Crime & Arrests

Aaron Hernandez's brother, D.J. Hernandez, has just put one of his most recent legal troubles in the rearview mirror ... TMZ Sports has learned he cut a deal with prosecutors Monday to close out his reckless driving case.

A Connecticut court official tells us ... D.J. pled guilty to one count of failure to drive in a proper lane and one count of failure to use traffic control signals. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the other charges against him -- which included reckless driving and engaging police in pursuit.

The court official said D.J. was ordered to pay $100 in fines ... and the matter is now considered closed. We reached out to D.J. for comment, but he declined.

We broke the story ... the 36-year-old was initially hit with the charges in late March after he had been involved in what police said was a wild car chase through Connecticut roadways on March 8.

According to cops, officers attempted to pull over D.J. for a routine traffic stop -- but he allegedly bolted, shaking cops as he traveled at a high rate of speed.

He was eventually stopped and put in custody following a brief foot chase, cops said. Officers wrote in police documents that D.J. told them he had been driving around the state in an effort to get arrested because "he no longer wanted to stay at his mom's house."

Cops said in the docs they believed he was having a bipolar episode.

Just days later, on March 23, D.J. found himself in more legal trouble ... after authorities accused him of throwing a large brick at ESPN's campus in Bristol.

Bam Margera is a wanted man in Pennsylvania on a slew of criminal charges -- this after cops say he got into an altercation ... and made a getaway into the woods.

The Pennsylvania State Police tells TMZ ... State Troopers responded to a reported disturbance Sunday morning around 11 AM ET near Pocopson Township -- which resulted in an alleged victim accusing Bam of being involved in some sort of physical confrontation.

The only problem ... by the time cops showed up, Bam had fled the scene of the incident into a nearby wooded area, and as of now hasn't been found.

Now, a warrant has been issued for his arrest ... and the PA State Police are actively searching for him -- asking the public for any help on info regarding his whereabouts. The charges he's facing sound pretty serious ... although, we're told they're all misdemeanors.

While we still don't know what exactly happened here -- or who the alleged victim is -- we know BM's facing 4 counts of terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, one count of simple assault and a final count of harassment while subjecting another to physical contact.

As you know ... Bam's been going through a lot of issues in his personal life of late -- most of which seem to stem from his addiction and substance abuse issues ... not to mention his partying lifestyle.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!

NBA YoungBoy and his team got super creative so the rapper could enjoy his album release with fans while still on house arrest ... but there was one big problem ... YoungBoy didn't hold up his end of the deal.

Elevate Lounge in Los Angeles was packed with friends and fans Thursday night who were all eager to not only hear the rapper's new album, but to also get a live stream video appearance from the man himself.

If you didn't know, YoungBoy's been on house arrest in Utah for a gun possession charge ... so the live stream seemed like a perfect idea.

The plan was for the album to play at midnight and YB to join in once it dropped ... however, that didn't happen, and a source with direct knowledge tells us it's because he fell asleep.

A statement from YB's team refutes that claim, saying, "There was a technical difficulty and they couldn't get NBA YoungBoy on the live stream. They tried Zoom and FaceTime without any success and unfortunately, NBA YoungBoy was unable to connect with his friends and fans."

Savannah Chrisley says she was barred from taking a Southwest Airlines flight after a heated argument with an employee ... and it all stemmed from an unchecked bag.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star took to Instagram Thursday to detail on video what happened, explaining that she was about to board the plane from New York to Tennessee when the Southwest worker at the gate said she needed to check her bag.

Chrisley responded that she wanted to take her luggage on the flight to see if it would fit in the overhead bin, but the employee said she couldn't.

After she pushed back a bit, Chrisley says the employee labeled her an "unruly passenger" and a pilot -- who was standing nearby -- came over to try to calm the situation.

But the employee turned to the pilot and stated, "Stay out of it … ma’am you’re not flying on this flight,'” meaning Chrisley.

Pissed, Chrisley says she called the worker an asshole, and then tried to reason with him by pointing out that she had to get home to be with her 10-year-old niece Chloe.

But the worker was undeterred, saying, "I don't care," according to Chrisley, who added, “So Southwest, you’re awful but not going to lie … your pilot was kinda hot.”

Chrisley says she finally boarded a late flight and arrived home in Tennessee around 2 am.

A scary situation just unfolded outside Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's home ... after a crazed fan who was desperate to meet him drove her car through his neighborhood security gate.

Sources close to Travis tell TMZ the woman made multiple attempts to access the star's gated Los Angeles neighborhood Friday. We're told she tried at least 4 times to come in, but was turned away each time. Finally, on the 5th attempt, she took matters into her own hands ... driving through the security gate.

