Crime & Arrests

Big celebrities on the level of Diddy are going to be sued for allegedly helping him carry out and cover up sexual assaults, unless they settle out of court first ... so says attorney Tony Buzbee.

The Houston-based attorney joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," and we asked him what we should be expecting from his forthcoming lawsuits against Diddy ... specifically, if other major celebs would be named as defendants too.

Buzbee says a bunch of famous people everyone has heard of are going to be sued by his law firm in the coming weeks ... and he's already sent out demand letters, giving these celebs the chance to pony up a lot of money to settle and avoid a public lawsuit.

Jabrill Peppers was arrested on Saturday after his girlfriend told cops he roughed her up, according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... but the NFL player is adamant the claims are untrue.

Officials wrote in the docs that Peppers' GF alleged the New England Patriots safety got violent with her at around 4 AM ... after she got a phone call during intercourse with him that he didn't like.

Authorities say she stated he demanded she leave his apartment -- and pushed her out of the bedroom while they were both naked. Moments later, she claimed he "put his hands on her neck and pushed her head against the wall." The whole time, she said he appeared "out of his mind and had a serious expression."

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was reportedly arrested in Massachusetts early Saturday morning ... facing charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and drug possession.

According to local reports, Braintree Police were dispatched to a home on the morning of October 5 ... after receiving a call regarding a disturbance.

EMS treated an alleged victim at the scene ... and after an investigation, Peppers was arrested.

Talk about a heavy topic for some late-night laughs ... "Saturday Night Live" went all in on Diddy, who’s currently behind bars on charges related to racketeering, sex trafficking and other serious crimes.

On the show's "Weekend Update" segment, Michael Che quipped alongside a pic of Diddy, “It was reported that the U.S. added 245,000 new jobs. Unfortunately, they were all 'Diddy accusers.'”

The audience erupted in laughter as Michael kept it rolling, saying, "It was announced that Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking case has been assigned to a new judge. One that Diddy hopes is cool with rapes."

The two people who say they sustained gnarly wounds in the Rashee Rice car crash earlier this year are now hoping the Chiefs star's own recent injury will expedite an amicable resolution to their impending lawsuit.

Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova said in court documents filed back in April that they suffered brain trauma, lacerations to their face, bruises on their bodies, as well as internal bleeding after Rice and his friend lost control of their sports cars on March 30 and crashed into their ride while speeding down a Texas highway.

Petrovskiy and Gromova asked for no less than $10 million in punitive damages -- but there appears to be no disposition to the suit in sight ... as court records show a trial in the case isn't slated to begin until June 2025.

But, Sanjay S. Mathur, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement to TMZ Sports this week that following the wide receiver's knee injury Sunday ... he's hopeful things will now change.

"We are saddened to hear about Rashee Rice's injury on the football field and hope for his quick recovery," Mathur said. "We recognize that injuries can significantly impact one's life, causing both physical pain and mental distress. They disrupt routines, hobbies, daily chores, and activities. Injuries often lead to medical procedures and bills, and they can hinder one’s ability to earn a living."

"We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries," Mathur continued. "We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case."

Rice, who has previously expressed remorse for his role in the wreck, was hurt while attempting to make a tackle following a Patrick Mahomes interception against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed -- although the Chiefs have placed him on injured reserve ... meaning he'll miss at least the next four Kansas City games.

Nikki Garcia (AKA Bella) looks happy doing the single mom thing ... taking her son to his dance class after getting a restraining order against his famous father.

Nikki was spotted Friday in Napa, CA for the first time since a judge gave her court-ordered protection from "Dancing With the Stars" pro Artem Chigvintsev.

She was smiling as she carried their son, Matteo, in her arms ... and they had matching all-black outfits.

A 10-year-old boy in Minneapolis allegedly went for a joyride that turned scary when he drove through a park, nearly hitting several kids ... and it was all caught on camera.

In the recently released shocking footage from last month ... the car allegedly driven by the youngster is seen barreling through the park as kids play nearby at the Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis.

It's clear from the video that the adults on the playground with the kids are in shock for a few moments ... before they rush to try and gather the kids to get away from the danger.

Diddy and Justin Bieber hung out back in the day ... but it was hard to gauge just how close the two celebs were ... until now.

TMZ has obtained rare archived photos of the music legends kicking back at two events ... the 2010 Haiti Benefit Concert at American Airlines Arena in Miami and the 2016 after-party for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards at 1OAK in L.A.

