Crime & Arrests

The cop who shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu at a San Antonio McDonald's has surrendered to authorities and has been charged with 2 felonies ... this as Cantu fights for his life.

25-year-old rookie police officer James Brennand has been charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault by a peace officer.

Cantu was eating a burger in the parking lot of Mcdonald's when Brennand spotted him and recognized his car ... Brennand said the driver had evaded police the day before the shooting.

Erik remains unconscious on life support ... according to his family. The family gave an ominous statement Tuesday, "There is no improvement in his condition. The last two days have been difficult, and we expect more difficulty ahead, but we remain hopeful."

Brennand approached Cantu's car, opened the driver's door and ordered Cantu out. Cantu put it in reverse and the cop began shooting multiple rounds, striking him several times.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison ... this after he was convicted of providing the drugs that led to Tyler Skaggs' death.

A federal judge in Texas just announced the sentence.

Kay, 48, had been facing a minimum of 20 years ... and up to life behind bars.

The longtime L.A. media relations official was initially arrested back in 2020 ... after authorities alleged he had given pills laced with fentanyl to Skaggs -- which ultimately led to the pitcher's tragic passing.

Officials claimed they had text message conversations between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose -- which prosecutors used as evidence to show the two talking about drugs.

Kay was indicted in 2020 on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. He was found guilty of the charges in Feb.

As we reported, Skaggs passed away in his hotel room in July 2019 just before the Angels were slated to take on the Rangers in a series in Texas. Toxicology results revealed he died from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone.

Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon is in trouble with the law again -- the former Sixth Man of the Year was arrested at an airport on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 39-year-old Gordon was placed in handcuffs around 9 PM while waiting for a flight from LaGuardia in New York to Chicago. Two officers were injured during the arrest, according to the New York Post, although further details surrounding the incident have not been released.

The 2004 third-overall pick in the NBA Draft was transported to the Port Authority police department for processing ... and an aunt took the son to a local hospital to get checked out.

Gordon won an NCAA Championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004 ... and went on to average 15 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his 11-year career.

He has had several legal issues off the court -- he was arrested in June 2017 for allegedly freaking out in an apartment building and pulling the fire alarms.

Five months later, he was arrested for allegedly roughing up a man in an apartment.

Gordon spoke out about his battles with depression in 2020 ... saying, "I was obsessed with killing myself," but sought help to better his mental health.

Adnan Syed will stay a free man, after all -- prosecutors in Baltimore are dropping the charges for the alleged murder of his ex-girlfriend ... after releasing him from prison last month.

Syed, who's case gained national attention on the "Serial" podcast, had served 22 years in prison for the 1999 murder of his then ex-GF Hae Min Lee when State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced the previous prosecutors on the case had failed to pursue 2 other possible suspects in the case.

As a result, Adnan was set free ... but Mosby made it clear he could still be retried for Lee's murder. In fact, she appeared on "TMZ Live," and said it was likely a new trial would be scheduled.

Adnan has always maintained his innocence ... and now he'll remain a free man.

A televised high school football game abruptly cut to commercial Friday night after a flurry of shots rang out outside an Ohio stadium.

Check out this footage showing two rival teams running a play on the field when at least 12 gunshots were fired nearby. None of the players seemed to notice until the crowd freaked out and started to scatter. As players and fans ran for their lives, the broadcaster quickly announced, "We're going to break."

Another video showed people jumping from the stands and taking cover on the ground after the gunfire.

Toledo PD said 3 people were shot outside the stadium of Whitmer High School, which was playing Central Catholic HS. The victims -- 1 student and 2 adults -- were not seriously wounded, but taken to a hospital.

Investigators reportedly arrested 2 suspects and were searching for 2 more. A motive has not been disclosed.

Officials from the Washington Local Schools District issued a statement, saying no one in the crowd was injured and all guests had been screened prior to the game.

Three Florida teens stole a Maserati and drove at warp speed to elude cops, until the car flipped over and crashed, killing one of the occupants, this according to a new police video.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released helicopter footage, tracking the teens' every move from start to finish during Sunday's INSANE wreck in St. Petersburg.

In the video, the teens are seen walking up to the parked Maserati and slipping inside the unlocked vehicle, not knowing they're being watched from above. The police were in the area on an unrelated robbery call and saw them acting suspiciously.

The kids take off in the car and drive down the street first at a moderate speed as two police SUVs begin to follow them, trying to pull them over.

Suddenly, the Maserati zooms off, hitting speeds of 123 MPH ... leaving cops in the dust. Over the radio, a sergeant orders the SUV officers not to pursue the fast-moving car.

About 20 seconds later, the Maserati loses control and hydroplanes across the road, hitting a curb and flipping over onto the hood as debris flies everywhere.

15-year-old passenger Mario Bonilla died at the scene. Driver Keondrick Lang, also 15, and passenger Malachi Daniels, 16, were hospitalized. Both are expected to survive.

You can count Ski Mask the Slump God among the rappers who won't stop wearing iced-out chains and jewelry after PnB Rock's murder, but he's taking some precautions and relying on good energy!!!

