Crime

Authorities in the UK have confirmed to TMZ Sports that Kurt Zouma's cats have been taken from the soccer star after he was seen on video kicking and slapping the animals.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tells us the two cats were taken this week ... as it continues to investigate the footballer for animal abuse.

"The two cats are now in RSPCA care," a spokesperson for the RSPCA said in a statement. "Our priority is and has always been the wellbeing of these cats."

"They've been taken for a check-up at a vet and then will remain in our care while the investigation continues."

As we reported, 27-year-old Zouma was seen on video, obtained by The Sun, kicking a cat across the floor over the weekend. He was also seen in the footage slapping a cat.

Zouma -- a member of the French national team -- apologized for his actions following the video's release ... saying there are "no excuses" for his behavior.

He added that the cats were "perfectly fine" and said that this would never happen again.

Despite the horrifying video, Zouma's West Ham team still allowed him to play in its game Tuesday -- and reporters on the scene said he was booed nearly every time he touched the ball.

Alex Venegas, aka Flyysoulja from the 'Island Boys', is doing all he can to make amends with the family of an 8-year-old shooting victim ... after finding out his friend is suspected of killing the little girl.

As we reported, Andrew James Thomas was arrested during a raid at Flyysoulja's rented Florida home. He says the bust, and news of Thomas' alleged involvement in a murder, came as a total shock ... and now he tells TMZ, he'd love to help the child's family if they can connect.

For now, he's urging folks to stay away from gang violence. The TikTok star says he wants to be a positive role model, and encourage others to be better citizens ... because he hates seeing innocent people get hurt.

Flyysoulja was home Monday when cops descended on Thomas -- and he told officers his friend had urged him to hide a gun, but Flyysoulja says he refused to help him at all.

Cops ended up booking Thomas for gun possession, violation of probation for a separate robbery case, and first-degree murder for the deadly drive-by shooting of the child in Palm Beach.

While Flyysoulja and his twin bro became internet-famous last year for their viral and unintentionally hilarious "Island Boy" freestyle -- they're taking the raid very seriously.

Raiders star rookie Nate Hobbs begged an officer to not arrest him during his speeding stop last month ... with police video showing the football player told the cop, "I've already been arrested two weeks ago!"

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see a Nevada State Police officer was livid with Hobbs on Jan. 16 in the Las Vegas area after he said he observed the guy going 110 MPH in a 65 MPH zone.

The cop can be heard chastising Hobbs in the clip after taking him out of his Mercedes ... saying the Raiders cornerback was putting everyone in danger by driving recklessly.

Hobbs tried to explain that he was in a hurry to make it to a football meeting on time ... but the officer was not pleased to hear that explanation.

"Why would you put yourself and everybody else out here on the roadway in extreme danger because you're going to a meeting?" the cop said. "Explain that to me."

When Hobbs apologized and insinuated it was a mistake ... the officer retorted, "Over 110 miles an hour? No signaling, cutting cars off, that's an honest mistake? No, that's a poor choice."

The cop then threatened to arrest Hobbs -- and that's when the Las Vegas player began pleading with him to reconsider.

Hobbs -- who had just been arrested for DUI in Vegas on Jan. 3 -- said, "I've already been arrested two weeks ago! I cannot be arrested again, sir. Please."

He added, "I'm begging you. I swear, I'm begging you."

Fortunately for Hobbs, the cop decided to not arrest him ... and instead hit him with a citation, towed his car and allowed him to leave.

Washington Commanders safety Deshazor Everett has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter over his alleged role in a fatal December car crash, authorities announced Tuesday.

In a statement, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said an investigation revealed Everett was going "over twice the posted 45 mph speed limit" before he crashed his Nissan GT-R in Virginia on Dec. 23, killing his girlfriend Olivia Peters.

In the statement, cops said Everett turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon ... and remained in custody on a $10,000 secured bond.

Everett's attorney confirmed the football player did turn himself in ... but said in a statement, "Our team continues to investigate this matter as we intend on vigorously defending Mr. Everett against these allegations."

The Commanders, meanwhile, added in a statement of their own, "We are aware of these charges and are continuing to monitor the situation. We will have no further comment at this time."

