Crime & Arrests

Top NFL prospect Jalen Carter -- the potential No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft -- turned himself in to police on Wednesday night ... posing for a mug shot -- before quickly being released.

The former Univ. of Georgia star defensive lineman was booked at 11:33 PM, according to jail records -- just hours after the Athens-Clarke County Police Department issued warrants for his arrest for his alleged role in a January car crash that killed two people.

The records show Carter was released just 16 minutes after he was initially booked. He's facing misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing.

In his mug shot, Carter -- wearing a white tank top -- appeared to be emotionless and stoic.

As we reported, cops have accused Carter of racing UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy in a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk ... before LeCroy's 2021 Ford Expedition veered off the road and crashed into power poles and trees.

Police said in a statement Wednesday morning, an investigation into the crash showed both Carter and LeCroy "switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel" -- adding that LeCroy reached speeds of 104 MPH before the accident.

Carter, who was at the NFL's combine in Indianapolis when the arrest warrant was made public, immediately left the league's scouting event to head back to Georgia. He later said in a statement, "There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing."

Fyre Festival creator Billy McFarland is getting back into the cheese sandwich game -- but don't worry, these won't come in styrofoam while you're getting screwed out of a concert in the Bahamas.

Sources close to Billy tell TMZ he recently had a reunion, for the first time in 5 years, with Andy King. Yes, that Andy King from the Netflix documentary about Fyre ... the guy who says Billy asked him to give oral sex to a customs officer to get shipments of Evian water released!!!

Seems all is well between them now, though, because they shot a video together promoting their newest venture ... selling grilled cheeses at 7th Street Burger in NYC, and the clip is pretty funny.

The video features Andy makin' the sandwiches -- a tongue-in-cheek take on the ridiculous cheese-on-bread meals served at the doomed Bahamas festival back in 2017.

He's also taking swigs from Evian bottles -- yeah, they go there!

We're told 100% of the sales from the April 7 event will go to the workers in the Bahamas who are still owed money from Fyre Fest. They also tease a Coachella trip in the video, but we're told that hasn't been set in stone yet.

As you know, Billy was released early from his 6-year sentence a year ago, and he's already working on PYRT -- another tropical festival, only based in virtual reality this time around.

Willie McGinest is now facing serious time behind bars for his role in a December restaurant beatdown ... TMZ Sports has learned the ex-NFL star has just been charged with two felonies.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed the charges this week ... hitting the New England Patriots legend with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury.

Each charge carries up to four years in prison.

McGinest's arraignment in the case has been set for April.

We broke the story, McGinest was initially arrested in the case back in late December ... after video showed him and several others beating the hell out of a man on Dec. 9 at Delilah in West Hollywood.

The footage appears to show McGinest socking the guy in the face ... before later picking up a bottle and smashing it into the man's head.

McGinest eventually apologized for his role in the brawl -- calling everything a "lapse in judgment and behavior."

"To my family, community, friends and youth I mentor," the 51-year-old said, "please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility."

Travis Scott is the suspect in a police investigation into an alleged assault at a NYC nightclub ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us around 3 AM Wednesday the rapper got into it with someone at Nebula, a club on 41st Street. We're told Scott allegedly punched that person and damaged property -- possibly a cell phone.

At this time, cops want to talk to Travis and his reps, but the official report is for an assault and criminal mischief.

As for why he was in town, it appears Don Toliver had a show in NYC Tuesday night, bringing out Travis -- much to the delight of fans.

Travis is set to headline Rolling Loud California in Los Angeles Saturday night ... unclear if that appearance will be impacted at all because of the investigation.

We've reached out to Travis' team ... so far, no word back.

Michael Irvin has scored yet another big W in his civil case with Marriott ... a second judge -- this time a federal one -- has ruled the hotel giant must turn over any video it has that shows the NFL legend with his misconduct accuser on one of its properties last month.

The ruling was just handed down on Wednesday afternoon ... marking the second time in two weeks that a court has ordered Marriott to turn over the footage.

Initially, on Feb. 16, a state judge made the ruling ... but Marriott argued it should be allowed to take its time in handing over the clips, essentially saying Irvin was being disingenuous about the need to rush things. The case was ultimately kicked over to federal court to mete out.

