Crime

A man claiming to have a gun is barricaded in a hotel room at Caesars Palace, holding a woman against her will, and chucking large items through a window ... and now, SWAT's on the scene.

Cops say this started Tuesday morning with a call for possible domestic violence at the famed casino resort. When officers arrived, they say the man bolted into a room as they were trying to make contact -- he told them he wasn't coming out. Not just that, but he said he was armed.

BTW, Metro PD says he's not in there by himself ... the guy yanked a woman into the room with him before things went south -- and now, he's shattered windows as he throws items out of his room ... which is on a high floor. One reported object that's come down is a chair.

The authorities are telling people to clear the area or to take cover ... and there are videos and photos circulating online showing guests and passersby doing just that, hiding in fear.

Considering the man might have a weapon on him, and could start firing out the windows ... the police have called in SWAT officers who are getting into position throughout the area. A crisis negotiating team is also on site.

Police say no shots have been fired yet.

Of course, what comes to mind here is the 2017 Las Vegas massacre ... where Stephen Paddock opened fire from a hotel room in the Mandalay Bay Hotel during a music festival, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds of others.

Lady Gaga just won a legal case over her huge dog reward offer that a woman was trying to claim -- 'cause a judge just told her ... ya can't have your stolen cake and eat it too.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge tossed Jennifer McBride's lawsuit against the singer ... in which she was attempting to get a court to force Gaga to fork over a $500k reward that she promised to anyone who helped recover her stolen pets in 2021.

The judge said one major problem with McBride's lawsuit -- she was actually convicted in connection to that crime ... namely, pleading no contest to knowingly receiving stolen property.

Hizzoner makes it clear in the ruling -- saying allowing McBride to pursue the claims "would allow her to benefit from her admitted wrongdoing."  Lady Gaga has called it ridiculous ... now, a court agrees. AKA, uh ... duh!  The judge did say McBride would have 20 days to try to amend the complaint, but it's not clear how she could find a way around the ruling.

You'll recall ... Gaga's 2 Frenchies were jacked in plain sight out in Hollywood -- being taken at gunpoint, no less, and with some injury sustained by LG's dog walker, Ryan Fischer. He was shot at the time and hospitalized, but eventually (and thankfully) made a full recovery.

"Snowfall" star Damson Idris' home was subject to a burglary earlier this month ... but we're told the damage the thieves caused in the home outweighed what they got away with in goods.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the alleged thieves broke into Damson's L.A.-area house July 3, smashing a glass door to get inside.

We're told they eventually left with Damson's small safe, but the joke's on them -- because our sources say it only held about $500 worth of stuff ... though it's not totally clear what was inside.

What's more, we're told the suspects did more damage breaking in and stealing the safe than what they took home -- telling us it's about a $2K bill to fix what was busted.

LAPD is investigating the incident -- we're told cops will be reviewing the security cameras in the house and will be checking out neighbors' videos too. So far, no arrests have been made.

Shocking new video shows a gunman sticking up an Arizona toy store while kids are frozen in fear with their hands up.

The surveillance footage, recently obtained by AZFamily news, captures the masked thief brandishing his pistol as he barges into Teddy Bears El Paraiso in Mesa, AZ, on April 16.

He first points the gun at two customers and orders them to stand against a wall along with three children -- one of whom was playing on the floor.

The intruder then goes to the counter and demands money from the register as the scared customers raise their arms above their heads.

A shop manager starts handing over bills to the robber, who suddenly gets impatient, reaching over the counter and grabbing the cash drawer.

Meanwhile, another shopper unwittingly walks into the store and he, too, ends up against the wall with his hands up.

Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, is having more trouble at home ... cops say her place was hit by burglars, who made off with seven figures worth of cash and jewels.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... there was a recent break-in at Tina's Los Angeles-area estate and cops were told a safe with over $1 million in cash and jewelry was missing -- the entire safe!

We're told the break-in was discovered Wednesday morning, when someone from Tina's camp stopped by the home and discovered the missing vault.

Our sources say Tina was out of town when the incident happened, and it's unclear how the alleged thieves got inside and removed the safe.

Cops are on the case ... they're looking for video and talking to some of Tina's neighbors. So far, we're told no hot leads.

TMZ broke the story ... cops arrested a man outside Tina's home back in April after they say he caused minor damage to her mailbox by throwing rocks.

A man was spotted on camera allegedly trying to hold up an ATL nail salon, but ultimately failed -- all thanks to the staff and customers who couldn't care less about his demands.

The attempted robbery gone wrong went down this week at Nail First, and in the security footage, the man holds up what you'd assume is a weapon inside his bag ... shouting at everyone in the spot to hand over the cash.

Shockingly, his brute request fell on deaf ears -- he even goes up to the man behind the counter, who seems too busy for his BS ... taking a phone call and walking away.

The guy does snatch the phone from one woman, who ends up walking out of the building -- but everyone else remains chill ... and after some painfully-awkward silence, the guy just takes off without stealing any dough.