As we previously reported, Everett -- a team captain for the Commanders -- was injured in the crash -- which 911 callers described as a terrifying scene.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is getting an up-close look at his Secret Service agents in crunch time -- a bomb threat in Washington D.C. forced them to whisk VP Kamala Harris' husband to safety.

Emhoff's Secret Service detail leaped into action Tuesday during his appearance at Dunbar High School in D.C. for a Black History Month event. An agent reportedly approached Doug and told him it was go time, and they went ... quickly.

Looks like DE was a pretty cool customer during the crisis.

Agents took care of rushing Emhoff out of the room ... while students and teachers were also evacuated. The White House says the building's been cleared and everyone is safe now.

It's unclear if there was a real bomb -- but the threat comes on the heels of dozens of other bomb threats at Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. The threats started coming in as Black History Month was beginning.

Drill Music is starting to get silenced in NYC ... but homegrown artists like Fivio Foreign are fighting to keep it afloat.

We got Fivio leaving The Palm in New York ... after having meetings regarding what seems to be the future of Drill Music on the airwaves. He said the meeting went well and feels like a step in the right direction.

When asked about the possibility of Drill artists getting indicted for their violent lyrics, Fivio called it BS, saying "That means you gotta go lock up Denzel for being a bad cop in "Training Day"!"

He says music is an art form where people can express themselves in the only way they know how, and it's unfair to single out one genre of music, or one community of people.

In case you're unfamiliar, Drill is a style of trap music that's been mainstream for the past decade, with artists like Chief Keef and Lil Durk associated -- as well as Fivio Foreign.

It's known for its violent and gritty lyrics... which is why the city of NYC has been trying to shut it down.

The NYPD claims Drill is making gang violence in their city worse, pointing to its lyrics as a source of inspiration for shootings. While they say it isn't a blatant cause of violence, at the end of the day, they believe it's a strong influence.

Micah Beals -- aka, Micah Femia -- was filmed this week harassing a couple guys on a NYC subway train over their mask-wearing ... and things got ugly quick.

Check out the clip ... you see a man we're told is Beals, who has appeared on "Parks and Recreation" and other shows, sitting by himself on a bench before turning his attention to another man down the way -- taunting and insulting the guy over his face covering.

The man seems to do a good job at ignoring Beals, but the dude persists in his barbs -- calling him a sheep, a "p***y" and then finally, a homophobic slur. Beals also appears to be drinking a beer, and once he realizes he's being filmed by a second person across from him ... he zeroes in there too.

The end of the video appears to show Beals ramping up to kick the man recording, but cuts out before we can see what happened.

We've got a call in to cops to see if Beals was reported. No word back yet.

Speaking of NYPD, Beals is the same guy police ID'd for allegedly splashing paint onto a bronze bust of George Floyd in Union Square a few months back ... and he ended up getting charged with criminal mischief. That incident, too, was caught on camera.

Simon Leviev -- aka the "Tinder Swindler" -- is gonna have a hard time finding new victims on dating apps ... because he's been booted from just about everywhere!

A rep for Match Group -- owners of OkCupid, Hinge, PlentyofFish, OurTime, Meetic, Pairs, and Match -- tells TMZ that Simon has been permanently banned from all of their properties ... leaving him out of options when it comes to scamming women.

The rep says he violated the terms of service at Tinder and therefore the other partner companies will also not allow him to create a profile on the other apps.

As we reported ... a Tinder spokesperson told us Simon -- and his many aliases -- would no longer be allowed to open an account on their platform, as he violated their terms of service ... specifically, impersonation and asking for money.

According to the new documentary, Simon would show off his lavish lifestyle to women on Tinder, in hopes of getting their trust and affection. Once hooking them, he'd convince them to "loan" him money ... before he ghosted and made off with their cash.

Much like a Ponzi scheme, the documentary claims he'd use one woman's money to impress the next, and so on. All in all, he allegedly took more than $10 million from his victims.

He was eventually arrested in 2019 and sent back to Israel, where he was released after just 5 months in prison.

Tyga just got some more good news in his domestic violence case ... we've learned he will NOT be hit with any criminal charges, as long as he stays out of trouble.

Tyga's case has been set for a hearing with the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, where he'll sit down with prosecutors to talk about how to better handle domestic disputes in the future.

That's the educational part of this ... the other caveat is Tyga's got to keep his close nose clean, legally speaking, for the next year. If he doesn't, prosecutors could end up filing misdemeanor charges in the case -- so, they're still dangling that carrot.

