Crime

Kyle Rittenhouse has denied being a white supremacist, and even claims to be fully in support of Black Lives Matter -- but a prominent leader in the org itself isn't so sure.

We spoke to Melina Abdullah -- the co-founder of L.A.'s BLM chapter -- and she's not buying Rittenhouse's assertion he's down with the cause. She tells us, from what she's seen ... it's total BS.

Check it out ... Abdullah tells us she thinks his claims of backing BLM don't match up to his history -- and she says the proof is in the pudding. Abdullah makes reference to photos of him flashing perceived "white power" signs online.

She was referring to the now-infamous image from last year that circulated all over social media -- showing Rittenhouse in a bar after his release from jail, flashing what looks like the OK sign ... which many see as a blatant white supremacist gesture. Rittenhouse has denied that's what he meant.

Still, Melina says something doesn't feel right ... she believes the fact he's cozying up to right-wing media types -- like Tucker Carlson, with whom he did an interview last week -- doesn't help Rittenhouse's case for being a BLM backer.

She suggests Rittenhouse is being used as a pawn, perhaps unsuspectingly, by folks she thinks are more interested in racial division than unity.

Again, Rittenhouse has firmly denied being a white supremacist and/or a racist -- and insists his case and actions last summer in Kenosha had nothing to do with race.

As we reported ... KR was found not guilty of all charges against him, as the jury felt he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 2 people that night.

The man cops say is responsible for running his SUV through a Wisconsin Christmas parade, killing 5 people, and injuring dozens more has just been charged ... and is about to make a first appearance in court.

According to documents released Tuesday, Darrell Brooks Jr. has been hit with 5 counts of first-degree intentional homicide -- one count for each person killed. The docs recount how Brooks ignored attempts by both civilians and police officers to stop his vehicle.

Not only that, officers claim there were several moments when Brooks had the opportunity to exit the parade route and he stayed in ... increasing his speed and mowing people down.

In all, there were at least 62 injured by Brooks ... the 5 casualties were all adults, but we know children were among the injured.

As we reported, Brooks' arrest was captured on doorbell surveillance shortly after the massacre. He had asked the homeowners to use a phone, saying he was waiting on an Uber ... but cops were quick to catch up to him.

Brooks, who at one time had a very small-scale rap career featured the same vehicle he used in the attack in one of his videos.

Brian Laundrie died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head -- this according to the family attorney.

TMZ spoke with Steve Bertolino, who says both of Laundrie's parents have been informed the cause of death was suicide. He tells us both parents are still mourning the loss of their son, and "hope these findings bring closure to both families."

Of course, this news comes after Laundrie's bones were examined by an anthropologist.

As we reported, Laundrie's body was found out at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park by investigators, on the advice of his parents who suggested they search that same area again.

Remember, Brian's remains were in such a state that a medical examiner could not easily determine how exactly he'd died -- and this anthropology examination was commissioned to get to the bottom of it. One part of his remains that were intact enough were his teeth ... that's how they ultimately discovered this was, indeed, Brian -- with matching dental records.

This seems to finally close the book on this whole saga ... at least partially, anyway. We now know how exactly Brian and Gabby Petito died ... of course, we still don't know what happened in the middle -- namely, who killed Gabby ... and what Brian's role in that was.

As we reported ... Brian returned to Florida from a cross-country trip he'd gone on with his fiancee, but he came back by himself -- with no Gabby in sight. Shortly after touching down in North Port again and seeing his parents ... Brian himself disappeared without a trace.

There was a nationwide manhunt for him that carried on for weeks and weeks -- with different would-be sightings springing up all over the place.

In the end, the guy was literally in his own backyard (metaphorically) ... and the FBI said the reason they hadn't found him earlier is that the area he ended up being in was underwater for a majority of their initial search.

The man police believe plowed into a crowd of people in Wisconsin actually ran to an unsuspecting neighbor for help, moments before he got busted -- and it's all on video.