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with Ski Mask Thursday at LAX and asked about his massive chain inspired by the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! manga card game ... which he shamelessly wears while being searched by TSA.

The piece is modeled after a Millenium Puzzle and opens up to reveal his name engraved on a diamond-encrusted globe -- it's nothing short of insane, and totally conspicuous.

Ski Mask says he leaves on all his bling and rings through TSA searches, simply because it'll take too long to put them back on!!!

That being said, the Florida rapper definitely has thoughts on this week's arrests in the PnB case, he and echoes the recent remarks of Roddy Ricch and DJ Drama that L.A. is a dangerous place.

While he's aware of the violence, Ski Mask says keeping good energy typically prevents altercations in his circle ... and he also avoids most trouble by simply not going out at all!

TMZ broke the story earlier this week ... a father and son duo were arrested and charged with PnB's Sept. 12 murder at a Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles.

Of course, Ski Mask went through a similar tragedy when his close friend XXXTENTACION was shot and killed in 2018.

Columbus Short is off the hook in his latest legal battle ... because prosecutors tell us they dropped the charges in his domestic violence case.

The L.A. City Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... prosecutors reviewed the case and decided not to pursue charges. They wouldn't comment on the specifics of their decision.

Columbus, however, tells TMZ ... "They dismissed the case from what I was told because the prosecutor felt there was no wrongdoing." He goes on to refer to the prosecutor as rational and fair.

He continues, "I knew when I was charged it was stupid but based on past allegations. They jump to the worst conclusion as does the media." He insists he's never abused a woman.

As we reported, Columbus, who's starring in Hulu's "Remember Me," was arrested in February after cops were called to his home over an argument he had with his wife -- one that allegedly got physical.

He was charged with 2 misdemeanor counts ... one for domestic violence and one for child endangerment. At the time, we were told the child endangerment charge was because the alleged incident took place in front of a child.

Gunna is currently making another play at coming home while his criminal case is pending … a move fully supported by Kevin Liles, head of Gunna's label ... 300 Elektra Entertainment.

We caught up with Kevin Thursday in D.C. during the “Rap and the Rules of Evidence” panel … and he doubled down on arguments made to the court when Young Thug was attempting to get placed on house arrest ahead of his trial.

Kevin tells us his longtime allegiance with Young Thug extends down the YSL family tree and he considers him, Gunna and everyone else at the label his “sons.”

Gunna’s attorneys are actively arguing for his freedom in Atlanta for the third time, and Kevin insists Gunna is not a violent offender and shouldn't be locked up!

During the panel discussion, which was powered by The Recording Academy, RIAA and Industry Blackout ... Kevin seemed touched by the earlier convo and got emotional explaining the hardships of YSL's Rico case.

Elon Musk's father fancies himself a real-life Dirty Harry or Rambo-like figure -- he's recounting how he once took out a mob of home intruders ... all by himself.

The way Errol Musk describes the 1998 incident really does sound like a Hollywood action movie -- he and his then 6-year-old daughter, Ali, were in his South African home ... and while she was taking a bath, he encountered 7 armed men in another part of the house.

The 76-year-old told The Sun the gang immediately opened fire on him, but just like in the movies ... he miraculously dodged all the bullets, retreated to a bedroom and grabbed a .357 Magnum handgun.

Errol says his gun was loaded with hollow point bullets, and his very first shot went straight through one intruder's head, and the shrapnel entered another's chest. He says both men were killed. At that point, he says the rest of them fled, but he managed to shoot one more in a hallway.

Completing the scene ... Errol says Ali -- who'd be in the bathtub -- came out after hearing the shootout, and clung to her father's leg. Mr. "Lethal Weapon" says he was acquitted of manslaughter charges for the incident, on the grounds of self-defense.

Errol's heroic tale comes on the heels of Elon recently tweeting a reminder to the world that he and his father are estranged.

The billionaire tycoon said his dad ran out of money in the '90s, and he and his brother financially supported him on the condition that he "not do bad things." Unfortunately, according to Elon, he did do bad things.

Elon's point seemed to be dad isn't keeping up his end of the bargain.

As for Errol's marksmanship ... he says he once won the South African National Defence Force's shooting championships.

The man who was arrested for throwing a bottle at Jimmy Haslam during the Browns' loss to the Jets earlier this month had several questions for cops following the incident, including, "Am I going to jail for a while?!?" ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

Jeffrey Miller was put into the back of a squad car at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sept. 18 after he had been accused of hurling a water bottle at the Cleveland owner during the fourth quarter of the game ... and while officers were handling him, he asked a few things.

First, Miller -- a 51-year-old who lives in Ohio -- said, "Can I call my wife and tell her I'm not coming home?"

He later asked, "I'm being arrested for throwing a water bottle?!?"

In the video, you can hear officers say he was actually being taken into custody for "assault, failure to comply ... and disorderly conduct."

As we reported, cops say they ID'ed Miller as the bottle thrower on surveillance video after Haslam had been seen being hit by the object while he was making his way into a stadium tunnel.

In police documents, officers say Miller failed to stop when authorities initially attempted to detain him. They say when they eventually got him to a police room in the stadium, Miller stated, "It never hit the field."