From there, our sources say the woman was intercepted by Travis' private security and held until police arrived. Law enforcement sources tell us the woman has been arrested.

Lucky for Travis, he wasn't home when the whole thing happened. In fact, we're told he'd been rehearsing with Blink for the band's massive headlining gig at Coachella coming up this Sunday, and was actually on his way back home when the whole thing went down.

Our sources tell us Travis' security team told him to stay put while they got the whole thing under control. He plans on getting a restraining order against the woman.

As for the whole Coachella thing ... Blink killed it during Weekend 1 of the festival, and were tapped to fill Frank Ocean's vacant spot this coming weekend for what promises to be an incredible show.

Ralph Yarl is alive today thanks, in part, to the actions of 2 neighbors who came to his assistance minutes after Andrew Lester shot the 16-year-old boy twice -- and one of those neighbors is tearfully sharing the traumatic experience.

Jodi Rae joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and was almost immediately choked up remembering when Ralph banged on her front door, desperately seeking help. She says she couldn't see out her front door, and was uncertain about what was going on outside.

She had not heard the gunshots, but says it was clear Ralph was in dire need of assistance ... so, she decided to call 911. The operator told her there was an active shooter in the area, and advised Jodi not to open her door.

This definitely created a massive dilemma for Jodi ... one that brought her to tears as she told us about it -- she wanted to make sure her own son remained safe in their home, but also wanted to help Ralph, who she could see through her window falling to his knees.

Jodi says once she saw another neighbor walking outside, she figured the danger must have passed ... and immediately ran to Ralph's side. When she saw pools of blood outside her door, she realized the teen had been shot.

The story gets even more gripping and emotional at this point ... Jodi says she and a male neighbor used a towel to apply pressure to Ralph's head wound, held his hand and talked to him about school ... anything to keep his mind off the pain he was clearly suffering.

She fought through tears to tell us what Ralph told them about getting shot. She says she's had very limited contact with the shooter, Lester, since moving to the Kansas City neighborhood last year.

Jodi says she just kept thinking, "That's somebody's son," and knew she had to do something to help him. Sadly, she says there's been some backlash against her and other neighbors ... people who are, incorrectly, assuming the community did nothing to help Ralph.

While that's clearly not what happened, Jodi says she's mostly concerned with Ralph's recovery. She says, "Nothing compares to what that young man is living through every day."

Mikey Williams -- one of the best high school basketball players in the country -- just pled not guilty to the six felony charges he was hit with in his shooting case.

Troy Owens, the attorney for the San Ysidro H.S. star point guard, entered the pleas for the Univ. of Memphis commit at Williams' arraignment hearing in San Diego on Thursday morning.

During the proceedings, which Williams attended remotely, a judge ordered the basketball player to stay away from the alleged victims in the case. Williams was also ordered to not be in possession of guns or ammunition.

Williams was charged with five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle ... after authorities allege he was involved in an altercation near his home in eastern San Diego on March 27.

Police say someone opened fire on a car that had five people in it -- including three minors -- following an argument at a nearby home. No one was injured.

Williams was arrested on April 13 over his alleged role in it all ... and after he posted bond, Owens said in a statement the hooper "maintains his innocence."

Williams is due back in court for another hearing on the matter in June.

Meanwhile, Williams' future college coach -- Tigers head man Penny Hardaway -- told media members on Wednesday Memphis has not cut ties with the star guard over the arrest.

The white geriatric gunman who shot and nearly killed a 16-year-old Black youth in Missouri is a Trump supporter who has been radicalized by racist conservative views in recent years ... at least according to his grandson.

Klint Ludwig was on CNN Thursday, railing on his 84-year-old grandfather, Andrew Lester, who stands accused of shooting Ralph Yarl outside Lester's Kansas City home last week.

Ludwig said he was "disgusted" by Lester's alleged attack on Yarl, calling it a "horrible tragedy." Ludwig also said he was 100 percent in Yarl's corner.

Don Lemon asked Ludwig why he was speaking out against his own grandfather. Ludwig responded, "It was right thing to do," adding, "This country it happens over and over again where people get away with killing unarmed innocent Black people."

He continued, "People need to speak out and not make any excuses for this kind of behavior and violence."

Ludwig went even deeper, accusing his grandfather of being a "stock American Christian male" with "racist tendencies."

Ludwig also stated as Lester got older, he became conspiratorial and would say "weird racist things," which seemed to be the result of watching conservative media outlets, such as FOX News, all day long. Ludwig went on to say Lester is a Trump supporter and, within the last five years or so, he became radicalized with these toxic views.

As we reported, Yarl mistakenly arrived at Lester's home in Kansas City last week while trying to pick up his younger siblings, who were staying at a different address.

