Crime

Travis Scott's first night of his Astroworld concert in Houston turned into a horrific tragedy Friday night ... leaving 8 people dead and more than 300 injured, and there were signs of trouble even before the concert began.

50,000 people filled the sold-out venue, when, at around 9 PM people began surging toward the stage. People started getting crushed and panic ensued. According to Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena, "People began to fall out, become unconscious and it created additional panic."

At least 8 people died in the stampede. 11 people went into cardiac arrest and were rushed to the hospital. More than 300 fans went to the field hospital near the venue.

Someone working the festival tells TMZ ... people were hopping on camera platforms, begging concert staff to end the show after the stampede erupted. They said, "Anything climbable was climbed." They also say there were several thousand pairs of shoes left behind as people fled. When the concert shut down, they said a stage manager said the venue was now "a crime scene."

The scene was chaotic ... medical personnel could not handle all the injured. There is video showing some of them performing CPR.

One concertgoer named Madeline, a nurse, tells TMZ, she was there with her boyfriend when Travis took the stage. During the first song, people started pushing toward the stage and she says she began to feel light-headed, telling us, "I passed out from the constant pressure on my chest and was one of the first people to be carried," adding, "They threw me on top of other people and crowd surfed me to other people, who lifted me over a fence where security was waiting." She says "security guards were bringing bodies from that area to the VIP area," as Travis kept performing, adding, "I see security carrying people who are not moving." She says once she regained her senses, she began administering first aid to others.

A slew of ambulances rushed to the scene ... which became direr every minute.

Before chaos erupted, Travis stopped the show several times during his 75-minute set ... after noticing some of the fans in the front seemed in distress. He told security to make sure they weren't hurt. At one point Travis asked for security to help a specific individual.

Shortly before the surge, Drake had performed with Travis ... and there was no indication the crowd would try to rush the stage.

However, there were some signs of trouble even before the show. A slew of fans knocked over barricades and rushed into the venue.

Kylie Jenner was on hand for the festival as the chaos erupted. She was there with her and Travis's daughter Stormi. As far as we know, they're fine. They were not sitting near the crush.

A reunification center was set up at a nearby hotel, so family members of concert-goers could reunite.

The Medical Examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death of the 8 fatalities.

This was the first night of what was supposed to be a 3-day festival. The second night has already been canceled.

Donald Trump believes Alec Baldwin may have had more to do with the "Rust" shooting case than his obvious pulling of the trigger -- baselessly suggesting he might've loaded it too.

The ex-Prez shared his unhinged thoughts on the "Rust" shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life this past week on the 'Chris Stigall Show' podcast -- where he called Alec a "troubled guy" and then went on to recklessly theorize he may have put the live round in there in the first place ... something we know definitively is NOT true in the slightest.

It's a wild hypothesis, and one that doesn't seem to be grounded in any facts or reality. And yet, DT did it anyway -- while Stigall didn't bother correcting him.

In any case, there's more Trump had to say on the situation ... recounting Alec's past run-ins with paparazzi and reporters -- some of which were tense and leaned toward aggression -- and went on to connect that to what happened here ... again, not really fair at all.

What Trump couldn't wrap his mind around was the idea that Alec, for some reason, thought it'd be okay to point the gun at someone who was not in the scene with him and pull the trigger. That's actually reasonable criticism ... a lot of people don't get it either, as it violates one of the biggest rules of onset gun safety -- keep folks out of the line of fire.

Trump did get the placement wrong on where this happened -- he says it was outside, but it was obviously inside a church, as we've reported.

Still, he notes that whether the gun was improperly managed before it got to Baldwin -- which appears to be the case based on everything we've seen thus far -- DT says it still shouldn't have been aimed at anyone ... let alone a cinematographer who was off-camera.

Henry Ruggs is now facing FIVE total charges stemming from his fatal car crash this week ... including four felonies, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show the former Las Vegas Raiders star has been hit with DUI resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm (presumably for the injuries caused to his GF, the passenger), and two reckless driving charges -- all felonies.

Ruggs was also hit Friday with a misdemeanor charge of possessing a gun under the influence of alcohol.

If convicted on all counts, prosecutors say Ruggs is facing up to 46 years behind bars.

As we previously reported, Ruggs is accused of speeding in his Corvette while drunk on Tuesday morning in Las Vegas ... all while carrying a loaded gun in his car.

Officials say Ruggs reached a speed of 156 MPH ... and eventually slammed into the back of a Toyota at 127 MPH -- killing a woman and her dog.

In video, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see in the moments after the crash, Ruggs was swearing and sobbing just feet away from the wreckage.

Ruggs ultimately showed up to court on Wednesday in a neck brace and a wheelchair -- though he did not enter a plea.

