Crime & Arrests

Frank James, the suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting, has been taken into custody ... according to law enforcement sources.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... James was arrested in the East Village Wednesday. Clips from the arrest show squads of cop cars surrounding the area as they load him into the back of their vehicle.

As you know, upwards of 30 people were treated for injuries Tuesday after the bloody aftermath in Brooklyn. There were also reports of smoke inhalation ... as the shooter appears to have used a flashbang of some kind to obscure people's vision.

A man named Zack Tahhan, who was working in the area where James was caught, says he recognized the suspect from news reports and called the cops ... who made the arrest.

James' YouTube page has been unearthed over the past 24 hours, and the clips are alarming ... including James going on rants left and right and one video labeled "STOP ONE COMPLETE," where it looks like James says "you oughta die."

He seems quite agitated by the state of affairs in 2022 ... and he invokes violent language to talk about much of it.

Fortunately, no fatalities yet, and none are expected. NYC Mayor Adams called for a national response to gun violence as a result of the shooting. He also said there'd be changes on the city level -- including more officers in the subway.

"Game of Thrones" actor, Joseph Gatt, has been arrested for allegedly having sexually explicit chats with a minor online ... TMZ has learned.

According to the LAPD ...  the 50-year-old actor was arrested at his Los Angeles home on April 6, after police served a search warrant. Cops got word that Gatt was allegedly engaging in online sexually explicit communication, with a minor.

He was taken into custody and booked on an outstanding felony warrant for contact with a minor for a sexual offense.

In addition to his role as a Thenn Warg in "Game of Thrones," he is also known for his roles in "Thor", "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "Dumbo."

He was released the same day on $5,000 bail.

John Hinckley -- the man who tried killing Ronald Reagan once upon a time -- has turned a new leaf in the world of music ... and it sounds like he can get asses in the seats.

The one-time, would-be presidential assassin -- who shot Reagan in 1981 but was subsequently acquitted by reason of insanity -- has an upcoming performance in Brooklyn this summer that has apparently sold out in tickets ... this according to the venue itself.

The place is called the Market Hotel, and per their website ... there are no more seats available for Hinckley's show on July 8, where he's booked to play the guitar and sing some songs.

The ticket prices were going for $20 a pop before they all got snapped up -- and BTW, this place has somewhat of a decent-sized capacity ... 450 people can fill the joint, so ya gotta imagine at least a few hundred heads are gonna be watching come showtime.

Hinckley has been all-in on this sing-songy occupation since he cashed in on his unconditional release earlier this year ... this following being sprung from a Virginia psych ward in 2016 and fighting for less and less supervision throughout the years.

The guy has about 26k subscribers on his YouTube channel ... and he's also penned/performed a handful of original songs while strumming his instrument.

Here's another wild aspect to this ... Hinckley says he's started a record label in the past few months, which he calls Emporia Records. The first release, he explains, will be a 14-track CD of his own original songs as well as covers.

Sherri Papini, the California mom who was charged with staging her own disappearance, just copped a plea deal in her criminal case.

Papini's defense attorney, William Portanova, tells TMZ ... Sherri signed a plea deal Tuesday in which she will plead guilty to counts of lying to a federal officer and mail fraud.

Remember ... Papini made national headlines when she was reported missing in early November 2016 before eventually being found on Thanksgiving about 150 miles away from her Northern California home. She told police she was abducted by 2 Hispanic women and held at gunpoint, even working with an FBI sketch artist to come up with a sketch of her alleged kidnappers.

But, as we reported just last month, Papini was arrested and charged for allegedly making the whole thing up ... with the feds saying she was actually staying with her ex-boyfriend when she claimed she was kidnapped.

Papini was charged with making a false statement and mail fraud, and the judge said she was facing a maximum sentence of 5 years/$250,000 fine and 20 years/$250,000 fine, respectively, if convicted.

Papini's lawyer says they are taking her case "in an entirely new direction" and "everything that has happened before today stops today."

Papini tells TMZ in a statement released through her legal team ... "I am deeply ashamed of myself for my behavior and so sorry for the pain I've caused my family, my friends, all the good people who needlessly suffered because of my story and those who worked so hard to try to help me."

She adds ... "I will work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done."