The judge there, though, backed the ruling ... saying Irvin had the right to obtain the video in an expeditious manner -- because of the reputational and economic damage he said he's suffering by not having it.

The judge did rule, however, that Marriott can protect the identity of Irvin's accuser, saying the company's concern for her privacy "is well founded."

Irvin's attorney, Levi McCathern, tells TMZ Sports he's happy with the new order ... saying, once again, he believes the videos will show Irvin did nothing wrong when he interacted with the female hotel worker on Feb. 5 in Arizona.

"Michael and I are pleased with the ruling, and we thank the Court for ruling so quickly and equitably," McCathern said. "We look forward to receiving the information that we believe will prove that Michael was engaged in no wrongdoing."

WWE superstar Sonya Deville was arrested for gun possession in New Jersey last month ... after authorities say they found a firearm in her vehicle that didn't have a proper NJ permit.

According to court docs, the incident happened on Feb. 19 in Atlantic City ... when our sources tell us a valet discovered the weapon in her car's glove box and called cops.

Police arrived on scene and arrested Deville -- real name Daria Berenato -- a short time later ... and court records show she's since been charged with one count of unlawful weapon possession -- handgun without permit.

Sources close to the wrestler tell us ... Deville got the weapon for personal protection after a 24-year-old man allegedly attempted to kidnap her during a terrifying home break-in in Florida back in 2020.

We're told the gun is registered in Florida -- but not New Jersey.

Court documents show the 29-year-old is due in court for a hearing on the matter later this month.

We've reached out to Deville and WWE for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Cops have just issued an arrest warrant for top NFL draft prospect Jalen Carter ... after they said he was racing a Univ. of Georgia football assistant moments before her fatal car crash in January.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Dept. said Wednesday morning an investigation into the Jan. 15 wreck -- the one that claimed the lives of UGA staffer Chandler LeCroy and Bulldogs football player Devin Willock -- revealed Carter and LeCroy had been driving recklessly "in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other."

They said the probe into the crash revealed Carter, driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, and LeCroy, driving a 2021 Ford Expedition, "switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed" at around 2:30 AM after leaving the downtown Athens area.

They added that LeCroy made it up to 104 MPH ... before she ultimately veered off the road and struck two power poles and trees -- killing her and Willock, while injuring the other two passengers in the vehicle.

Cops said they've now secured arrest warrants against Carter, a star defensive lineman for Georgia the past three years, for reckless driving and racing.

Police also said Tuesday that a toxicology report showed LeCroy's BAC was .197 at the time of the accident. They officially deemed alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed as "significant contributing factors to the crash."

LeCroy was just 24 years old. Willock was just 20.

21-year-old Carter, meanwhile, is projected to be a top-five pick in next month's NFL draft -- with some insiders believing he could go No. 1 overall. He was slated to speak at the NFL's combine in Indianapolis later Tuesday. It's unclear if that will still happen.

A gunman casually executed a homeless person on a St. Louis street in broad daylight ... and the horrifying attack was all caught on video.

Check out this footage -- shot by a witness -- showing Deshawn Thomas brandishing a gun while standing just behind the homeless man outside a downtown building on Monday morning.

Thomas struggled at first to load the weapon as the homeless man sat on the edge of the sidewalk ... oblivious to the danger around him.

With the gun loaded, Thomas pointed the barrel at the head of the homeless man and pulled the trigger.

The witness reacted with sheer terror, screaming, "Oh my God, he just killed him!!"

Thomas fled on foot, but police later captured him and recovered his gun as he tried to enter a library near the crime scene. He was booked into the county jail for first-degree murder.

Tory Lanez's legal team either has some sort of trick up its sleeve to get him out of jail by this weekend, or the people at Rolling Loud are living under a rock ... 'cause he's still on the festival's Cali roster.

Tory was in court Tuesday in L.A. where his sentencing hearing was pushed yet again, this time to April 10. After the hearing, Lanez -- who was dressed in a jail-issued orange jumpsuit -- remained in custody without even an attempt to convince the judge to let him out on bail.