Darrell Brooks Jr. was captured on a doorbell cam at a home less than a mile from where he allegedly mowed down parade-goers with his Ford Escape. In the video, you see Brooks pounding on the door and pleading for help, saying he'd ordered an Uber that hadn't shown up -- while asking to use the homeowner's phone.

Crazy enough, the neighbor, Daniel Rider, actually obliged ... playing Good Samaritan and inviting the guy inside, making him a sandwich, giving him a blanket and letting him make a call on his personal cell.

Before long, though, Rider says he saw cop cars outside.

Unaware of what had just happened down the street, Rider told NBC News he started to feel nervous and asked Brooks to leave, which he did ... sorta. Brooks lingered on the front porch, and when he saw the police nearby -- he tried getting back inside Rider's home.

It didn't work out for him ... the cops swooped in, and told Brooks to put his hands up, at which point he was arrested.

Brooks has since been booked on multiple charges ... including 5 counts of intentional homicide, with more pending. Word is, he was actually fleeing a separate domestic disturbance when he allegedly drove through parade barricades and ran people over.

Carole Baskin was (again) painted as an unhelpful, suspicious character in the ongoing search for her missing husband, but despite what 'Tiger King 2' suggests ... she says the exact opposite is true.

Joe Exotic's archenemy tells TMZ ... she's done everything in her power to track down Don Lewis -- her one-time hubby, who mysteriously went missing in the '90s and was never found. The 'TK' sequel, however, might have you thinking otherwise.

As you know ... the 2nd installment debuted last week, and a detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Moises Garcia, is prominently featured as they continue to dig into Don's case all these years later. As they delve into Carole's suspected knowledge about his whereabouts, Cpl. Garcia flat out says Carole seems uninterested in helping 'em out.

The reason ... she hasn't cooperated with his office's request for information -- but that's all for a good cause, according to Carole herself ... who says she's done enough already.

CB tells us that since the inception of the original investigation, she's done tons of interviews, forked over scores of documents and given unprecedented access to the authorities to get to the bottom of where the hell Don is. Not just that ... but she put out a $100k reward!

Carole adds, "There is no one who has more to gain from solving the mystery of Don’s disappearance than I do because it would clear my name and stop the idiotic rumors." She further states, "There is nothing that I know that is not either in the Sheriff’s files or in the diary I have published at SaveTheCats.org and no way I am going to have a clearer memory or anything to add twenty-four years later."

While Carole acknowledges she's mostly snubbed Garcia -- she explains she did on the advice of counsel, as she simply has nothing more to contribute.

There's also this ... the new Netflix doc apparently reveals that the Dept. of Homeland Security has already found Don alive and well in Costa Rica. Carole says she hopes that's true -- and it is even more reason she wants to put all the speculation to bed about her alleged involvement, which she says is based on nothing but unfounded rumors.

Bottom line ... Carole isn't about to dig up the past to appease kooks who are hung up on this, and she means that literally. AKA, no septic tank dig is happening on her watch.

Ghislaine Maxwell seems to be full of secrets -- including what she knows about Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful pals, and one journo is hoping to unlock the mystery once and for all.

The British socialite -- who was tight with Epstein for years before he was charged anew in 2019, and subsequently killed himself -- is about to have her day in court over alleged sex trafficking, among other charges she's facing ... which will be decided at trial later this month.

Of course, many see Maxwell as the key to unlocking the long suspected malfeasance Epstein was conducting with underage girls -- and that goes doubly so for reporter Vicky Ward.

We talked to Vicky on "TMZ Live" about the "Chasing Ghislaine" documentary she's just released on Discovery+, and she tells us a lot of new information is uncovered through her investigation ... one she's been digging into and working on for over a decade now.

Something that's clear to Vicky about Epstein's alleged criminal acts is he clearly had a support system of influential allies spanning the entire globe. Many of those ties to powerful people have already been exposed -- but Vicky wonders how they could NOT have known what Epstein was doing.

She does not suggest any one of these men participated in anything unseemly themselves ... but in her eyes (and, frankly, the eyes of many) there's no reason they should've been as cozy with the guy ... especially knowing his sordid history.

