted out their law book and claimed Sam was violating an ordinance about being nude on a public beach, and one officer equated her thong bikini to nudity.

Sam objected, and after pointing out that her private parts were all covered up, the cops called for backup. Yes, they needed backup ... over the exposed backside.

For the record, this is the law they brought her in for ... being in public in "a state of dress or undress so as to expose to the view of others specified anatomical areas" ... in this case, her butt.

According to the MB police ... the initial call was a report of 2 women "who were wearing thong bikinis and a see-through top that were dancing and soliciting videos on the beach."

Cops say Sam tried to walk away, which is why she was detained, but after the ordinance was explained ... the ladies agreed to cover up and were released without charges.

Sam believes the woman who reported her "decided that my body was offensive to her and showed her child that her body could one day lead to her arrest."

BTW -- if Sam Panda looks or sounds familiar ... it's because she went viral a few years ago for suffering a broken neck in a scary accident when a rig malfunctioned during one of her acrobatic stunts.

Ronni Hawk -- one of the stars of the Disney sitcom, "Stuck in the Middle" -- is facing a felony for allegedly roughing up her man.

The 20-year-old actress was arrested Friday morning in L.A. and taken to the Van Nuys jail. We're told Ronni was booked on one felony count of corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police got a call to a home for a domestic disturbance, and when they arrived, officers say a man on the scene had visible injuries including scratches.

Cops say there was a verbal argument between Hawk and her boyfriend and at some point ... it got physical. Due to his apparent injuries, officers determined she should be arrested.

Hawk -- who's also known for roles on the shows, "Legacies" and "On My Block" -- had bail set at $100k.

Chad Johnson can put his domestic violence drama behind him now, provided he remains on his best behavior ... after scoring a sweet plea deal.

The former 'Bachelorette' star pled no contest to 1 count of vandalism and 1 count of intimidating a witness ... according to the L.A. County Superior Court Clerk. We're told the 4 other charges he was facing --- corporal injury, battery, trespassing and vandalism -- were dropped in exchange for his plea.

Johnson was sentenced to 36 months probation, and will have to take domestic violence classes. There's also a restitution hearing coming up in a few months.

TMZ broke the story ... Chad was arrested back in February after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with his on-again, off-again GF, Annalise Mishler. She claimed Chad got drunk and not only punched a hole in her wall but also got physical with her.

Chad copped to getting angry and punching the wall but vehemently denied ever getting physical with her. This prompted Annalise to say Chad's out to ruin her life and call him out for never taking responsibility for his actions.

Weird thing is ... just weeks after the incident, they were seen out all chummy as if nothing had ever happened.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted MLB catcher Reese McGuire for allegedly masturbating in public ... and it's SUPER AWKWARD.

First off, police say cameras malfunctioned in the process of recording the video, which is why most of the picture is black ... but you can still hear audio of McGuire's encounter with officers in a strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 7.

The conversation begins with cops asking the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays player if he was aware that people had called them saying they had seen him while he was half-naked in his car pleasuring himself.

McGuire tried to explain the situation ... before telling the cops, "I realized, what an idiot. What a dumb place to be hanging out."

That's when one of the officers asked the MLB player straight-up, "Why would you come to a parking lot just to masturbate?"

Reese responded, "I just, I don't know."

To his credit, McGuire went on to tell the officer he was SUPER sorry for the incident ... saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing ... I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire was eventually charged with 1st-degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted.

Reese, though, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this month ... pleading no contest to a reduced 2nd-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County told us his punishment was nothing more than fines and court costs.

Tekashi 6ix9ine is enjoying his first taste of freedom in about 21 months -- his home confinement and GPS-monitored days are officially ending.

The rapper's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... Tekashi's federal probation officer is going to the rapper's home Saturday to remove his ankle monitor. We're told 6ix9ine will also be provided a schedule for when he needs to check in with his PO during his 5 years of supervised release.

It's a momentous occasion for Tekashi ... remember, the rapper-turned-state's witness (aka snitch) proudly showed off his ankle monitor when he dropped his first music video following his prison stint.