This would seem to pose a big issue for Rolling Loud organizers, who still have Tory slated on the website's flyer to play the festival Sunday.

We should say, it's possible, and likely, when the actual artist set times are released, Tory's name will be left off completely ... but it's odd he's still on the flyer, considering he was found guilty back in December.

There is, however, fine print on Rolling Loud's site to cover Tory becoming a no-show -- "Opening acts, as well as festival performers, are subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice. No refund will be owed if an opening act or festival performer is changed or cancelled."

Tory is facing a maximum of 22 years behind bars. Outside court Tuesday, his attorney David Kenner said the artist is holding up well. He didn't offer much more detail on their efforts to get him out on appeal.

Pro boxer Joseph "JoJo" Diaz -- a former champ who fought Devin Haney back in 2021 -- was arrested in the Los Angeles area on Monday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Jail records show Diaz was taken into custody by the Claremont Police Dept. just before 7 PM. Law enforcement sources tell us he was booked on a charge of misdemeanor child neglect.

The specific allegations against Diaz are still not clear ... but records show he was released on Tuesday afternoon.

The 30-year-old fighter holds a 32-3-1 pro record. He famously won the IBF super featherweight title back in 2020.

Diaz went on to fight Haney in 2021 -- but lost. Earlier that year, he was in talks for a match with Ryan Garcia, but they ultimately fell through.

Former NFL running back Zac Stacy took a new mug shot on Monday ... before he was officially put behind bars for six months for attacking his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

Stacy posed for the photo at the Orange County Jail in Florida after he was remanded into custody following a judge's ruling at a sentencing hearing on Monday.

In the new picture, obtained by TMZ Sports, Stacy, wearing a striped shirt with a black collar, looked stoic -- and perhaps even a bit emotional.

Stacy was ordered to serve the jail time -- as well as one year of probation -- after he cut deals with prosecutors earlier this month following allegations he was violent with Kristin Evans, the mother of his child, on multiple occasions in '21.

Despite the attacks, though, Evans said Tuesday in a social media post she had hoped Stacy would not serve any jail time.

"Please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac," she said, "rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma."

The woman accused of beheading her boyfriend who attacked her lawyer in court two weeks ago has a new attorney representing her now ... go figure.

Taylor Schabusiness was appointed a new public defender Monday in her Wisconsin murder case -- this after her original attorney, Quinn Jolly, withdrew. You'll recall ... he was the dude who came under her wrath in court in a wild attack.

A judge signed off on his request, reportedly saying ... "I am satisfied based upon the assertions and obviously I was here in court for the last hearing, I saw the events that transpired." She added, "[M]akes a great deal of sense to me.”

As for what exactly Jolly cited when filing to take his name out of the mix ... he called it an "irretrievably broken state of the attorney-client relationship" after the Valentine's Day mishap.

It's unclear what exactly set Schabusiness off at the time. Jolly was actually successful in buying her more time before she went before a jury on murder charges -- after allegedly mutilating her boyfriend during sex -- and having her mental competency tested.

As soon as a judge agreed, she lunged at Jolly and deputies had to get involved.

Like we said, the presiding judge had no issue letting Jolly out. She also concurs that the swap won't adversely hurt his one-time client's chances at a fair trial. The judge says, "My understanding is that by that time, the new attorney the public defender is appointing will have a chance to meet with Schabusiness and be ready to give the court some direction as to when they will be ready to move forward."

Zac Stacy's ex-girlfriend says the former NFL player is a changed man after he attacked her on two separate occasions in 2021 ... claiming therapy has helped him turn his life around.

Kristin Evans -- the mother of Stacy's child -- addressed the ex-running back's 6-month jail sentence in an Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying she was against putting him behind bars as a result of his abuse because it would not provide him the resources he would need to get better.

In the video, Evans claimed Stacy made the decision to seek cognitive behavioral therapy ... which resulted in a "significant adjustment in his behavior and communication."

FYI -- CBT is a psychological treatment that helps those battling mental illness, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety and more.

"And over the last six months, he's consistently shown an improvement, as well as our son enjoying spending time with him."

Evans added she also opposed jail time ... as it could have an impact on their kid's mental health.

"So please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac, rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma," she continued.

