Crime & Arrests

A cop was so concerned for Marshon Lattimore after finding a gun near his groin during a police stop last month that he straight-up warned the NFL star, "You're gonna shoot your dick off."

... and the whole incident was caught on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Lattimore and three others were stopped in Cleveland on March 26 after cops say the driver of the vehicle had committed multiple traffic violations.

In video of the stop, you can see officers swarmed the car immediately ... and confronted Lattimore right away.

In the clip, cops say they smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car ... and then asked Lattimore if there were firearms inside the ride.

Eventually, Lattimore revealed he DID have a gun on his person ... and told cops it was located in the groin area of his jeans.

"You're gonna shoot your dick off," one officer said as he removed the firearm from Lattimore's pants.

"Get yourself a holster, brother," another cop told the New Orleans Saints corner.

As cops were conducting searches around the car, one of the officers apparently realized Lattimore was an NFL player ... and said out loud, "You play for the Saints?!"

The cop then scolded the 24-year-old for putting himself in the position ... explaining, "It's not like you're a, you know, f***ing chump out there, bro!"

Ultimately, cops say they found Lattimore's gun showed up in the system as stolen ... and they arrested him, booking him on charges of failure to notify and receiving stolen property.

FYI, the stolen property charge is a 4th degree felony -- which carries a maximum punishment of 18 months in prison. So yeah, that's a big deal.

The other three passengers in the car were also arrested.

Lattimore's case is currently playing out in the court system.

Lattimore is one of the best defensive players in the NFL ... and is expected to ink a massive contract extension with the Saints when his rookie deal expires after the 2021 season.

Cops in Louisiana are on the hunt for Aldon Smith ... they say the new Seahawks pass rusher committed 2nd-degree battery at a coffee shop in the New Orleans area on Saturday.

According to a wanted bulletin from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, Smith allegedly committed the crime while at the French Press Coffee House near Home Depot in Chalmette.

Officials say the entire incident was captured on video, according to WDSU in New Orleans.

Cops added in the bulletin, "The subject does not have a local address but has relatives in the New Orleans Area. Subject was last observed in a white in color Nissan sedan with an unknown license plate."

Smith is no stranger to trouble with the law ... he's been arrested multiple times in the past few years -- though he had famously cleaned up his life and rejoined the NFL last season.

31-year-old Smith was a star for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 ... recording five sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He just signed a one-year contract last week to play for the Seahawks in the 2021 season.

Story developing ...

Derek Chauvin's conviction was a stunning statement by a diverse jury that brutalizing a citizen will even get cops punished, but it's critical to know how close Chauvin came to getting away with it.

The way these cases have gone in the past ... the police department issues a statement, and if there's no citizen-generated video, it's often the end of it. In Chauvin's case, the initial police report -- written before any video surfaced -- made absolutely no mention of his conduct ... cutting off George Floyd's air supply for more than 9 minutes.

The Minneapolis PD issued a statement after Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, passing his death off as a "medical incident."

The day after Floyd's death, the PD put out a statement, saying police responded to a "forgery in progress" and advised the suspect "was sitting on top of a blue car and appeared to be under the influence."

The statement goes on ... "Two officers arrived and located the suspect, a male believed to be in his 40s, in his car.  He was ordered to step from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers. Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later." It went on to say "At no time were weapons of any type used by anyone involved in this incident."

The statement notes there was body cam video, but there was no mention of what it showed.

MPD eventually updated their release to call it a "critical incident" and to say that as more info became available, it'd been determined the FBI was going to get involved.

The case flew under the radar until Darnella Frazier posted video of what REALLY happened. There was a clear cover-up by cops who never said anything about Chauvin's knee, and we may never have known what really happened if it weren't for 17-year-old Darnella and her cellphone.

Remember ... Chauvin had issues with excessive force on the PD before he encountered George Floyd, yet he remained on the force and he might still be a cop if it weren't for Frazier's video.

This is Derek Chauvin ahead of his first night in jail as a convicted murderer ... he had his new mug shot taken Tuesday evening after he was led out of court in handcuffs.

Chauvin is being held in Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office checked him into the jail -- which he'll call home, until sentencing in about 8 weeks -- around 5 PM Tuesday, immediately after he was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.

We know Chauvin prepped to make at least one phone call after arriving at the jail -- TMZ broke the story, Chauvin scribbled the phone number for Eric Nelson, his defense attorney, on the palm of his left hand. The smudged pen marks were visible on his hand as the bailiff led him out of the courtroom.