Kevin Spacey cost the creative forces behind Netflix's hit 'House of Cards' a crap ton of money due to his alleged sexual misconduct -- and now, the guy's been ordered to pony up millions over it.

The disgraced actor lost an arbitration case he's been involved in for the past few years now with a couple of companies called MRC II and Knight Takes King Productions -- a distribution company and production company, respectively.

The two companies claimed they were doing the heavy lifting on 'HOC,' especially for the 6th season they were producing for the streaming giant ... with Kevin, obviously, being a huge part of it.

An arbitrator ruled last year that Spacey's alleged behavior did, in fact, cause MRC and Knight substantial harm by essentially torpedoing the final season ... but KS had appealed that decision, only to lose again earlier this month.

Now, the companies are asking the court to confirm the arbitration award ... which would leave Spacey and his loan-out and producing companies on the hook for about $31 million. The lion's share of the award is for compensatory damages -- more than $29.5 mil -- and the remaining million and change cover attorneys' fees and costs.

MRC and KTKP argued that there was an internal investigation of Spacey's behavior -- which included claims he'd sexually harassed/assaulted production members working on 'House of Cards' -- and after doing a deep dive, they say they found many of those accusations to be true and terminated his contract. They say his conduct caused them to suffer substantial losses ... which led to the litigation.

Spacey has avoided criminal liability thus far ... but on the civil side of things, this is a big ding. He's remained mostly low-key since the allegations surfaced -- although, he is getting back to work slowly but surely.

The man who's been reported as a person of interest in the Waukesha parade tragedy -- killing at least 5 people -- is a local rapper who used an SUV in one of his music videos that appears to be the same one that plowed through the crowd.

Darrell Brooks Jr. -- who went by the stage name Mathboi Fly -- released a music video a couple years ago set in Milwaukee. Several times in the video, you see the red Ford Escape, which looks like the one seen in the horrific videos of the Christmas Parade.

YouTube pulled the music video from the original account, leaving this message in its place -- "This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated."

However, it's since been re-posted by at least one other account.

CBS 58 News got Brooks' vehicle in his driveway shortly after the massacre -- the damage is clear, and beyond disturbing.

Brooks Jr. has a recent criminal history in the area ... getting charged on November 5 with resisting an officer, bail jumping, 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety, disorderly conduct and battery.

In addition to the 5 fatalities, cops said Sunday night at least 40 more were injured when the SUV rammed through the crowd of parade viewers and participants.

Tamir Rice's mother sees a parallel between the killing of her young son and the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse -- and it's an unjust one in her eyes ... one that warrants what she calls a takeover.

We spoke to Samaria Rice about the verdict from last week, and she makes no bones about it ... she thinks him being found not guilty is BS, and that KR should be behind bars. Of course, the backdrop to that is her 12-year-old, Tamir, was gunned down for doing far less.

You'll recall ... Tamir was shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer in 2014 after somebody called in saying he had a gun -- which turned out to be nothing but a toy.

With that in mind, Samaria breaks down exactly what she sees wrong with the Rittenhouse case ... detailing everything from him being there with a semi-automatic weapon, to being able to shoot two people in the streets ... and still avoid all consequences.

She makes a startling statement, saying "this country needs to be overthrown."

As jarring as her words are, it's probably how a lot of people feel in the wake of Rittenhouse ... despite the self-defense law that a jury clearly saw as applicable here, many feel justice wasn't served.

Mayhem has found its way to Wisconsin again -- an SUV reportedly plowed through a parade and opened fire into the crowd ... and there are several people who've been injured.

This happened Sunday in Waukesha, WI -- about an hour away from Kenosha -- where they were having their annual Christmas parade, with scores of folks both participating in the event and watching from the sides of the streets ... including lots of families.

According to reports and eyewitness accounts, a vehicle described as a red Ford Escape broke through some barriers that were blocking off a road for the parade's path, and started barreling down the pavement at full speed ... eventually smashing into a group of people.

The car can be seen driving by at a few different points, which was caught on video -- and there's no question ... this person was gunning to do damage.