While Papini's plea deal has been delivered to prosecutors, those same prosecutors have not yet filed a sentencing memo with their recommended sentence.

Miya Ponsetto, aka "SoHo Karen", is striking a plea deal that will keep her from spending any time behind bars after committing what the D.A. deemed a hate crime.

Ponsetto accepted a deal from prosecutors which will require her to "live a law-abiding life"  for 2 years. She entered a guilty plea and has agreed to continue with therapy and follow the terms of her probation while living in California.

Miya's lawyer, Paul D'Emilia, tells TMZ ... "We are pleased that today’s proceeding brought this unfortunate misunderstanding closer to a final resolution ... We are appreciative of the District Attorney’s thoughtful and empathetic approach to finding an acceptable conclusion."

If she is able to steer clear of trouble for 2 years, she'll be able to withdraw her guilty plea to the felony and re-plead to aggravated harassment in the second degree -- which is only a misdemeanor.

If she gets in trouble again, though, she could face up to 4 years in prison.

Manhattan's DA, Alvin Bragg, says, "Ms. Ponsetto displayed outrageous behavior. As a Black man, I have personally experienced racial profiling countless times in my life and I sympathize with the young man victimized in this incident. This plea ensures appropriate accountability for Ms. Ponsetto by addressing underlying causes for her behavior and ensuring this conduct does not reoccur”.

As we've previously reported, Ponsetto was charged with a hate crime ... after she went viral for attacking a then 14-year-old, Keyon Harrold Jr. as she wrongly accused him of stealing her iPhone.

The ugly 2020 incident was caught on camera as she went after the teenager in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo.

That wasn't Posetto's first run-in with the law either. In California, she'd also been busted twice for DUI in 2020 and got arrested for being drunk in public with her mom another time ... and remains on probation for that.

Tory Lanez is flirting with legal disaster by dropping a new song with lyrics someone -- like a judge -- might think refer to Megan Thee Stallion, which is exactly what got him 'cuffed in court recently.

The "TMZ Hip Hop" crew broke down Tory's newly-released single, "Mucky James," and it sounds like the rapper is taking his words right up to the line, at the very least. In one line from the song he raps "I can't lie, temporarily that bitch came and ruined s**t."

Some fans assume he was referring to Megan with the "that bitch" line -- something that could be a second violation of the protective order banning him from communicating with or to MTS.

As we reported, Tory was handcuffed in court last week due to a February tweet the judge saw as direct communication with Meg ... even though he never called her out by name.

His bail was increased to $350K ... which makes ya wonder why he'd even flirt with that kinda violation again.

"TMZ Hip Hop" is digging into the Tory-Megan case -- along with lots of other stories, and it's all on Monday through Friday on these stations:

New York: 11 PM MY9 (WWOR)
Los Angeles: 2:30 PM FOX11 (KTTV)
Chicago: 12 AM FOX32 (WFLD)
Philly: 12 AM FOX29 (WTXF)
Dallas: 12:30 PM FOX4 (KDFW)
Houston: 12:30 PM FOX26 (KRIV), 10 PM MY20 (KTXH)
Washington, DC: 12 AM FOX5 (WTTG), 6:30 PM FOX5 PLUS (WDCA)
Seattle: 11:30 PM FOX13 (KCPQ)
Phoenix: 11:30 PM FOX10 (KSAZ)
Minneapolis: 11:30 PM FOX9 (KMSP)

Dana White says he absolutely hated the sight of Jorge Masvidal allegedly attacking Colby Covington outside a restaurant in Miami ... but he tells TMZ Sports Chaos had it coming when he brought up Gamebred's family.

"Obviously, I don't condone guys getting into fights in the street and I hate everything about it," White tells us.

"But again, this is a business where I'm gonna fight you and there's a certain level of what I believe is man code where you don't talk about people's families, you don't talk bout the kids and you don't talk bout their wives."

White says Covington should've known Masvidal would (allegedly) come for Covington in the streets ... saying that's what happens when people cross the line.

"Especially with a guy like Jorge Masvidal. If you do that to Jorge Masvidal, you better watch yourself when you're coming out of restaurants."

Masvidal was arrested and hit with two felony charges -- aggravated battery with a mask and criminal mischief -- after allegedly punching Covington twice, breaking his tooth in the process.