Chauvin posed for his first mug when he was arrested for the murder of George Floyd in May 2020.

Swae Lee is finally hearing from his brother facing a first-degree murder charge in his father's death ... and TMZ has the first look at their phone call from jail, and it's powerful.

The rapper and his mother, Bernadette Walker, got super emotional as they dialed up her son, Michael Sullivan, as he sits in a Mississippi jail and asked about the night in January 2020 when Swae's stepfather -- who helped raise him -- was gunned down.

The emotional jail phone call is part of Swae's new docuseries on Snapchat, "Swae Meets World," which premiered last Saturday and features Swae talking about his stepfather's death on camera for the first time.

Michael, who suffers from a mental illness requiring medication, tells Swae what was going through his head the night his father, Floyd Sullivan Jr., died ... and it sounds pretty intense.

TMZ broke the story ... Swae and Slim Jxmmi's half-brother was arrested for murder the day after their stepfather was shot to death, and Michael's been charged with murder and is facing life in prison if convicted.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris just reacted to the guilty verdict that was handed down in the Derek Chauvin murder trial ... and they say it's a catalyst for ending systemic racism.

Biden says he told George Floyd's daughter, Gianna, her father "changed the world" ... and he's calling on Americans to unite behind the guilty verdict and help make the country a better place where folks don't have reason to fear law enforcement.

POTUS says Floyd's murder in broad daylight ripped the blinders off and allowed the world to see the systemic racism rooted in America ... and Biden says the verdict is a step towards changing the country's trajectory.

Harris says the guilty verdict offers a bit of relief, but it can't bring back Floyd or take away his family's pain ... and she says now's the time to reform policing in America.

In the courthouse hallway moments after the verdict, Biden called the Floyd family and expressed his feelings that justice was served.

As you know by now, a Minneapolis jury just found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder and third-degree murder for killing Floyd during his arrest on May 25, 2020. Chauvin was also found guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Prez commented that he had checked in on Floyd's family and told them he was "praying the verdict is the right verdict." He also called the Chauvin case "overwhelming."

The Chauvin verdict does not mean the overwhelming nature of the case is over ... as the 3 other officers involved in Floyd's arrest are due to stand trial soon as well.

Magic Johnson believes justice has been served in the Derek Chauvin case -- thanking God after the former police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"Thank God ... guilty! Justice has been served," Johnson tweeted.

Chauvin was found guilty of 2nd-degree unintentional murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter stemming from the May 2020 incident in Minnesota.

Moments after the verdict was read and Chauvin was taken into custody, athletes from all over the world spoke out on social media.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also issued a joint statement with the executive director of the NBPA Michele Roberts.

"George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served."

"But we also recognize that there is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing."

LeBron James had a one-word reaction to the verdict ... tweeting, "ACCOUNTABILITY."

Renee Montgomery -- former WNBA player turned co-owner of the Atlanta Dream said, "Let’s make this the new normal. Accountability is served."

Mike Tyson -- "Guilty. Justice served."

Matt Barnes -- "Condolences to the Floyd Family. This is just the first step of starting to change a broken system."

Reggie Miller -- "Thank you JURY!!! ACCOUNTABILITY"

Matt Forte -- "I don’t celebrate the demise of another persons life no matter what they’ve done but I do celebrate JUSTICE, TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS because for so long that has been void of the criminal justice system in America for black and brown people."

Josh Hart -- "Put his ass under the jail."

Torrey Smith -- "I can’t believe what I just saw. They finally got one case right. GUILTY!!! Prayers up for the Floyd family."

Ex-NBA star Isiah Thomas -- "Crying hard tears right now, maybe things are changing in America?"

Karl-Anthony Towns -- "Justice and Accountability! Things I never thought I would see. There’s much more work to do, but this is an amazing start working toward the reform this country NEEDS!"

The Minnesota Timberwolves also issued a statement saying the team is "hopeful that today's decision will serve as a step forward, but it does not ease the physical and emotional pain that continues in an environment where systemic racism exists."

"To our BIPOC community, the Timberwolves and Lynx remain committed to influencing change, promoting impactful action, and using our platform to help heal and unite in pursuit of liberty and justice FOR ALL."

The man who screamed violent threats at U.S. Olympic karate athlete Sakura Kokumai earlier this month has been arrested, officials say.

... and law enforcement says the suspect was also involved in a violent attack on an elderly Asian-American couple over the weekend.