After Yarl rang the bell, Lester answered the door while armed with a loaded revolver. Lester then opened fire through a glass door, hitting Yarl in the head and then firing a second time, hitting him in the right arm. At no point did Yarl step foot inside Lester's house.

Yarl was rushed to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, but, miraculously, he survived. In fact, his attorney, Lee Merritt, posted a photo of the two back at Ralph's home Wednesday.

According to court documents, Lester told police he spotted Yarl yanking on an outer door handle and thought the teen was trying to break into his home. That's why, Lester says, he shot Yarl.

But Yarl allegedly gave a different story to investigators, telling them that he never pulled on the door handle and that he was standing patiently waiting for someone to answer the bell he rang.

Suge Knight's name is a constant topic on hip hop podcasts these days, but the incarcerated ex-music mogul is about to tell his life story his way, and says it'll be nothing but raw, uncut facts!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to the Death Row Records founder from the CA state penitentiary where he's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter -- and also plotting out a 10-season TV series on BLK Prime chronicling his life before during and after launching the legendary label home to Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Even though he's behind bars, Suge told us he plans to provide voice-over for the series like Ray Liotta did as Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" -- and each season will chronicle a different era of his life.

Season 1 will dive headfirst into Pac's stint at Death Row until his death; season 2 will focus on Biggie's presence in the Death Row/Bad Boy beef; season 3 will be about Suge's friendship turned rivalry with Diddy; seasons 4 and 5 will tackle Dre and Snoop respectively.

Death Row's reputation as a hostile work environment has been discussed for years and Suge, being the big boss that he is, couldn't deny his office had its fair share of physical dustups.

According to Suge, he intentionally brought the competitiveness he learned playing football to his office space to make Death Row as tough as its name. He says Pac and Snoop had no problem thriving in the gangsta environment but does acknowledge those crazy times took their toll on the company.

The 5 other planned seasons dig into the N.W.A-era and Eazy-E ... plus the East and West coast tensions, the Crips and Bloods and, of course, Suge's trial and conviction.

The show will begin filming this summer and stream exclusively in the fall on BLK Prime ... a network Suge promises will leave his story intact, no matter how brutal it comes across.

There appears to be a reason why Jonathan Majors is being cut from projects as his team jumps ship ... he reportedly has more alleged abuse victims waiting in the wings.

The alleged victims are coming forward and cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to Variety.

Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry tells TMZ ... "Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated."

As we reported, Majors was arrested last month in New York City for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his girlfriend in the back of a taxi cab.

Variety reports the alleged incident is just the tip of the iceberg ... which explains why honchos in the entertainment industry are distancing themselves from the "Creed III" star.

Remember ... in the wake of his arrest, Majors was dropped by his management team, and a major PR firm pulled the plug on working with him. He's also been uninvited from the upcoming Met Gala.

Majors' attorney claims the alleged victim from the NYC arrest texted the actor after he got busted to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."

As you know, Majors has been working nonstop in Hollywood lately ... he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU after starring in the recent 'Ant-Man' movie.

But, with other alleged victims reportedly waiting in the wings ... it appears the hits could keep coming for Majors.

The Menendez brothers getting a new trial because an ex-member of Menudo is accusing their father of rape is no slam dunk ... it's more of a Hail Mary, according to a criminal defense lawyer.

Attorney Alan Jackson joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him what Lyle and Erik Menendez should be expecting from Menudo member Roy Rosselló's explosive revelation about their father, Jose Menendez.

Alan believes the chances are remote the Menendez brothers get a new trial based on Roy's accusation.

Still, Alan says Lyle and Erik's defense team will try to get the accusation before a judge and present it as new evidence in hope of overturning their convictions -- because even if it's a long shot, it's something.

The way Alan sees it ... Roy's claim is unlikely to change anything for Lyle and Erik, who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents, despite arguing their father sexually molested them for years and they only killed him out of fear.

Alan says Roy's accusation -- that music executive Jose drugged and sexually assaulted him in the Menendez family's New Jersey home -- isn't directly connected to the evidence pointing to the brothers murdering their parents with shotguns.

Tyre Nichols' family is suing over his fatal beating at the hands of Memphis police ... drawing parallels with what happened to Emmett Till.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Tyre's family compares his death to the infamous 1955 killing of Emmett, saying Tyre, like Till, suffered a beating from the "hands of a modern-day lynch mob."

The Nichols family is going after the City of Memphis, Police Chief Cerelyn Davis and the officers involved in Tyre's brutal beating.

The suit claims Tyre's death was the "direct and foreseeable product of the unconstitutional policies, practices, customs, and deliberate indifference" from Memphis and its police chief.

As you know ... Tyre died in January, three days after a brutal beating at the hand of five Memphis police officers, all of whom were fired and charged with second-degree murder.