Henry Ruggs was flying down a Las Vegas street seconds before he crashed into a Toyota killing the driver ... and you can almost feel the speed by looking at this surveillance video.

The video captures Ruggs' Corvette going at 156 miles an hour ... authorities say that's the speed captured on the car's onboard computer. The surveillance video -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- was shot about a block away from impact.

You can see the red in both images from this side-by-side ... the Stingray has a red light on the passenger's side door. You also see green paint on both images.

As we reported, authorities say at the point of impact the Stingray was going 127 MPH, so presumably, Ruggs saw the Toyota and slammed on his brakes ... to no avail.

23-year-old Tina Tintor and her Golden Retriever Max were both killed in the crash. Her family's lawyer says, "Tina's tragic loss has devastated her family beyond a grief they could never comprehend."

Ruggs has been charged with DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm as well as reckless driving. With other charges prosecutors are considering, Ruggs could face more than 40 years in prison.

The Raiders released him Tuesday night, shortly after he was charged.

Univ. of Georgia linebacker Adam Anderson -- one of the team's best players -- has reportedly been suspended indefinitely ... after a woman says he raped her the night before the Bulldogs' game last weekend.

According to police docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, officers say a 21-year-old woman told them that after having a few drinks at an Athens, GA residence last Friday ... she awoke to Anderson having non-consensual sex with her.

No further details of the alleged incident were revealed in the docs.

Athens-Clarke County Police lieutenant Shaun Barnett told ESPN no arrests have been made despite the woman's claims ... adding that it's all "still open and under investigation."

Nonetheless, per ESPN, UGA football has barred 22-year-old Anderson from the team indefinitely while the probe continues.

For his part, Anderson has denied the allegations ... with his attorney, Steve Sadow, telling TMZ Sports the claims are "unfounded and unsupported."

"Adam hopes and prays the UGA community, and the public keep an open mind and not prejudge him based on inconsistent, unsubstantiated and baseless accusations," Sadow said.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said he was aware of the woman's report and that he would be working closely with the school's administration to ensure they cooperate fully with all law enforcement and campus protocols.

Anderson, meanwhile, played in Georgia's win over Florida on Saturday -- the day after the alleged incident with the woman -- recording 7 tackles and a .5 sack.

The family of the woman who was killed in the horrific DUI-related crash at the hands of Las Vegas Raiders star Henry Ruggs says it's impossible to express the grief they're feeling.

The lawyer for Tina Tintor's family released a statement, saying, "Tina's tragic loss has devastated her family beyond a grief they could never comprehend."

The statement goes on to say ... "Family was everything to Tina, and she was the light of her parents' life. Tina lived in Las Vegas since she was a baby. She loved her 3-year-old Golden Retriever, Max, who passed alongside her Tuesday morning."

As we reported, Ruggs was behind the wheel of his Chevy Corvette, allegedly driving 156 MPH when he apparently saw Tintor's vehicle and slammed on the brakes. Authorities say at the point of impact Ruggs' car was going 127 MPH. The impact caused Tintor's car to explode, and witnesses say they heard screams from inside her vehicle but they could not do anything to save her.

Ruggs has been charged with DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm as well as reckless driving. He faces a maximum of more than 40 years in prison if convicted of both charges.

Tina Tintor, the woman Henry Ruggs killed in a horrific crash worked as an employee at Target ... and the store is helping her co-workers deal with the grief of losing a friend.

Tintor, a Vegas resident, worked at a Target location close to her home and the crash site. Tina's former boss and store director, Travis Winston, tells us, "We’re deeply saddened by the death of our former team member, Tina Tintor. We extend our sympathies to her family and friends, and to all those impacted by this tragedy."

Winston also says Target is providing Tina's former coworkers with support, including access to onsite counselors.

As we reported, Tina was trapped inside her Toyota after Ruggs hit her from behind, traveling at an estimated 156 mph. The car burst into flames, and onlookers tried to free Tina, but the heat and smoke were too strong. The 23-year-old and her dog died inside the vehicle.

TMZ Sports obtained video from the scene, showing Ruggs sobbing and cussing just minutes after the accident.

The former Las Vegas Raider made his first appearance in court Wednesday, wearing a neck brace and sitting in a wheelchair. He's been charged with DUI resulting in death and reckless driving ... both felonies.

Nick Saban is pleading with his team to learn from the Henry Ruggs tragedy ... explaining to reporters he hopes the car crash reinforces to Alabama players to "make good choices."

"I think this is something that a lot of folks can learn from -- I think a lot of players on our team," said Saban, who coached Ruggs from 2017 to 2019 at 'Bama.

"When we say challenge people to make good choices and decisions -- do the right thing. Because sometimes the consequences can be devastating. And these consequences are going to probably be pretty devastating to Henry."