While T69 can now leave his house, he's not exactly free to move about the country, as they say.

Lazzaro says Tekashi will need to get permission from his PO whenever he wants to leave the state or the country, including when he travels for a performance or recording session. No business trip exceptions!

The good news for 69 is as long as he's within NY state borders, we're told he doesn't have to check in with the PO for every little thing he does. So, considering he's been locked up since November 2018 ... this is pretty damn close to his life before prison.

Wisely, we're told he's not going hog wild ... he's got nothing special on the calendar, other than hitting the studio and making music.

Two white supremacists were arrested Friday for attacking a vehicle with a shovel, after the woman screamed at the people inside the car, "only white lives matter," and her husband got all Hitlery with the Nazi salute, declaring, "white power."

The incident went down in Torrance, CA, when Gregory and Rachel Howell got involved in a road rage incident ... this according to the Torrance Police Dept.

The woman inside the vehicle recorded the confrontation. The hateful comments and gestures apparently weren't enough for the married couple, because the guy went back to his truck, grabbed a shovel from his pickup truck and used it to go wild on the car, striking it several times before the driver beat a hasty retreat.

Boston Marathon Bombing survivor Adrianne Haslet -- who lost her leg in the terror attack -- is FURIOUS after an appeals court Friday overturned the bomber's death sentence.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been sentenced to die for his role in the 2013 bombing which killed 3 people and injured more than 250 others, including Haslet.

Haslet -- a professional dancer at the time -- required emergency surgery and lost her left leg from the knee down.

Her comeback story has been nothing short of inspirational -- she trained up and completed the marathon on a prosthetic leg in 2016.

But, after learning that an appeals court had overturned Tsarnaev's death sentence Friday ... she WENT OFF in a heated IG post.

"I’m so livid at today’s ruling by the federal court," Haslet said.

"First and foremost, I cannot emphasize enough, without a shadow of a doubt, that the criminal justice system needs a complete overhaul to stop racial profiling, and the death penalty is used in far too many cases of injustice. AND. The death penalty should be used in this particular case."

"This terrorist admitted in court he was guilty of crimes committed against our country. He confessed, with his brother, to a man who testified in court that their plans were to drive to New York and bomb the city too. This terrorist gave the finger when asked if he felt guilty."

She added, "He is a threat to all of us and he needs to die."

As for Tsarnaev, the appeals court believed some of the jurors in his trial were not completely truthful about how much information they had about the case while being selected.

The death sentence was vacated -- BUT there will be a new penalty phase of the trial where it's possible the new jury could still sentence him to death.

Nicki Minaj's husband really wants to be there for the birth of the couple's first child ... a once-in-a-lifetime moment he might have to miss due to his pending criminal case.

Kenneth Petty just submitted legal docs, obtained by TMZ, begging the judge to modify the terms of his pretrial release conditions so he can travel with Nicki periodically on business as her manager and attend the upcoming birth of their baby.

As you know ... Kenneth recently registered as a sex offender in Cali after getting arrested for allegedly failing to do so when he moved to the state with Nicki. Some of the terms of his pretrial release -- he has a curfew and his travel is restricted to California.

According to the docs, Kenneth wants the judge to tweak his release conditions so he can be by Nicki's side if she gives birth outside his curfew hours.

Kenneth says the U.S. Attorney's Office and pretrial services office don't oppose his request, so now it's up to the judge to sign off.

As we reported ... Nicki announced her pregnancy earlier this month, and it looks like she's at least 6 months along. So the baby could be coming soon.

BTW ... Kenneth's status as a sex offender stems from a 1995 New York conviction for first-degree attempted rape. Petty pled not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, and a judge recently gave him permission to surf the web.

Now, Kenneth's hoping to go 2-for-2 with the judge.

Some of the most high-profile celebs, politicians and business leaders can thank a Florida teen for hacking their Twitter accounts ... according to cops, who've busted the alleged mastermind.

Graham Ivan Clark was arrested Friday morning in Tampa following an investigation into the hack that appeared to be part of a massive Bitcoin scam ... and the 17-year-old is facing a whopping 30 felony charges.