Masvidal has pled not guilty to the charges ... and is due back in court for a hearing in the case later this month.

Jussie Smollett might’ve gone straight from his jail cell to the studio ... because he just dropped a new song where he directly addresses his court case.

The former “Empire” star released a single Friday dubbed, “Thank You God,” and some of the lyrics are very interesting, considering his recent circumstances.

Jussie sings ... “Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this ... this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?”

The song comes on the heels of Jussie’s jail release pending his appeal. He’s been out for about 3 weeks, and seemingly put the song together in that time.

Jussie also sings ... “It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides.”

He dedicates the song to “the people who kept it real, who kept it true” ... and he says he’s donating all profits from the track to the Rainbow Push Coalition, Secure the Bag Safety and the Illinois Innocence Project.

As you know ... a jury found Jussie guilty of 5 of the 6 felony counts against him for lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a racist, homophobic attack ... and a judge sentenced him to 5 months behind bars.

But, Jussie was released from jail March 16 while he tries to get his sentence for the hoax attack overturned.

Jovan Vavic -- a former USC water polo coach -- was found guilty by a federal jury on Friday for his part in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal ... the same bribery case that put Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli behind bars.

As we previously reported, Vavic, USC senior associate athletic director Dr. Donna Heinel, ex-USC women's head soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin and ex-assistant soccer coach Laura Janke were all indicted in 2019 for taking money from rich parents to get their kids admitted into prestigious schools.

Vavic was accused of getting two fake recruits into USC, taking $250k and getting other coaches involved in the "Operation Varsity Blues" scandal.

The 13-time national coach of the year was arrested on March 12, 2019 and charged with fraud and bribery -- the only coach to stand trial rather than taking a plea deal.

His trial began three years later ... and on Friday, the Boston federal jury found the 60-year-old guilty of conspiracy to commit mail, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery.

The Kidd Creole -- a rap pioneer from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five -- has been convicted in the stabbing death of a homeless man.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced Wednesday a New York supreme court jury found the rap legend guilty of first-degree manslaughter.

As we reported ... The Kidd Creole was arrested and charged back in August 2017 in connection with a homeless man's fatal stabbing in NYC.

The D.A. says prosecutors proved at trial The Kid Creole was walking past the homeless man on the street when the two exchanged words, with TKC walking past the man before eventually turning around, confronting him and stabbing him twice in the torso with a steak knife.

Prosecutors say a group of tourists discovered the man's body in the street minutes after the stabbing, and he was transported to a hospital where he died of his stab wounds.

The D.A. says The Kidd Creole left the scene and fled 2 blocks away to his office, where he changed clothes and cleaned the knife in a sink. Prosecutors say TKC left the office after about 15 minutes, boarded the subway and tossed the knife in a sewer near a Bronx subway station, which was recovered the next day by NYPD officers, leading to his arrest.

Two men have been hit with several felony charges in Southern California, after police say they found enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million people ... in one of the largest busts the county has seen in 16 years.

You read that right. Police arrested 36-year-old Edgar Alfonso Lamas and 53-year-old Carlos Raygozaparedes ... after authorities found 821 lbs of meth, nearly 190 pounds of cocaine and 20.5 pounds of fentanyl pills inside a minivan pulling out from an Orange County, CA home.

As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl is a lethal dose. The Orange County DA previously warned it would be cracking down on drug dealers ... even saying murder charges would be on the table in cases involving drugs like fentanyl that all too often result in a person's death.

Both guys now face a list of felony drug charges and a max sentence of 37 years and 4 months, if convicted.

Tory Lanez was handcuffed in court and had his bail increased after a judge ruled he violated the protective order in his case with Meg Thee Stallion for talking about her on social media.

The Canadian rapper had a hearing Tuesday in L.A. where he was remanded into custody of the Sheriff's Department, and the judge set his bail at $350K. Prosecutors had requested he be held without bail, or at least set it at $5 million.

We're told he's in the process of posting the $350K.

The judge said Tory's tweet, where he directly addressed Meg as "U" was a violation of a protective order -- he's not supposed to contact or mention her at all. Tory fired off that tweet back in February when he said, "Good d*** had me f***ing 2 best friends ... and I got caught ... that's what I apologized for ... it's sick how u Spun it tho ..."