Saban said he and the rest of the Alabama football team are still supporting Henry -- despite allegations that the former Raiders star drove at 156 MPH with a BAC of .161 before crashing into and killing a woman and her dog in Las Vegas on Tuesday morning.

"We love him," Saban said of Ruggs. "We're going to support him through it. But we also have a lot of compassion for the victims and our thoughts and prayers are also with them."

Ruggs was a star for Saban at Alabama, piling up 1,716 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons. He was eventually picked by Las Vegas in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Ruggs, though, was released by the Raiders following the car crash Tuesday.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer on for "Rust" -- didn't hear or see anything that would make her think target practice (with live rounds) was taking place ... so insists her attorney.

Jason Bowles joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to clarify a few things he said earlier in the day -- the most important of which being his suggestion sabotage might've been at play here ... and that someone slipped a live bullet in a dummy rounds box on purpose.

We pressed him on that, asking what evidence -- if any -- he and/or his partners had to make a claim like that ... and Bowles seems to take a somewhat softer stance here.

Watch ... he explains they don't have a smoking gun, per se, and aren't pointing the finger at one person -- the possibility itself is there -- clear in the fact that a live round somehow made its way into a case that presumably only carried dummies, which are considered safe.

Of course, we also had to ask why the ammo was just out in the open if the weapons themselves were being guarded -- and Bowles has an explanation ... which makes sense.

He makes the point that dummies aren't dangerous, and don't necessarily need to be under a watchful eye at all times -- especially if no one is expecting a live round to enter the situation ... which he says is the case here. Namely, he's saying Hannah had no knowledge whatsoever of real bullets being anywhere near the set.

That leads to the final puzzling mystery of ... if target practice was, indeed, going down as frequently as we've heard it was during off-hours, how is it she didn't hear it or hear about it???

Bowles response is this ... if that was actually happening, it must've been taking place very far away from where she ever was, because he's firm that Hannah knows nothing about it.

There's a new Hollywood twist to the Britney Spears conservatorship ... turns out the judge on the case is the mother of a famous producer, and now he's breaking his silence on death threats aimed at his mom.

Prentice Penny is an executive producer on the HBO hit show "Insecure," starring Issa Rae ... and he recently jumped on the "Clay Cane Show" to talk about his mom, The Honorable Judge Brenda Penny.

TMZ broke the story, Judge Penny faced online death threats after she decided against immediately suspending Jamie Spears from the conservatorship back in August. However, Prentice says it wasn't only death threats his mom got, but racist attacks as well.

While he didn't want to get into specifics, because Judge Penny is still on the case, Prentice told Clay, "I think it’s sad that whomever would use it as an excuse to espouse racist names and ideas, feels sad and it feels unnecessary."

Nonetheless, Prentice says his mother can absolutely weather the storm from pissed-off Britney fans. As he put it ... "My mom's a black woman in America, she's a tough lady."

Of course, there's a big decision coming from Judge Penny next week when she could decide if Britney should be let out of the conservatorship or not -- and whether that decision will include a mental evaluation for Britney.

Brian Laundrie took his own life before the nationwide manhunt ... at least that's what cops in Florida are saying.

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman told folks in town Brian "went out there and by all accounts probably committed suicide and he was right out there where we thought he was" ... TMZ has confirmed.

As we reported ... Brian's remains were found Oct. 20 off a Florida trail near his notebook and backpack, ending a 5-week manhunt after he disappeared in the wake of his fiancée, Gabby Petito's death.

The FBI positively identified the bones found as Brian's, thanks to dental records, but the coroner could not determine a cause of death from Laundrie's remains ... and the bones were sent to an anthropologist for further examination.

Police say the area where Brian's remains were found had previously been under 4 feet of water ... one reason why he was not found sooner.

Superman's bisexuality is having real-world consequences -- outraged fans targeting the folks behind the new comic series ... and cops stepping in to make sure things don't escalate.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD officers were recently dispatched to patrol the homes of some of the illustrators/production staffers who created the latest iteration of Superman. The extra protection comes after major backlash that included some so-called fans making threats.

We're told the pissed-off comic book readers inundated the studios to voice their displeasure with the character's newly-announced sexuality.

Our sources say the studios called LAPD, requesting for patrols to keep an eye out -- both at the private residences of some artists, and at the studio itself.

While nothing legitimate came from the threats, our sources say cops still patrolled out of an abundance of caution -- and that the situation has since settled down.

Still, pretty scary and crazy ... considering Superman (and everything about him, including his bisexuality) is pure fiction -- and yet, some seem to have taken it very personally.

As we reported ... DC announced its new Superman, Jon Kent -- son of Clark and Lois Lane -- would be starting a same-sex relationship with a friend in forthcoming issues, and released drawings of them kissing.

