Crime & Arrests

There have been arrests in the murder of "General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor ... TMZ has learned 3 people have been arrested and booked on murder charges.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD swooped in early Thursday and executed multiple arrest and search warrants in connection with the shooting death of the soap opera star.

We're told the LAPD now has in custody 3 members of the Florencia 13 gang for murder, and one gang member has been arrested on charges of being an accessory.

The two doctors charged in connection with Matthew Perry's death are being investigated by the Medical Board of California, but they haven't had their licenses suspended ... at least not yet.

Dr. Mark Chavez and Dr. Salvador Plasencia are the two physicians charged with illegally conspiring to supply ketamine to the late "Friends" star.

The State's Medical Board tells TMZ ... they are aware of the criminal charges against Dr. Chavez and Dr. Plasencia and are investigating the matter.

5:57 PM PT -- Jasveen Sangha, AKA "The Ketamine Queen," and Dr. Salvador Plasencia appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty.

Sangha was jailed without bond and the judge set Dr. Plasencia's bond at $100,000. Her trial is set for October 8, while his is set for October 15.

4:07 PM PT -- A third person has copped a plea deal in the case ... Dr. Mark Chavez.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Chavez pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine. He was facing up to 10 years in prison.

Chavez admitted to selling ketamine to Dr. Plasencia ... and prosecutors claimed Chavez got the drugs by writing a fraudulent prescription in another patient's name.

10:35 AM PT -- Matthew Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, and Erik Fleming, who prosecutors say helped broker the drug deals, already copped plea deals.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Iwamasa pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

Fleming, meanwhile, pled guilty to a pair of charges ... conspiracy to distribute ketamine and distribution of ketamine resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

Iwamasa was facing up to 15 years behind bars and Fleming was staring down up to 25 years in prison ... but in exchange for their plea agreements, prosecutors agreed to seek reduced sentences based on their acknowledgement of responsibility and cooperation with the investigation.

The offspring of Credence Clearwater Revival's drummer isn't feeling like a "Fortunate Son" ... police are calling him a person of interest in a homicide and a woman's disappearance ... TMZ has confirmed.

Brent Clifford -- son of the band's longtime drummer, Doug Clifford -- was arrested at around 4 PM Wednesday in Portola, CA, according to a statement released by the Reno Police Department.

Authorities say they took Brent into custody on an active warrant in connection with the shooting death of William Andrews -- a man cops found dead this past Sunday.

Brooke Mueller has some deep connections to the Matthew Perry death case ... TMZ has learned she knew the woman who prosecutors say sold the fatal dose, and was super close to the guy prosecutors say delivered the ketamine that killed Matthew ... and she aided in the police investigation.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Brooke once spent time in rehab with Matthew and Jasveen Sangha, AKA "The Ketamine Queen," and all 3 were at the same L.A.-area facility at the same time.

Jasveen was arrested Thursday in connection with Matthew's death ... and prosecutors say she's the one who ran the stash house.

"General Hospital" star Johnny Wactor's murder case has been solved, at least according to cops, because cops have served search warrants early Thursday and are in the process of making "multiple arrests" ... TMZ has learned.

LAPD has ID'd members of the Florencia 13 gang in connection with Johnny's murder outside Level 8 in downtown L.A., where he worked.

We're told fingerprints found at the scene helped crack the case.

A Florida couple was attacked by masked gunmen outside their home after winning a sizable casino jackpot ... and, their home security cam caught the whole scene on video.

Kim Chambliss and her BF Val Delacruz came back from a date night at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida ... when two men ran up to them, guns drawn and demanding money.

Check out the video ... Kim's shot in the calf but was able to slip inside the door, away from danger. Meanwhile, Val lays prone on the doorstep, nursing an injury to one of his legs while the first man comes up to him with a huge pistol in his hand.

Former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch was arrested on Tuesday night ... after authorities say they caught him driving drunk.

The 46-year-old was pulled over at around 11:30 PM in Iredell County, North Carolina ... following allegations he was driving 18 MPH over the posted 45-MPH speed limit, this according to the Iredell Free Press.