One video shows the SUV zooming by a small child who was playing on the street, and it narrowly missed hitting her as it continued down its path. Eventually, it made contact and ran over a handful of people -- including several who are said to be part of a group called the Dancing Grannies and were part of the parade ... and many were found lying motionless.

As many as 30 people are reported to have been injured thus far ... but it's unclear if there are any fatalities just yet. Police went after the vehicle, which fled the scene -- but not before witnesses claim the driver started firing shots outside their window ... part of which was also caught on camera.

The shots could've easily came from police here -- but it's just too early to know for sure. Waukesha authorities have warned the public to stay indoors, as this is a fluid situation.

The parade began to get evacuated immediately ... and the area is in a sheer panic right now.

Story developing ...

The Green Bay Packers say they're heartbroken over the Christmas parade crash in Wisconsin that left 5 people dead ... calling the tragedy a "terrible, senseless act."

The NFL org. released a statement in support of the victims hours after the mayhem erupted on Sunday ... saying, "Our thoughts are with the community of Waukesha this evening."

As we previously reported, a red Ford Escape sped into a Xmas parade this weekend in Waukesha, WI -- two hours south of Green eBay -- running over several spectators.

Multiple witnesses captured footage of the chaos ... showing the SUV flying down the street before plowing into people who were marching in the parade.

At this time, Waukesha police have confirmed 5 people were killed and over 40 were injured.

"We are grateful for the first responders and others who assisted the injured and comforted those in need," the Packers said in their statement.

"We share our condolences with those who lost loved ones. As a statewide community, we must all come together to support each other in these difficult times."

Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt -- who is from the Waukesha area -- said he was also devastated to learn of the tragedy Sunday ... calling it all "horrific."

"Truly hoping everyone is going to be ok and those not involved are now safe," the five-time All-Pro said. "Thankful to everyone who rushed to action and helped the wounded."

Bay Area looters have coordinated by the dozens and descended upon high-end retail stores ... and on Saturday, Walnut Creek's number was called.

Check out this footage that was captured last night by NBC reporter Jodi Hernandez, who filmed a surreal scene at a Nordstrom store in the mostly upscale East Bay city. As she describes ... it looks like scores of people pulled up to the curb in a concerted effort.

She writes, "About 25 cars just blocked the street and rushed into the Walnut Creek Nordstrom making off with goods before getting in cars snd speeding away. At least two people arrested at gunpoint."

Indeed ... her video shows multiple individuals fleeing from inside, running out with several items in hand and throwing them into the line of waiting cars -- and then speeding off.

She captured more footage of Walnut PD officers arriving on the scene and apprehending a few of the thieves -- but by all accounts, a majority of them got away ... with only 3 arrests being made that night. Three out of about a reported 80 people -- so not even close.

It's a deeply troubling trend that started to make itself known in San Francisco just the night before, only a stone's throw away from Walnut Creek, where tons of people broke into a Louis Vuitton store and ransacked the place there as well.

It looks like the cops in that scenario were able to apprehend a few more suspects than here in Walnut -- but the fact that so many people showed up to do the same thing really makes ya wonder to what degree this was all planned. In the WC case, it's quite obvious.

BTW, this is far from a California-only problem ... there have been reports of mass looting all over the country for the past several days now, including another hit near Chicago -- where another LV store was cleaned out.

Some are tying all this to the Rittenhouse verdict, but it seems clear these folks had these plans well before his fate was read aloud. And besides, there's been virtually little to no unrest in the wake of him being found not guilty -- not like 2020, anyway -- so the protest angle just doesn't make sense.

The mystery over who murdered Young Dolph may be one step closer to being solved -- because it looks like the cops have tracked down the getaway car in which the killer fled.

The vehicle was located Saturday in the Orange Mound neighborhood of South Memphis -- on the 1100 block of Bradley Street ... this according to a reporter with FOX13, who confirmed the news with local law enforcement officials, who believe they may have it.