The Browns have said they are planning to ban the fan from home games going forward.

"Fan, player and staff safety is the top priority in our building and behavior that puts others in danger will not be tolerated," the Browns said in a statement two days following the incident.

A fan at Tuesday night's Nationals game got so upset with a stadium usher that he hit the man in the face -- before biting him.

The wild altercation happened at Nationals Park during the ninth inning of the Nats' loss to the Atlanta Braves ... when several venue staffers appeared to try to boot a fan from his seat.

A video shot by a bystander shows fans near the guy chanting, "Get him out!" over and over again -- but the two staffers were having trouble getting him to leave.

Eventually, another usher came to the area to nudge the man away from his seat ... and that's when things took a violent turn.

You can see in the footage, the fan elbowed the usher in the face two times -- before he seemed to bite the man's hand.

Thankfully, two police officers arrived and separated the men before the situation escalated further.

Video shows the fan suffered a bloody head in the skirmish. It's unclear if the usher was injured.

We've reached out to both police and the Nationals for comment on it all, but so far, no word back yet.

Two men have been charged in connection with an alleged armed robbery that took place in the middle of a church service which was stopped short while two men allegedly jacked some jewelry from the bishop during their live stream.

2 men from Brooklyn -- Juwan Anderson and Say-Quan Pollack -- were charged with armed robbery for their roles in the July 24 incident ... according to Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York on Tuesday.

Peace's statement reads, "As alleged, the defendants brought guns into a place of worship, stealing from two members of the clergy, and terrifying the congregation in the process" ... adding, "to commit such an act during a religious service is incomprehensible."

Peace notes a 3rd suspect is still at large.

The incident was caught on camera during the service's live stream ... showing Bishop Lamor Whitehead stopping mid-service and quickly getting on the ground -- as two men begin to take items off his person.

Whitehead tells TMZ ... "Today is the start of healing. We will let the justice system continue to work as I continue to do what God has called me to do."

The "Riverdale" actor convicted for murdering his mom could end up behind bars with the worst of the worst -- something he and his attorney find gravely concerning, considering he's a puny guy.

Ryan Grantham -- who was sentenced to life in prison in Canada -- is at risk of being brutalized, or worse, if he's forced to serve his time in a maximum security facility ... according to his lawyer, Chris Johnson.

Johnson tells TMZ that Grantham is small in stature and slight in build -- standing a mere 5'2" and weighing about 100 lbs. While the guy is 24, we're told he passes for a teenager ... and looks exactly like the frail characters he's played in movies and on TV.

Johnson is concerned his client could be "physically, psychologically and sexually intimidated" if he's locked up in a max security prison. Basically, he feels Grantham doesn't belong there, not just because of his physicality ... but because, in his mind, the setting for the punishment doesn't fit this specific crime under these particular circumstances.

Johnson tells us his age, size and mental state during this saga should be considered by prison officials -- suggesting even if the crime fits the bill for someone to be thrown in a maximum security prison ... anyone with eyes can see he simply wouldn't fare well.

We're even told the judge who presided over the murder case actually recognized the potential concerns if Grantham ended up in a max security prison, and even recommended a medium security facility.

Thing is, Johnson says the judge has no final say about where he's sent ... it's up to correctional authorities.

Despite Miles Bridges' off-court troubles, LaMelo Ball is pulling for him to make a return to the Charlotte Hornets ... telling reporters he misses his teammate on Monday.

As we previously reported, the Hornets decided not to sign Bridges to a max extension after he was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence earlier this offseason ... after allegedly hitting the mother of his children in June.

Prior to the alleged violent incident, MB was Melo's go-to guy on the court ... so when the All-Star sat down with the media on Monday, he was asked if he's going to miss that chemistry without Bridges this season.

"Definitely miss him," the 21-year-old said.

"Talking to him day and day just seeing what it is, but other than that ... I haven't really heard too much or anything."

Melo says he's pulling for Bridges to make a return to Charlotte ... but added, "Not really tryna throw the negative energy."

"Just keep it positive."

Of course, Bridges was a key piece to the Hornets team -- averaging 20.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game last season. He's currently a free agent.

Former surfing star Chris Davidson died on Saturday ... after he was allegedly punched in the face in an altercation outside of a bar in Australia.

He was just 45 years old.

Authorities say they responded to a South West Rocks pub at around 11 PM on Saturday after receiving calls about an assault. A man -- reportedly later ID'ed as Davidson -- had allegedly hit his head on the ground following a punch.

According to the officials, when they arrived, they found the man unconscious. They say he was transported to a nearby hospital, but died a short time later.

Police say they've arrested a 42-year-old man in connection with the incident. He has since been charged with assault causing death.

Davidson had initially gained fame in the sport in the 1990s ... and eventually earned a #14 world ranking in 2010.

Surfing legend Kelly Slater mourned his death in a post on his social media page, saying, "Lost another soldier yesterday. #RIPChrisDavo."

"Had many a good battle with this guy," Slater added. "One of the most naturally talented surfers I ever knew."

Surfing Australia called Davidson "an incredibly talented surfer and a true individual in our sport and community."

"Our thoughts go out to his two children, friends and family at this time," the org. added.