Ultimately, Evans believes the head trauma Stacy suffered during his football career played a role in his previous actions ... and she wants to give him another chance to prove he can change.

Evans' video has sparked numerous responses in the comment section ... with many calling for her to rethink her forgiveness for the sake of her family.

Three crew members who say they were on the scene when Alec Baldwin shot Halyna Hutchins have just filed a new lawsuit ... claiming it was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin and Reese Price -- who say they were the dolly operator, set costumer and key grip on "Rust," respectively -- are suing Alec and the "Rust" production at large ... claiming they were 3 of 7 people in the church set the day the shooting happened.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the plaintiffs say there were countless safety protocols that were overlooked from the top down through the entire shoot ... which they insist led up to the killing, and which they allege rocked them to their core -- emotionally and otherwise.

For instance, the three crew members place a lot of the blame on what they claim was the producers' decision to use "operable firearms" during 17 of the 21 scheduled film days ... despite the option to use alternatives like replicas, rubber prop guns, or special effects.  They also point out many alleged safety shortcuts on set ... like not properly investigating previous accidental discharges that they say occurred prior to that fateful day.

Not just that, but the crew members say Alec and others screwed the pooch with the hiring of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, even though they say she "lacked essential experience."

The lawsuit also alleges Dave Halls cut corners when it came to safety protocols. And yet, they say Alec plowed ahead with them anyway ... all of which led to the death of Hutchins in 2021.

Speaking of the incident ... the plaintiffs describe it here too. They claim Gutierrez-Reed told Halls that she hadn't had a chance to check the gun before handing it off to him and that Halls took it and told AB it was "cold," without checking. Ditto for Alec, they say.

When Halyna and director, Joel Souza were hit by the bullet during a tech rehearsal -- the crew members allege they were forced to spring into action and assist, which they say haunts them to this day and has left them traumatized. Now, they're suing for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress ... and asking for unspecified damages.

Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the infamous college admissions scandal, just checked himself into prison ... where he was sentenced to spend the next 3 and a half years behind bars.

A rep for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ ... Singer arrived at the Federal Prison Camp Pensacola in FL Monday to begin serving his 42-month sentence.

As we reported, Singer was the man behind countless parents spending big bucks to grease the wheels for their kids to get into high-end colleges ... including big names like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

He was given his 3.5-year sentence at the beginning of the year, although prosecutors had been gunning for 6 years in prison -- saying he profited off the scheme more than anyone else involved and should get hit with a heavier sentence.

Regardless, his sentence was nothing like what it could've been ... because he initially was looking at a max sentence of 65 years, although it's clear his cooperation with the feds helped shave some time off.

Paris Hilton says she had a TERRIFYING run-in with Harvey Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival when she was a just teenager.

Hilton told Glamour UK mag she was having lunch with a female friend at the festival in 2000 when Weinstein walked over to their table and asked if she wanted to be an actress.

The then-19-year-old Hilton says she responded, ‘Yeah, I really want to be in a movie.’ Paris says she was impressed by Weinstein and thought he was "cool" at the time.

Weinstein then allegedly hit on her, explaining, ‘Well, we should have a meeting. You can come up to my room and read scripts’… and I just didn’t want to go, so I never went.”

But, the next night, Paris says Weinstein followed her to the ladies bathroom at the festival's annual amfAR gala for AIDS research and screamed at her, “Ya wanna be a star?”

Paris says Weinstein then tried to open the bathroom door and started banging on it with his fist. But, Paris says, she refused to open the door and told Weinstein, ‘I’m in a stall, why do you want to come in here?’

Security eventually arrived and escorted Weinstein out -- btw, he was hosting the event. As Weinstein was led away, he allegedly went bonkers, stating, "This is my party!" Paris admits, "It scared me and freaked me out.”

Through a spokesperson, Weinstein told Variety that Paris' story was "probably false."  The disgraced film producer went on to say "he had always treated Paris Hilton with the utmost respect and kindness, and always believed they had a cordial relationship.”

As you know, Weinstein was sentenced Thursday at his L.A. trial to 16 years in prison for sexual assault. He is also serving 23 years for a 2020 rape conviction in New York.