Crime Stoppers is working on finding the wannabe crook, according to Fox5 Atlanta ... and customer Lesa Barrow told the outlet the owner was scared at first but kept his cool to keep everyone else calm.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Jimmy Cordero will not take the mound again this season ... the MLB has suspended him for the rest of the year for violating its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

In making the announcement, league officials said Cordero has accepted the punishment ... and the ban will begin immediately.

As part of the policy, the 31-year-old will now also have to "participate in a confidential and comprehensive evaluation and treatment program," the league added.

The MLB and the Yankees did not reveal the specific allegations against Cordero that led to the suspension ... though New York officials said in a statement they "are fully supportive" of the decision.

"There is no justification for domestic violence," the Yankees said, "and we stand with the objectives, standards, and enforcement of MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy."

Cordero had pitched in 31 games for the Pinstripes this season ... earning a 3-2 record and a 3.86 ERA. He had just thrown for the team on Sunday.

Punk rock legend Johnny Rotten says he has an obsessed stalker in his midst who's been hitting him up on his phone and even coming to his house.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the Sex Pistols singer told L.A. County Sheriff's deputies a fan started harassing him last month by dropping letters in Johnny's mailbox -- and he says she picked up the pace, FAST.

Johnny said the woman took it to the next level by trespassing onto his Los Angeles-area property and strolling around his backyard. He says he even came face-to-face with her, and told her to scram.

That's when Johnny claims he started getting phone calls from her -- and that's when he decided to file a stalking report with the sheriff's department, which is now investigating.

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed allegedly ditched a bag of cocaine, handing it off to another person in the hours after Halyna Hutchins was killed ... this according to prosecutors.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim to have a witness who says Gutierrez-Reed transferred a "small bag of cocaine" to them on October 21, 2021 ... after she sat through an interview with police following Hutchins' on-set death.

They say the alleged handoff demonstrates that Reed was trying to avoid prosecution and hide evidence that would further implicate her involvement in the fatal shooting.

Prosecutors say the witness had concerns about coming forward ... telling them, "I will never be able to work in the film industry again." Prosecutors are now asking for a protective order, keeping the person off any publicly-available witness lists and barring Gutierrez-Reed's camp from releasing the witness' identity.

As we reported, Gutierrez-Reed's been charged with tampering with evidence in relation to the alleged passed-off cocaine.

The first police officer on the scene of the Allen, TX mass shooting last month wasted no time in grabbing his weapon and engaging the gunman ... all captured in dramatic body cam footage.

The footage, released Wednesday, starts with the unnamed Allen PD officer talking to a family in the parking lot of the Allen Premium Outlets in a friendly exchange about the importance of wearing seatbelts ... when all of a sudden, gunshots ring out.

The officer immediately goes from nice guy to action hero -- immediately grabbing his rifle and running toward the gunshots -- all while radioing to his supervisors for assistance.

As the officer gets closer, he sees bodies on the ground, letting his dispatcher know it appears to be a mass-shooter event. Finally, the officer gets eyes on the gunman, and opens fire -- taking him down with multiple shots.

The hero cop is eventually joined by another officer, and they approach the body of the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, sprawled out and bloody.

It's absolutely stunning and admirable how quickly this officer sprung into action ... and he very likely saved numerous lives that day.

As we've reported ... Garcia shot and killed 8 people -- including several minors -- and injured 7 others in his rampage. No motive has been identified for his actions ... but he spewed hate online and even sported swastika tattoos.

Armie Hammer's closed the book on a lot of drama in his life -- and now, he's turning the page with a little summer getaway ... with a new woman in his life.

The actor -- who has mostly remained out of the public eye for the past 2 years -- was spotted out in the Italian city of Santa Margherita Wednesday ... where he was dressed in a breezy outfit, and rocking sandals to boot. He also had company ... of the mysterious blonde variety.

The pair walked down the street, side by side. There weren't a whole lot of other people around -- and doesn't seem like anybody really recognized/bothered 'em.

Eyewitnesses tell us they hit up a little pizzeria that was mostly secluded and tucked away. By the looks of it -- they kinda had the space to themselves. We're told they sipped coffee and chitchatted with one another ... looking totally comfortable and relaxed. They also shared a kiss and held hands so, yeah, it's romantic.

Armie recently settled his divorce with Elizabeth Chambers and the judge is expected to sign off on the divorce soon.

Armie's been cleared after the LAPD investigated him for almost 2 years after a rape allegation, but the case went nowhere. The D.A. turned thumbs-down for lack of evidence, so he's clearly getting on with his life.

Nicki Minaj is fully in the corner of the Chicago 14-year-old who shot and killed a man to protect his mom while she was being attacked, saying she's willing to help him go to college.

The rapper chimed in on the viral case, which has spurred a lot of conversation online over the past week or so. She took to IG to sound off, and it's clear she believes the 14-year-old and his mother did absolutely nothing wrong here ... even if it cost a life.

Nicki passionately writes, "That 14-year-old boy that backed dat hammer out when that grown ass man was punching his mother in the face as if she were a MAN; is a true hero."