As we previously reported, 28-year-old Kokumai -- a 7-time USA National Champion -- was hanging out at a park in Orange, CA on April 1 when some guy began yelling at her for no apparent reason.

Kokumai smartly recorded the incident -- capturing the man calling her a "stupid b***h" and yelling, "I'll f**k you up."

At the end of his tirade, Kokumai -- who is Japanese-American -- says she heard the man scream out something about her being "Chinese" and "sashimi" ... which you can sort of hear in the video.

Now, the Orange Police Dept. says they have arrested the suspect -- 25-year-old Michael Orlando Vivona.

Unfortunately, cops say they busted Vivona on April 18 after he was suspected of assaulting an elderly couple at a park,

"The suspect punched a 79-year-old Korean American male and his 80-year-old Korean American wife in the face," cops say,

"The assault was unprovoked and caused both elderly victims to fall down.  Community members at the park surrounded the suspect until officers arrived."

Cops say Vivona was arrested for elder abuse and committing a hate crime.

Once they realized he's the same guy from the Kokumai incident, he "was also arrested for threatening a Japanese American on April 1, 2021 at the same location."

Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd is in its final stages, with closing arguments for both sides ... and the prosecution says Chauvin "had to know" he killed Floyd.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher told the jury Monday what Chauvin did, pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, was not an accident ... because Chauvin ignored George's pleas for help.

Schleicher explained all that was needed was a little compassion, but what George needed was oxygen ... and he got neither.

The prosecution again tried to blunt the centerpiece of Chauvin's defense, that Floyd allegedly died from a drug overdose and not the ex-cop's unforgiving knee, saying the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Schleicher reiterated it's not a trial about the police department, it's a prosecution of one cop, telling the jury there's nothing worse for good police than bad police.

He also went over all the options available to the jury to convict Chauvin ... laying out exactly how they could arrive at guilty verdicts for any of the 3 charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder or second-degree manslaughter.

Remember, earlier in the trial Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo took the stand and ripped Chauvin for not following police policy with Floyd, saying Chauvin didn't learn to keep a knee on a neck for 9 minutes in the police academy.

"American Idol" contestant Cecil Ray forced his way into the home of his ex-girlfriend and struck her in the face when she refused to let him see the child he believes is his ... according to police in Texas.

A Rockdale PD officer says he got a call to a residence last week where Cecil -- full name Cecil Ray Baker -- allegedly entered the home of his ex, Mariah Lopez, and assaulted her.

According to the affidavit obtained by TMZ ... Lopez claims she wouldn't let Baker in, so he went to a locked back door and ripped it open to gain entry. She told police he then pushed her to the floor and "struck her in the face with a palm heel" before leaving.

Baker's sister told cops she witnessed the incident, and she claims he went to Lopez's place to see her daughter who he believes is his. According to cops, the sister mostly corroborated Lopez's version of events.

Police say they then tried to track down Baker, and learned that he had relocated to a nearby town. He was arrested a few days later on April 17 and booked for burglary of habitation, a second-degree felony in Texas.

Baker was released the same day on $15,000 bond.

Cecil Ray made it to the top 24, but was eliminated from 'Idol' last week.

Zamar Kirven -- a former starting LB for the Univ. of Houston football team -- has been accused of murdering his ex-H.S. teammates in a violent shooting Sunday.

The McLennan County Sheriff's Office said Kirven opened fire on 2 men, who may have been asleep at the time, at around 2 A.M. in Mart, Texas.

Officials did NOT release a motive for the alleged attack ... but they did say Kirven grew up with the men and even played high school football with them.

"He gunned those people down in cold blood," Sheriff Parnell McNamara told TMZ Sports of the alleged incident. "There was not a fight."

21-year-old Kirven was arrested and booked on a capital murder charge. Jail records show he's still in custody.

Kirven -- a 6'3", 205-pound athlete -- was a star at Mart H.S. and eventually earned a full-ride scholarship to play for the Cougars after his senior season in 2018.

Kirven played in 9 games in his true freshman season ... and went on to start 5 games in his sophomore season in 2019.

There was another fatal police shooting of another person of color ... this time in Cypress, Texas.

This video, which has not been seen and was shot March 17, picks up near a gas station, as 3 cops hover over a Hispanic man they are trying to subdue. One of the officers has a Taser in hand, as the man on the ground struggles and kicks, eventually pushing himself up from the ground. It sounds like the cop tased the man.