TMZ broke the story ... Tyga was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in October after his ex-girlfriend, Camaryn Swanson, accused him of putting his hands on her when they got in an argument at the rapper's home.

Tyga turned himself in to police and his bail was set at $50k.

The allegations haven't stopped Tyga from spending time with Camaryn -- as we previously reported, the exes are easing back into hanging out again.

Billie Joe Armstrong says one of his prized cars and a bunch of band gear were stolen recently, most likely by some real "American Idiots" ... and now we've learned cops are on the case.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that between Friday night and Saturday morning, the suspects entered a commercial business in Costa Mesa, CA. Cops say the vehicle that was stolen was a white, two-door 1962 Chevrolet Nova.

Other than the car, police say the unknown individuals also took two electric guitars and an amp -- quite the haul to walk away with.

Not only did Armstrong ask his followers to help him track down the Chevy, but police are urging anyone with information on this burglary to contact the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Lil Uzi Vert took a plea deal in an assault case involving his ex-girlfriend and fellow rapper SAINt JHN ... and he's avoiding time behind bars.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office tells us Lil Uzi Vert pleaded no contest in court to one count each of felony assault with a firearm and misdemeanor injury to a girlfriend.

We're told he was sentenced to 3 years of formal probation, 1 year of treatment for mental health and substance abuse, 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, restitution and a 10-year criminal protective order.

Lil Uzi Vert copped the plea deal after prosecutors charged him with 3 felonies -- assault with a firearm, criminal threats and domestic violence -- plus a misdemeanor charge of carrying a loaded firearm.

TMZ broke the story ... Uzi's ex, Brittany Byrd, filed a police report back in July claiming Uzi put a gun to her stomach and then hit her.

Remember ... the alleged incident went down at Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood, where Lil Uzi Vert jumped out of a Cadillac Escalade and confronted JHN, leading to a physical altercation.

At the time, sources connected to Brittany told us she was discussing a business project with SAINt JHN when Uzi rolled up and confronted everyone at their table before getting into it with JHN.

As we reported, the sources said Uzi threw a punch at JHN but missed ... and when Uzi fell down his gun fell out on the ground. We were told that's when Brittany got up from the table and approached Uzi and he allegedly hit her and pushed the firearm into her stomach.

Prosecutors followed through with criminal charges and Lil Uzi copped a plea.

Simon Leviev, the subject of the new Netflix documentary, "The Tinder Swindler," is banned for life from the app he used to con women, with the company stating the obvious ...  he violated the terms of service.

A rep for Tinder tells TMZ ... not only have they fully terminated his account, but if Simon decides to return to the platform using his name -- or one of his many aliases -- the new account will get an immediate ban as well. They say this has been in place since 2019 when his actions were first made public.

They go on to clarify that the terms he violated were "impersonation" and "asking for money." The rep added, "We have conducted internal investigations and can confirm Simon Leviev is no longer active on Tinder under any of his known aliases."

As the documentary reveals, Simon preyed on women through the app, flashing his "enormous wealth," promoting a lavish, globetrotting lifestyle. He would convince the women he matched with to take out money for him, and make off with millions of dollars.

Cops caught up to Simon in 2019, arresting and deporting him to Israel where he was supposed to serve a lengthy sentence for his crimes -- but 5 months later, he was released. According to the report, he met the criteria for a program aiming to reduce the prison population during the pandemic.

The family of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley does not think he committed suicide ... they believe he was kidnapped and murdered.

Moses' sister, Teerea Kimbro, tells TMZ ... everyone who was close to Moses knew he loved life and she believes with all her heart he was kidnapped and then killed 3 days later.

We broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us Moses' body was found in Georgia Wednesday and cops were investigating his death as a possible suicide.

But, Moses' sister says he'd booked a taping for the Monday before his body was found but never showed up ... something she says he would never do. She went on to say he loved where his career was heading and they were planning big things in the near future.

Cops say they found Moses' body in his car with the doors locked, a gun in his lap and a facial bullet wound.

His sister says investigators told her the gun in question was one of hers -- she says she and Moses liked to go to the gun range and that he had a license to carry.