She continues ... "If he wants to go to college, I'd love to help. It's what ANY son should've done for their MOTHER. She raised a dope kid & should be so proud. Also, God knew b4 she knew; that she'd be attacked that day & made sure they had protection on DECK."

NM finishes with a simple message, "God is GOOD." Now, as for her offer of assistance for higher education -- she didn't really elaborate ... but ya gotta figure she's talking about cash here. If the kid sees this, it'll be interesting to see if he takes her up on it.

As for the case itself ... it's a doozy. Carlishia Hood and her son were charged with first-degree murder after the teen shot and killed 32-year-old Jeremy Brown on June 18 at a restaurant ... this after an argument ensued inside, and Brown was filmed repeatedly punching Hood in the head.

Right as he's wailing on her, her son enters the restaurant from outside and opens fire on Brown. Cops say Brown then fled, but allege that Hood ordered her son to finish the job and continue shooting him outside ... which he then did. Brown died from gunshot wounds.

Amid a lot of uproar, Cook County prosecutors dropped all the charges against the mother and son ... saying they didn't have enough evidence to proceed with a prosecution. Since then, Hood has sued the City of Chicago and a few cops too ... claiming she was unjustly arrested/charged -- and that the whole ordeal has caused a lot of emotional distress.

Her legal team has been echoing what a lot of others have argued -- namely, that the use of deadly force here was justified and that Hood/her son were simply defending themselves.

Cops are searching for a dangerous assailant who knocked the crap out of a woman in an NYC subway station ... and the unprovoked attack was all caught on video.

Check out the SCARY footage ... it starts rather calmly with the woman peering down at her cell phone as she's walking along the platform at Clinton-Washington Avenues Station in Brooklyn last Sunday.

The suspect then appears, heading toward her in the opposite direction ... as the two pass each other on the platform, the guy hauls off and socks the woman in the face, knocking her down.

Dazed and confused, the woman covers her injured face with her hands as a good Samaritan rushes to her aid from a subway idling in the station.

The woman later posted video of the assault to TikTok, showing her black eye and blaming herself for not paying attention by staring at her phone.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator dashed out of the station and is currently being sought by NYPD detectives.

Afroman's learning a little ganja goes a long way in preventing you from crossing the Canadian border, where he got cited while trying to get back to the U.S. ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the Palmdale rapper and his crew were detained Tuesday by U.S. Border Patrol officers while they were attempting to get back on American soil at a port of entry crossing over the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.

We're told they arrived at an inspection zone, where the feds found a ton of cash and some marijuana in their vehicle -- the bills totaled $10,000, but the bud was an insignificant personal amount.

Afroman tells TMZ ... he was on his way to a gig in NY when he was stopped at the border. He had given all his weed to his fans and housekeepers at his hotel but forgot about a bottle of cannabis pain lotion.

He says he was held for 5 hours at the border and fined $500 for the lotion -- and his DJ was also fined $500 for a small amount of cannabis gummies.

Law enforcement sources tell us the $10K was declared, and the weed was seized ... but nobody was arrested because it was such a small amount.

DaBaby is frowning on the flying phone assault Bebe Rexha just suffered ... and yet found a way to turn the topic into a plug for his new song. We can't front, it was pretty damn clever.

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with the Diamond-selling rapper out in Bev Hills in the wake of Bebe’s comeback show following a fan hurling a phone, leaving her with stitches and a black eye.

DaBaby says it hurt his soul to hear about that kinda fan foul play.

He's no stranger to fan-on-artist violence himself ... he once had a shoe flung at him during Rolling Loud, but is now advocating for peace. Ya gotta see how he made a quick pivot from discussing onstage violence to his new 3-song EP “Call Da Fireman."

DaBaby suggests fans should never throw their phones, and instead offers a better alternative -- which is using them to push play on his project!!!

It's not exactly a cry for justice for Bebe, but it's a fact streaming music won’t leave anyone injured ... so, overall definitely a better option for phone usage.

On the justice tip, though, Nicolas Malvagna is facing felony assault charges. TMZ broke the story, his attorney says Malvagna never intended to harm Bebe when he threw his phone at her, and he was just hoping she'd use it to snap a selfie.

Tom Petty's family has cops taking a closer look at his wardrobe, at least the items that ended up on an auction block ... and we've learned it's a grand theft investigation.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the late singer's family members filed the report last week after discovering Tom's belongings were up for auction. They're pissed because, according to them, the items were last seen getting loaded into an L.A. storage unit.

We're told LAPD took a grand theft report and will now investigate the matter.

TMZ broke the story ... Tom's jackets, shoes, hats and clothes showed up in an RR Auction lot last month ... but then the family called foul, claiming Tom's gear was actually stolen.

The auction house says Tom's stuff was consigned by a third party to be auctioned starting June 22 ... and they say the gear is from Tom's former home in Encino, CA.

After Tom's family raised concerns, RR Auction pulled the items and told us they were "aggressively investigating the situation."

We reached out to the auction house regarding the new police report ... so far no word back.

As the man himself once sang, the waiting is the hardest part!