Reviewing the images, one thing becomes abundantly clear ... Diddy and the much younger Bieber were super tight.

Brie Garcia (Bella) is feeling helpless amid her sister Nikki Garcia (Bella)'s messy split from husband Artem Chigvintsev ... revealing how the drama has impacted her own mental health.

The former WWE star appeared to address Nikki and Artem's heated fallout -- which has seen both sides accuse the other of domestic violence -- sharing how the legal battle has left her eager to do something.

Brie hinted at the legal saga on the sisters' joint podcast "The Nikki & Brie Show" Friday ... where she touched on "trauma" and the urge to want to "fix" things for a struggling loved one. Yet, she acknowledged some situations you can't do anything.

Aries Spears makes a living speaking his mind even when the public doesn't agree -- but he's not hopping on the Diddy joke train before all the facts have been displayed!!!

We caught up with the comedian at LAX Thursday en route to his upcoming Apollo gig, and he's siding with Dr. Umar Johnson's recent viral comments ... Diddy's an innocent man until the courts rule that he's guilty!!!

Johnson has set ablaze several fiery rants in favor of Diddy, questioning the lack of evidence while claiming America is running a successful Black man through the wringer to distract from the presidential election.

Interest in the 35-year-old Menendez brothers murder case has skyrocketed thanks to the wildly popular Netflix series ... and neighbors on the affluent block of the infamous family home are livid about it!

Beverly Hills authorities tell TMZ ... police have received a slew of calls from irate neighbors who are tired of the influx of foot and car traffic on their block ... and they want cops to intervene.

Calls to police have been coming in for more than a week ... and it all started after "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" dropped on the streamer, we hear -- so it's pretty clear what's happening.

Diddy and Justin Bieber are seen together in a resurfaced 2011 video ... and their little hangout sesh on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will totally shock you.

Check out the clip from February 2011 ... Diddy was sporting dark shades and sitting side by side with the much younger Biebs, with host Jimmy Kimmel parked behind his desk, chatting with the famous duo.

The convo started off with Jimmy asking Diddy and Justin what their relationship was about and if they were collaborating on music.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were glued to the screen as prosecutors made a major announcement in their murder case ... watching it all unfold from behind bars.

Sources with knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the Menendez brothers watched Thursday's press conference live from prison, tuning in to see L.A. County D.A. George Gascón announce prosecutors would be reviewing new evidence.

Gascón says his office is reviewing Erik and Lyle's claims that their father, Jose Menendez, molested them before they killed him ... and he said he would decide if the brothers should get a new trial or if prosecutors should go for a new sentence -- presumably manslaughter -- which could set them free.

George Lopez doesn't buy the idea that Melania Trump is a pro-choice supporter one bit, gauging from her choice in picking Donald Trump as a husband -- but he isn't giving the same scrutiny to the ongoing Diddy saga!!!

TMZ caught up with GL in NYC and the comedian couldn't help but scoff at Mrs. Trump's grand revelation that there should be no restrictions against abortion in the U.S. -- which totally contradicts DJT's ongoing presidential campaign.

Switching gears, George says he doesn't side with the nonstop wave of Diddy jokes on social media since the allegations started ... well, sort of.

Ashton Kutcher is said to be concerned about getting dragged into the Diddy criminal case, but federal investigators do not have him in their crosshairs ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the Diddy probe tell TMZ ... Ashton in no way is a target of the federal criminal investigation involving Diddy.

Additionally, a source close to Ashton tells TMZ ... "This narrative has got to stop. Ashton has nothing to do with this. Zero involvement. Zero knowledge of these [Diddy's] activities. Ashton like everyone else in Hollywood attended a Diddy party 20 years ago."

Diddy’s every move is being dissected following his recent bombshell indictment -- and now a bizarre resurfaced video shows him calling out Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson over their skincare endorsements.

In the resurfaced clip from the early 2000s, a rambling Diddy rants about how LL and JS don’t deserve props for their Proactiv collabs, claiming he was onto the skincare brand 7 years before they ever did their commercials -- so, in his eyes, they were late to the game.

It's a seriously cringe-worthy clip, with Diddy going on about how his "silky smooth cocoa butter skin" was courtesy of Proactiv long before Lindsay and Jessica made it trendy in the beauty scene.