The family says cops told them they're looking at possible foul play, and Henry County Police Captain Randy Lee tells TMZ ... "It is being investigated as a possible suicide, however, detectives are following any and all available avenues and not ruling anything out."

Mac Etienne -- a forward on the UCLA men's basketball team -- was reportedly cited by cops Thursday night after he appeared to spit on fans following the Bruins' game against Arizona.

Just after UCLA fell to the Wildcats, 76-66, at the McKale Center ... cameras appeared to capture Etienne, a 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman, getting into it with U of A fans.

In the video, Etienne can be seen exchanging words with people in the stands ... before he appeared to spit at them twice. The footage shows officials then grabbing Etienne and hurrying him away from the scene.

According to the L.A. Times, University of Arizona police found and cited Etienne a short time later. The outlet reported Etienne was not detained, though, and was allowed to leave the city with the rest of his team that same night.

"UCLA Athletics is committed to and expects the highest level of sportsmanship," a spokesperson for UCLA men's basketball said in a statement to the Times. "We are aware of the incident involving a student-athlete at tonight's men’s basketball game, and the matter is under review."

We've reached out to cops for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Etienne is sitting out this season because of an injury. He played in 13 games for the team last season, starting one.

Rebel Wilson is getting court-ordered protection from a man she claims keeps showing up at her home, imagining they have a son together and leaving gifts and letters.

Rebel's lawyer, Susan Haber, beelined it to court for a temporary restraining order ... to protect the singer from a 39-year-old man she claims has been harassing her for months.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Rebel claims the guy somehow found her secluded Los Angeles home and dropped off a handwritten note falsely claiming they have a 20-year-old son together.

Rebel says the note described how they met at a club in 2001 and conversed, kissed and "we both know what happened thereafter" ... but Rebel says it's complete BS because she's never even met the guy.

In the docs, Rebel says the guy's also showed up at the home to leave behind handwritten notes to their fictional son ... as well as some strange gifts.

Rebel claims one of those gifts was a small, stuffed penguin with a card that says "love."

In the docs, Rebel says the man is "delusional by creating in his mind a fictitious history of a relationship he had, and wants to continue to have" with her ... and she fears for her safety, claiming he won't stop harassing her unless a court intervenes.

NFL player Damon Arnette allegedly pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a valet in Las Vegas and demanded his Mercedes SUV keys, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys," according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

25-year-old Arnette -- a 1st round draft pick -- was arrested on Friday, January 28 on Las Vegas Blvd. after cops received a call about a man who allegedly pulled a gun after becoming irate with a valet at the Park MGM resort.

Las Vegas Metro PD say they located Arnette driving a black G-Wagon around 6 PM on Las Vegas Blvd. When they pulled him over, they say they located two guns in the car. One of the weapons was found on a passenger (a Glock 36), and the other was found next to where Damon was seated.

As for the incident that led to the arrest ... a Park MGM employee said he retrieved a prompt to retrieve the Benz. However, when the valet delivered the car, he asked to see Arnette's ticket -- which he said he'd lost. That's when Damon allegedly lost it, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys!"

Shortly after the valet says things took a turn for the worst. The male employee claims he heard a gun cock, and when he looked up, Arnette was pointing the firearm at him, and again demanded his car.

Arnette eventually got his keys and left ... and police were called. Damon was pulled over and arrested shortly after.

Police say they viewed surveillance video from the casino ... and the video shows Arnette "took a handgun that was concealed from his pants and placed it in the drivers side interior door."

Police say "it appears that Arnette gets irritated and starts yelling at the attendant."

The argument continued, and LVMPD says "Arnette then appears to reach down and charge his pistol using both hands."

FYI, to charge a handgun is to cock the handle.

It gets worse for Damon. Police say they found 3 baggies of cocaine -- totaling 1.8 grams -- in his pocket. They asked Arnette about the powder, and he told them it was ketamine, but that it was not his.

Cops say they also located 13.5 ounces of what appeared to be marijuana (the alleged weed hasn't yet been tested). LVMPD says Damon admitted to having a large amount of pot in his car for personal consumption.

Arnette was eventually booked on 4 felony charges including carrying a concealed weapon, assault and drug possession.

It's not the first time he's been in trouble. Arnette was cut by the Raiders after a video surfaced where he appeared to threaten someone with a weapon.

Arnette is also being sued for an alleged hit and run where someone was seriously injured.