Tyre's family is also suing a sixth officer who was fired but not charged, plus three members of the Memphis Fire Department who responded to the scene but allegedly failed to render aid to Tyre.

The family of Ralph Yarl says justice can be served by locking up the 84-year-old shooter for the rest of his days ... and forcing him to financially support the Kansas City teen's future.

Ralph's attorney Lee Merritt tells TMZ ... the Yarl family sees life in prison as the appropriate punishment for Andrew Lester, the man charged with shooting Ralph after he mistakenly rang Lester's doorbell. He also says all of Lester's assets should go into a college fund for Ralph.

On top of that, the family's calling on Missouri to implement more robust hate crime laws that could be applied in situations like Ralph's. They also want the DOJ to perform a review of the KC Police Department's to assess any possible internal racial biases in its practices, noting they don't think the department took the incident seriously enough at first.

As you know, Ralph was shot twice by Lester last week, including once in the head -- and police say Lester claims he thought Ralph was trying to break into his home. Lester surrendered to cops Tuesday, the day after he was charged with 2 felonies -- assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.

Merritt says Ralph's head injury damaged the part of his brain that handles emotions, so he's been struggling with controlling them since the ordeal.

We're also told the family's looking at the possibility of a lawsuit against Lester as well as the city ... because they had to fight so hard just to get Lester charged and arrested.

Pras isn't going down without a fight in his political conspiracy case -- he took the stand Tuesday to testify in his own defense.

According to sources with direct knowledge, the former Fugees rapper's attorney called him as a witness this morning. His testimony covered several topics ... such as his background, upbringing, education history and, of course, his career as a platinum-selling musician.

Pras will likely be on the stand for the rest of day and perhaps again tomorrow as he faces 22 years behind bars for allegedly accepting around $88 million from Malaysian refugee Jho Low between 2012 and 2017.

We caught up with Pras earlier this month when the trial was heating up ... but it was unclear whether he'd actually take the stand in the case.

The Menendez Brothers case is back in the news now that an ex-member of Menudo is now backing their claim that their father was a pedophile.

Roy Rosselló -- who was part of the uber-popular boy band from the '80s -- is the subject of a new docuseries that's being aired by Peacock ... titled, "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed," which teases a big bombshell that Roy says he's ready to share with the world.

He claims Jose Menendez drugged and sexually assaulted him before Menendez was brutally killed alongside his wife by their sons, Lyle and Erik.

Unclear how exactly Roy claims to have known Jose during the time of the alleged incident -- but it's not outside the realm of possibility ... remember, Menendez worked as an executive in the music biz during the '80s and '90s -- and was tight with the Latino community.

Rossello's story is scheduled to stream May 2 ... but from the trailers/promos released this week, there's no doubt he's leveling a serious allegation that seems to jibe with what the Menendez Bros. also claimed about their dad in the '90s ... namely, that he'd allegedly sexually abused them for years during their childhood.

You'll recall ... the lynchpin of the brothers' defense essentially boiled down to telling the jury they lived in fear from the abuse and only killed their parents after claiming their dad threatened them when they said they would expose what he'd done.

It's unclear for now if Rossello's new assertion -- which seems to be the first time anyone has publicly backed the notion that Jose Menendez might've sexually abused minors -- will have any impact on the Menendez brothers' case, as their lawyers have tried for years to secure a new trial with several unsuccessful appeals.

Attorney Ben Crump says it's a true miracle Ralph Yarl is alive after the Black 16-year-old was shot in Kansas City after ringing the wrong doorbell -- but he adds, the charges against the shooter point to a larger problem in America.

Crump joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk all about the aftermath of 84-year-old Andrew Lester shooting Yarl in the head and near the chest-area ... after he had accidentally gone to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings.

Ben tells us, it is a blessing Yarl survived and is in stable condition and recovering at home with his family. He adds, he hopes Ralph has a full recovery -- mentally and physically -- from all the trauma he's endured.

However, Crump was less hopeful about the shooter being held accountable. FYI, Lester was charged with 2 felonies on Monday - assault in the 1st degree and armed criminal action but he was NOT charged with attempted murder.

Crump tells us prosecutors say they charged Lester with the most they believe would result in a conviction ... meanwhile, he says Black folks are charged to the max and it's not a question about whether they would get convicted.

He also notes police questioned Lester for 20 minutes and let him go to sleep the same night -- something he calls "unbelievable". BC says we never see this happen when races are reversed.

Celebs and folks all over have rallied behind Ralph and his family ... donating to his GoFundMe and showing their support. However Ben says America has a long way to go.

In his eyes, the country has a larger issue with using guns to handle differences. He says we shoot first and ask questions later ... whether it's police or citizens.