Carole Baskin is putting her foot down over Netflix's sequel to 'Tiger King' -- insisting the producers and Netflix cut out all footage of her for their latest offering.

The big cat advocate -- who was heavily featured in the OG series last year -- just filed suit against producers of the mega-hit and the streaming giant itself, asking a judge to put the kibosh on footage of her and her Big Cat Rescue in the upcoming "Tiger King 2" project.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, all the new video of her that they're teasing in their trailer completely misrepresents reality ... namely, that she is NOT on board with this new project whatsoever.

Carole explains in her lawsuit that all this footage is just unused stuff that didn't make the cut for 'Tiger King' ... and argues that producers are simply rehashing/repackaging it to make it seem like she's given new interviews or insight.

That's not the case at all, so says Carole ... who claims she never realized she'd be portrayed as a villain in the original 'Tiger King' and thinks the whole series ended up undermining her true mission -- protecting big cats from folks like Joe Exotic.

As you well know by now ... a lot of the show focused on Carole's first husband, Don Lewis, who went missing years ago -- something for which Carole believes the docuseries made her seem responsible.

CB's rationale for suing is that the contract she signed to participate in the first series simply doesn't give producers a right to continue using the footage in the subsequent projects ... including this sequel.

Former Vine star and all-around influencer Hayes Grier will NOT be prosecuted for allegedly beating the crap out of a guy and jacking his phone.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in North Carolina dismissed the case against Hayes, citing insufficient evidence.

In the docs, prosecutors from the Mecklenberg County District Attorney's Office say Hayes and the alleged victim were both intoxicated during the brawl and the only independent witness was going to testify that the alleged victim asked Hayes to fight.

Prosecutors also say they can't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt because they couldn't determine the aggressor in the fight. That also goes for Hayes' influencer pal, Luke Foushee, who was also arrested and hit with 2 felonies. Both of those charges are dropped, too.

TMZ broke the story ... Hayes and Foushee were arrested back in July and charged with felony conspiracy and assault causing serious bodily injury. Hayes also got hit with a common law robbery charge.

As for the robbery charge against Hayes, prosecutors say the property was returned to the alleged victim, so prosecutors didn't think they had enough evidence to prove robbery.

Cops said the alleged victim suffered a broken left orbital bone (eyeball socket), bruised ribs, brain damage, loss of hearing and bleeding from the back of the head in the beatdown.

The Gabby Petito saga has raised questions about who the media focuses on in cases like these, and it seems disproportionally white ... so says a member of the Black Eyed Peas.

We talked to Taboo (Jaime Luis Gomez) -- who is of Mexican descent and identifies as an indigenous person -- and he broke down the phenomenon of "Missing White Girl Syndrome" ... something news networks/society has been accused of doing during this entire ordeal.

Put plainly ... the guy says it is, indeed, a real thing -- and the proof is in the pudding on wall-to-wall coverage of Gabby's story for weeks on end.

As Taboo eloquently puts it, there are scores of Black and indigenous women who go missing every single day ... but don't get even a drop of the same mainstream attention as Petito did -- or any number of missing caucasian girls/women over the years.

That's not to say this is criticizing Gabby or her family or anyone affected by the tragedy -- quite the opposite ... Taboo says he has all the empathy in the world for them.

However, he does feel an underlying issue exists and doesn't wanna shy away from hard talks like these out of fear of propriety. Check out this chat -- you can tell he's passionate about speaking up for his people and other marginalized groups, so this hits home for him.

Hilaria Baldwin thinks her husband, Alec, will develop post-traumatic stress disorder after the shooting that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life ... which is partly why they fled New York.

The actor's spouse revealed the reason behind their family's travel to Vermont, saying they needed to get away from all the madness following the fatal accident ... this according to the NYPost, who snagged a one-on-one interview on Saturday, separate from their pap encounter.

It also sounds like she was tasked with finding a solitary place for them all, telling the outlet she drove around "an entire day" before settling on Manchester, VT ... and before Alec and co. eventually joined her. She says they needed to get away to "mourn Halyna's death."

She added, "Alec had a really traumatic thing happen, and I am trying to limit the PTSD."

HB went on to compare Alec's situation to that of a war vet or cop ... who might normally develop the affliction -- saying, "You look at what happens to soldiers and police officers when something like this happens, it's traumatic. We just came up here for quiet."

She also spoke on whether her hubby would ever act again, and the Post says she replied she was "hopeful but not certain." Hilaria also said, "He needs space for me to take care of him and his mental health. It's an awful thing that happened. Alec feels awful."

Hilaria also echoed something Alec himself said on camera -- that this sort of thing shouldn't have happened, and tighter regulations need to be in place. She's clearly standing by her man, taking to IG after their eventful weekend to post a photo of their hands intertwined.