Prosecutors also voiced concern about a tweet from DJ Akademiks from February which read, "BREAKING: It was revealed in court few moments ago that Tory Lanez DNA WAS NOT found on the weapon in the Meg Thee Stallion case."

The prosecution believes that info was given to Ak from Tory's team. However, Tory's attorney, Shawn Holley, said that wasn't possible, because DJ Akademiks's initial tweet was wrong ... Tory's DNA wasn't on the magazine, and a sample from the gun was inconclusive.

About 15 minutes after posting his initial tweet, Ak posted a new one which reflected the inconclusive finding.

A Nicole Brown Simpson look-alike surprised O.J. Simpson in his bedroom at 1 a.m. for a prank video -- and you can see in the footage, The Juice was SHOCKED by the impromptu wakeup call.

The clip was posted to TikTok over the weekend -- showing the Nicole doppelganger and several other young women barging into the ex-NFL star's room late at night to try to get a rise out of the guy.

The girls had their phones out -- playing music loudly -- while a man can be heard in the background saying, "Let’s go! It's party time in the house!"

One of the girls can be heard yelling "Wakey! Wakey!" ... all while the Nicole look-alike laughed.

O.J. -- who wasn't wearing a shirt -- appeared to giggle it all off ... and eventually looked like he was going to get up and entertain the guests before the video cut out.

Further details surrounding the prank -- like when it happened, where it happened and who the girls were -- are unclear ... O.J.'s yet to address it publicly.

The college community that abuts UC Santa Barbara was out of control Saturday, after a rager left a bunch of people injured and hospitalized.

It was actually an annual event, called "Deltopia" ... and it's become wildly popular in the town of Isla Vista.

There were injuries -- one girl fell from a roof -- and OD's ... and there was enough that the Santa Barbara Fire Dept. declared the party a "multi-casualty incident." The SBFD said there were "multiple medical emergencies including multiple severe traumas."

The party went on through the afternoon Saturday ... it got so crowded that the EMTs had trouble getting the injured out of the area.

It's been a wild couple of days in IV ... on Friday there were arrests made and citations issued.

The high school track runner who was punched by another athlete mid-race wants to press charges ... and he could even end up filing a lawsuit, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office claimed neither side wanted to move forward with pressing charges after the incident.

But, the Florida Firm's Nathan Carter, attorney for the punched runner, says that's not the case.

"The family has read reports that the OCSD claims [my client] refused to press charges," Carter said in a statement. "This is false."

"The family of the victim did want to press charges for this vicious attack and assault caught on video and witnessed by hundreds of people. The OCSD deputy told the family that if [my client] pressed charges then he would also be arrested for battery."

"Only because of this threat did the family choose not to press charges."

Carter adds the runner suffered a concussion as a result of the incident ... and is "exploring civil remedies against all those responsible."

"If this event hired proper officials to help run this track meet, they could have prevented this," Carter added. "They could have prevented the CC athlete from standing on the track during the first turn. Or they could have moved the CC athlete after the first lap incident. Or they could have moved the CC athlete before the second lap incident. Or they could have stopped the CC athlete before he chased [my client] down and sucker-punched him."

Hope Solo, U.S. soccer legend, was arrested Thursday in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest ... and cops say her two children were in the car when she was busted.

The 40-year-old retired goalkeeper -- a 2x Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner -- was taken into custody in a Walmart parking lot off Parkway Village Circle in Winston-Salem, North Carolina ... and was taken to the Forsyth County jail for processing.

Officials tell us Solo was booked for impaired driving (DWI), resisting arrest, and misdemeanor child abuse.

It's not the first time Hope, who was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world during her time with the USWNT, has been in trouble with the law.

Solo has previously been arrested for domestic violence. She was accused of berating a police officer in 2014, and threatening to "kick his ass." She was also busted for allegedly getting into a physical confrontation with her teenage nephew.

Solo is married to ex-NFL player Jerramy Stevens. Hope and JS have two young kids together, twins, who just celebrated their 2nd birthday. It's unclear if the kids in the car were Jerramy's ... but it seems likely.

If Solo is ultimately convicted, she could face time behind bars.