Then, suddenly, the same cop holsters his Taser, draws his gun and shoots the man repeatedly in the back. The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Harris County Sheriff's Dept. their deputies responded to a call about a knife-wielding man who was bloodied. The Dept. says the man fought deputies as they tried detaining him.

The deputies attempted CPR at the scene before EMS showed up.

'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond's nephew, Caleb, was arrested for DUI just over a month after he was involved in a scary wreck that could've claimed his life ... TMZ has learned.

According to arrest records out of Osage County, OK ... the 21-year-old was booked for DUI early Saturday morning. No word on whether he's still in custody at this point, but Caleb posed for this mug shot on his way in ... there's no question it's Ree's flesh and blood.

The exact circumstances of his arrest haven't been released, but there are other charges he got rung up on ... including transporting an open container (beer) and carrying firearms while under the influence.

Caleb's arrest comes a little more than a month after he and his uncle -- Ree's husband, Ladd -- collided head-first in two different fire trucks they were both operating, respectively. The family was battling a raging fire on their Oklahoma ranch when the two rigs crashed.

We were told at the time Caleb wasn't wearing a seatbelt ... and he was flung from the vehicle, about 70 feet or so. He and his uncle were both hospitalized, but were eventually released and seem to have been on the mend.

Ree herself gave an encouraging update on March 15, saying that they were indeed injured, but "fixable" in an update post on her famous blog. She also posted photos of the actual fire rigs in question -- which are way older than modern-day trucks, BTW -- and it loos like the impact was immense.

There were massive demonstrations in various cities Friday night to protest the deaths of Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright.

Protesters clashed with police in Chicago, where Toledo, and Minneapolis, where Wright was killed. The protests started out peaceful but things went south quickly.

There were numerous injuries and arrests in both cities.

This is the 6th day of protests in Minneapolis, as a possible verdict looms in the Derek Chauvin case. The jury will hear closing arguments Monday, and then they will begin deliberating.

Aaron Donald's lawyer claims the NFL superstar was the target of a bottle attack outside of a nightclub ... and he's got video to prove it.

Donald's attorney, Casey White, claims the assault allegations levied against the L.A. Rams superstar are provably false based on surveillance video they've obtained along with multiple witnesses.

As we previously reported, DeVincent Spriggs filed a police report against Donald -- claiming Aaron beat the daylights out of him outside the Boom Boom Room nightclub in the early hours of April 11.

But, Casey White appeared on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Friday morning and says the surveillance video proves Spriggs is 100% full of crap.

White says the two were at a party together at a residence above the nightclub when Spriggs bumped into Donald -- elbowing him in the back.

White says there was a minor conflict which resulted in Spriggs being kicked out of the party.

But, Spriggs allegedly waited for Donald in an alley outside -- that's when he tried to attack with a bottle.

"Mr. Spriggs starts walking toward Aaron and he's yelling and he's drunk and he's aggressive," White says.

"And, Aaron sees something in his right hand and first he thinks it's a gun."

"But, it's actually a bottle, a long liquor bottle. In fact, [Spriggs] swings with his right hand, Aaron ducks. The bottle grazes the top of Aaron's head ... he has a lump on his head from the bottle."

At that point, White says people in the area -- including Aaron's brother -- raced in to help Aaron and some people began beating Spriggs savagely.

Aaron was restrained during the beating, White says -- but eventually freed himself and actually began ripping people off of Spriggs.

"He actually saved Mr. Spriggs from further injury,” White said ... "It’s fantastic, from a defense attorney’s perspective, to be honest with you."

White says Spriggs was badly injured -- but insists the guy only has himself to blame.

White also claims he received an email from police saying investigators do not have any video evidence showing Donald assaulted Spriggs -- the implication being Donald will NOT be charged with a crime.

White also suggested he would be releasing footage soon to show everyone Donald did nothing wrong.

Daunte Wright's family is demanding a conviction and a life sentence for Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer charged in his death.

Daunte's aunt, Naisha Wright, was super emotional in a news conference Thursday, saying Potter's second-degree manslaughter charge is not enough. If convicted, she would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison -- and it's clear that, at this point, the family considers anything less than a life sentence a slap in the face.

As you know ... Potter, who shot and killed Wright during a traffic stop Sunday, was arrested and charged Wednesday. She's already been released from jail on $100k bail.

Police say Potter, who resigned from the force Tuesday, meant to use her Taser, but accidentally discharged her gun instead, firing one fatal round into Daunte's left side.

Daunte's aunt held up images of a police Taser and the type of gun used to kill her nephew ... wondering how a veteran police officer could make such a fatal mistake.