The State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough County says Clark is responsible for the July 15 hack, which as we reported, saw Twitter accounts for Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Kanye West, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jeff Bezos, Mike Bloomberg and Kim Kardashian tweeting out a message asking users to send $1,000 to the same Bitcoin address in return for $2,000.

The scheme was pretty lucrative ... authorities say the hack reeled in more than $100,000 in Bitcoin.

Clark was arrested and booked shortly after 6:30 AM Friday ... according to jail records.

While Clark is only 17 years old, Florida law allows minors to be charged as adults in some cases of financial fraud.

Twitter says the hackers fooled its employees into handing over high-level administrative credentials over the phone in a "spear-phishing attack," which allowed the hackers to target other Twitter employees with access to account support tools and ultimately tweet from the celeb accounts.

Kids these days.

A former Buffalo State football player is fighting for his life after being shot during an altercation at a liquor store Monday ... and cops have released the shocking footage in hopes of catching the suspect.

NYPD officials say a fight broke out between Malachi Capers -- a former D-end at Buff. State -- and another man after the two bumped into each other inside 136 Deli & Grill in Queens.

You can see in surveillance footage of the incident ... Capers brushed up against the man's shoulder -- and then the two exchanged words.

Eventually, fists started flying ... and that's when the former football player tackled the guy to the ground outside the store.

When the man was able to free himself from Capers' grasp ... you can see in the video, he pulled out a firearm and shot the 20-year-old in the stomach.

Capers is now reportedly in the hospital battling critical injuries.

Now, the NYPD says it's looking for the gunman -- who officials ID'ed as Jeffrey Thurston -- and is asking for any help in finding his location.

Buffalo State head coach Christian Ozolins, meanwhile, released a statement to multiple media outlets regarding the shooting ... saying, "Malachi was a well-liked member of our football family during his freshman year in 2018 and has remained a friend to many in our program as he has continued his education at Buffalo State after leaving the team due to on-going injury issues."

"We have him in our thoughts as we wish for a speedy and full recovery."

A woman in Michigan is now facing the music after setting a Jeep on fire ... as she now sits injured, behind bars.

Sydney Parham made news for all the wrong reasons last week in the Detroit suburb of Harrison Township ... where she's allegedly seen on video dousing a black Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire. When the jeep ignited in flames, Parham got more than she bargained for as the explosion of flames knocked her back.

Parham was arrested for arson and is in jail in lieu of $20,000. As for why she torched the Jeep ... the owner of the SUV, Avery Stephens, says he's got no idea.

Ex-NFL star Dana Stubblefield was just found guilty of raping a mentally disabled woman stemming from a 2015 incident ... and now he faces up to life in prison.

49-year-old Stubblefield was first arrested back in May 2016 after officials say the former 49ers superstar raped a woman he found on a babysitting website and had invited to his Santa Clara, CA home for a job interview.

Stubblefield had argued the sex was consensual -- and claimed he can prove it with a lie detector test.

He was initially hit with 5 felonies -- but in January 2018, prosecutors uncovered evidence they believe proved Stubblefield used a gun to commit the alleged rape. Bail was revoked and he was remanded back into custody.

He spent the next several weeks locked up in Santa Clara County Jail.

The case ultimately went to a jury -- and Monday, following a 9-month trial, Stubblefield was formally convicted of forcible rape while using a gun. He now faces 15 years to life in prison.

Stubblefield was a 1st-round NFL Draft pick in 1993 and went on to make 3 Pro Bowls. He was a key part of the 49ers 1994 team that beat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

Back in 2016, Stubblefield's attorney Ken Rosenfeld told TMZ Sports the accuser was lying in an apparent shakedown.

"Dana Stubblefield is being unfairly targeted due to his celebrity and wealth by someone with full motivation to lie," Rosenfeld told us at the time.

"The clear motivation here is money."

Stubblefield was remanded into custody after the verdict was read. His next hearing is not until August 29.

Stubblefield was married at the time of the incident — but his wife filed for divorce right before the rape allegations went public. They have 2 children together.