Crime & Arrests

Sean Higgins -- the man accused of killing NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother, Matthew -- made his first appearance in a New Jersey courtroom on Friday ... and he looked upset to hear he'll be spending his upcoming long holiday weekend in jail.

The 43-year-old appeared virtually before a judge ... after he was hit with two charges of death by auto following allegations he drunkenly slammed his Jeep Grand Cherokee into the backs of the Gaudreaus on Thursday night while they were biking on a small roadway in Oldmans Township.

Wearing an anti-suicide smock -- Higgins initially didn't speak much at the hearing ... although when he was informed he would remain behind bars until at least next Thursday -- he seemed dejected.

"Serial" subject Adnan Syed's legal battle drags on ... 'cause the Maryland State Supreme Court affirmed a lower appellate court's ruling reinstating Syed's murder conviction.

The highest court in Maryland upheld the ruling that determined Syed's case should be kicked down to the trial court to once again consider whether his conviction should stand ... essentially undoing the 2022 court ruling that overturned the conviction and set AS free.

The new hearing has not yet been scheduled ... but when it does happen, the family of his alleged victim, Hae Min Lee, will almost certainly be present in court.

Artem Chigvintsev's domestic violence arrest didn't come out of left field, at least according to people who say they know him and Nikki Bella ... they tell us the relationship has always been "volatile."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Artem and Nikki's close friends, including their former 'DWTS' cast and crew members, are not entirely shocked by Artem's claims Nikki threw shoes at him during a heated exchange.

We're told Artem and Nikki's marriage has been troubled for some time, and it wasn't exactly a secret to anyone in their orbit.

The radio dispatch from the Artem Chigvintsev domestic violence case reveals ... he did indeed call 911 to request medical assistance, but then added his wife, Nikki Bella, had thrown shoes at him.

TMZ has obtained the dispatch call, in which the dispatcher says, "Initially came in as requesting medical, but now he is stating he got into an argument with his wife and his wife threw shoes at rp [reporting party]."

The dispatcher notes, "There is a child on scene. Medical en route," adding, "There's an active 415 [disturbing the peace] in the background responsible."

Travis Scott won't have any worries next time he decides to party in Miami Beach ... his trespassing charge -- the last remnant of his wild arrest back in June -- has been dropped!!!

A source close to the prosecutor's office tells us the charge has been dropped ... Travis and his legal counsel previously argued there were no clear "no trespassing" signs to determine he was out of bounds, and looks like that was enough to convince prosecutors to drop the case.

Scott's attorney Bradford Cohen tells TMZ Hip Hop … “After arguing the motion to dismiss and the state realizing that there was no path to maintaining the charge, they decided to drop the case in its entirety.  Although not a serious charge, and one that should not have been filed, we are pleased with the result.”

Cheryl Burke's speaking out on Artem Chigvintsev's arrest ... and, clearly she's still processing the news because she seems shocked.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" pro opened up about Chigvintsev on her podcast "Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans" ... saying she grew up in the dance world with Artem -- the two even lived together in her family home, she says -- so hearing about his arrest floored her.

She then says it's hard for her because Artem was her family ... and, a domestic violence arrest doesn't jibe with the Artem she knows.

8:25 AM PT -- Nikki Bella's rep tells TMZ, "This is a private matter, and Nikki asks for privacy for her and her family at this time."

Artem Chigvintsev -- now accused of felony domestic violence -- himself called 911 after he allegedly battered someone in his home ... and minutes later he called back and told 911 never mind ... TMZ has learned.

As TMZ reported, Artem was arrested Thursday morning in Napa, California, where he lives with his wife, Nikki Garcia (aka Nikki Bella).

The alleged victim in the Artem Chigvintsev domestic violence case is cooperating with police ... and we're told investigators want to see if there's a history of domestic violence here.

A rep for the Napa County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... the alleged victim has so far been open to talking with investigators, and cops want more time to speak with the person about what happened.

Cops spoke to the alleged victim when officers arrived at the scene ... where they arrested the "Dancing With The Stars" pro for felony corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant. We're told in order to make a felony arrest, the injury had to be visible.

3:01 PM PT -- According to county records, Artem Chigvintsev was released at 2:18 PM PT.

We now know how the alarm was sounded when someone at Artem Chigvintsev's home called 911.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... a call came in around 8:30 AM, reporting a "medical emergency" at the home. It's unclear who made the call.

12:37 PM PT -- A rep for the Napa County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ -- Deputies responded to a domestic violence call at a location in the town of Yountville shortly before 10 AM Thursday. An arrest was made at the scene, and injuries were reportedly involved.

The victim in the case has asked for total confidentiality, the sheriff's rep says.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Convicted child killer Susan Smith should not be paroled, because her bad behavior in prison included performing sex acts and doing drugs ... so says the former correctional officer with whom she hooked up.

Alfred Rowe, the disgraced prison guard previously employed at Camille Graham Correctional Center in South Carolina, tells TMZ ... Susan is not ready to be released.

Smith becomes eligible for parole in early November for murdering her two children, Michael and Alexander, according to a South Carolina corrections official.

Lil Baby is taking his recent arrest in Las Vegas in stride with a personal memo to slow down on those booze-filled nights that could land him in hot water!!!

On Wednesday, the Atlanta native posted a shot of him chilling inside a private jet with a large stack of cash ... and another flick inside a hotel room with a whimsical math equation calculating his current predicament.

Apparently when you add 🥃 + 👶🏽 ... you get 💀 on arrival!!!

Lil Baby loudly berated cops during his arrest in Vegas for possession of an illegal weapon, and the whole thing was caught on video.

An eyewitness tells TMZ, a squadron of cops rolled into the Encore Las Vegas Monday night and came out with the rapper in handcuffs.

As Vegas Metro PD officers were patting the rapper down near a police vehicle behind the hotel, Lil Baby shouted he has a license for the gun, and implored officers to let him go.

Killer mom Susan Smith’s ex-husband isn’t the only one standing in the way of her potential release -- her trial's lead prosecutor is also battling to keep her locked up for killing her two young sons back in '94.

Tommy Pope, the former solicitor for South Carolina’s 16th Judicial Circuit, tells TMZ he’s joining forces with the current solicitor, Kevin Brackett, to keep Susan behind bars at S.C.’s Leath Correctional Institution for the rest of her life ... saying he'll do anything to ensure she doesn't get out of prison. Smith has her first parole hearing set for Nov. 4.

Pope says actions have consequences ... and while mental health issues can be a factor in cases of taking someone’s life, he thinks Susan’s decision to drown her young kids just to stay with a man who didn’t want children was an extreme example of selfishness.

Cops in New Jersey say a Florida man whipped out a steak knife and lunged at another diner during a heated argument over spilled wine in a restaurant ... and it's all on video!!!

Intense footage from inside celebrity chef David Burke's Red Horse restaurant shows the wild altercation ... and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

The video picks up with a restaurant manager trying to calm down two parties at neighboring tables ... and a guy in a white shirt, who cops say ultimately gets cut by a knife, tells the other group, "You shouldn't be doing medication and drinking martinis."

8/27 -- 11:08 AM PT -- The Los Angeles District Attorney tells TMZ the Michael Madsen case has been declined for filing by our office due to insufficient evidence.

Michael's rep tells TMZ ... "We are thrilled that Michael Madsen is able to put this behind him and look forward to our continued collaboration with more great things coming from this veteran and respected actor."

Michael Madsen spent part of his weekend in jail ... because cops arrested him after he allegedly pushed his wife.