The outlet, citing court documents, reported Busch told officers he had been drinking prior to the stop -- and elicited signs of being wasted, including having "red glassy eyes."

Chris Jones is gunning to spring a convicted chicken wing thief from prison ... the Chiefs superstar has offered to pay $1.5 million after a cafeteria employee was sentenced to 9 years behind bars for stealing 11k cases of Buffalo's favorite food!

68-year-old Vera Liddell, who worked at an elementary school in a Chicago suburb for nearly a decade, plead guilty to stealing millions in flats and drums over 19 months ... when she was in charge of ordering the food.

Ultimately, Liddell was caught during an audit ... when officials realized the school had gone way over their food budget.

Former mixed martial artist Lumumba Sayers -- who once fought ex-UFC star Derek Brunson inside a cage -- was arrested for murder over the weekend ... after he allegedly shot and killed a man to avenge his son's death.

The Commerce City Police Department says the incident happened at around 5 PM on Saturday during a children's birthday party at a Commerce City, Colo. park.

According to the arrest affidavit, obtained by Denver7, Sayers is accused of walking up to 28-year-old Malcolm Watson and shooting him in the head. The docs state witnesses told cops Sayers may have thought Watson had been a friend of a man he believed to be somehow involved in the 2023 death of Sayers' son.

A firearm registered to notorious cop killer Christopher Dorner was recovered during the arrest of two men suspected in the armed robbery of a $1 million watch ... and the crazy thing is Dorner's been dead for over a decade.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles say Beverly Hills Police officers discovered a handgun registered to Dorner during a Saturday morning search of the suspects' Airbnb.

The firearm is a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun ... and prosecutors say it was loaded and tucked inside a pillowcase when cops found it during their search. Authorities also released photos allegedly showing one of the suspects holding the gun.

Volleyball star Steven van de Velde -- a convicted child rapist -- broke down in tears during his first interview since his controversial inclusion in this month's Olympics ... and he admitted he nearly quit over the backlash he received.

The 30-year-old Netherlands athlete -- who was jailed in 2016 for raping a 12-year-old girl when he was 19 -- had dodged media throughout his time in Paris ... but on Tuesday, he faced microphones, and got emotional.

He explained to reporters that the consistent boos and jeers he received while competing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at the Games affected him ... and he had moments where he wanted to pull out.

Skai Jackson has joined the ranks of former child stars who've had run-ins with the law ... the Disney Channel alum was recently arrested ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actress, best known for starring in the Disney shows, "Jessie" and "Bunk'd," was arrested last week for domestic violence. We're told deputies were called to Universal CityWalk after security spotted Jackson and her boyfriend getting into it ... and the actress allegedly pushed him, and more than once.

Sources tell us security clocked the altercation and then detained the couple ... until law enforcement arrived.

San Diego Comic-Con got pretty rowdy ... 'cause TMZ obtained a record of police activity from around SD's convention center last month -- and it looks like officers have had their hands full.

According to the report ... one person was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, 5 got citations, and 12 other incidents triggered ongoing criminal investigations ... and we're told all were related to activity in and around Comic-Con.

There's a pretty wide variety of alleged violations, but here's the gist ... cops say some people were throwing punches, and stealing whatever they could get their hands on.

It looks like Blueface won't be having that summer celebration his mother hoped for -- a judge just hit the "Thotiana" rapper with a stiff sentence ... 4 years in prison.

Blueface's parents were front and center Friday to support of their son, and heartbroken by the news he's gonna do hard time ... which we confirmed Friday with the court.

His father Johnathan fought back tears when he heard the news ... and Blue's mother Karlissa thanked fans, while assuring them her son had turned over a new leaf behind bars.

Chicago rapper Lil Reese will not face charges in California after a woman accused him of rape ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned prosecutors will not move forward with the case.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office tells us it decided to decline the case due to insufficient evidence. Prosecutors say they opted to pull the plug on July 25, just 10 days after Reese had been arrested.

We broke the story ... LAPD responded around 3:30 AM to a call in the Downtown L.A. area where Reese was staying.