Several different photos and videos have surfaced showing a white 2-door Mercedes Benz being towed out of a driveway of a residential home ... with neighbors looking on, and police surrounding the area. Per reports, the car appeared to be abandoned here -- and still intact.

At first glance ... the vehicle depicted in these clips certainly does look like the one cops posted photos of when asking the public for help in identifying it.

While a clear license plate wasn't visible in the photos that the police threw up ... you can kinda make one out in these videos circulating online. Unclear if the person whose property this was found on is being taken in for questioning or not -- but ya gotta imagine they're a person of interest, assuming this turns out to be the car they're after.

As we reported ... two men rolled up to Makeda's Homemade Cookies -- where Dolph was inside at the time -- and jumped out, opening fire on him in broad daylight. After unleashing a barrage of bullets that ultimately killed him on the spot, the perps fled in said Benz.

Memphis PD has yet to speak on the discovery -- they wouldn't confirm to us either way if they thought they had something, but based on this preliminary evidence, it could be a match.

Here's the crazy part ... the car was left just a mere 3 miles from the site of the shooting.

A smash-and-grab heist of a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco ended up looking like an action movie when the police showed up -- and it was all captured on crazy video.

Check out this wild scene of people ransacking the luxury retailer in Union Square Friday, with a ton of people flocking in and raiding the place for most everything it had. Bystanders caught tons of bodies storming into the front doors once the windows were busted.

It doesn't appear to be tied to any type of demonstration or anything like that -- so far, this seems to have been a random act of looting ... that folks happily took advantage of once it was underway.

As you can see ... folks helped themselves to a number of items inside, walking out with armfuls of products (big and small) and casually -- albeit somewhat briskly -- walked away from all the action -- trying to get the hell outta there before the police arrived.

Word is ... the people that stormed the store actually pushed over a security guard who was standing watch inside -- this LV was closed at the time of the incident -- and they had their run of the place. That is, until the cavalry got called in ... and, boy, did they come in blazing.

Watch this video of an SFPD squad car roaring up to the chaos and peeling in front of a parked convertible Mustang that, for whatever reason, was just chillin' there ... and which the cops apparently thought might've had something to do with the break-in.

Three officers surround the vehicle and start pulverizing it with their batons ... breaking in the windows and smashing up anything they can as they demand the driver get out of the vehicle. Eventually, they detain him and get him in cuffs -- but it's unclear what involvement, if any, this person may have had with what was happening just feet away.

In any case, it would seem the cops had reason to believe this car was carrying would-be culprits inside -- because the ferocity with which they pounced is pretty shocking.

Anyway, the aftermath of it all made for quite a mess ... glass scattered everywhere, as witnesses milled about and took video of everything. As for the police, they told local media they've already apprehended several suspects they believe were involved in the theft.

Young Dolph was brutally murdered, but his efforts to lift his community up are still going strong, including one act of kindness he was supposed to complete the day he was killed.

Dolph was behind a series of charity events all this week, handing out turkeys and groceries to families in need. He was supposed to show up at one of those events Wednesday, but that plan was tragically cut short when two men opened fire hours earlier, killing the rapper.

While still devastated, reps from Dolph's Paper Route record label rallied to get the charity event back on track for Friday ... and giving out hundreds of birds to needy families on a day when Dolph would have done it himself.

Dolph had previously established the IdaMae Family Foundation -- named for his grandmother -- and we're told those closest to him know he would've wanted the event to continue, despite his absence.

As we reported, police have released photos of the alleged shooters and their getaway car ... but no arrests have been made and suspects have not been released.

Kristin Evans -- the woman who was brutally attacked by Zac Stacy -- is back in the hospital dealing with injuries she suffered in the violent incident, TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources tell us Evans, who initially received medical care in the hours following the attack, returned to the hospital Friday morning after she was still experiencing the lingering effects of Stacy's rage.

We're told Evans has been throwing up the past few days ... and is also suffering from back, rib and torso pain.

As we previously reported, Evans was checked out Saturday after Stacy punched her, threw her into a television, and then body-slammed her.

Initially, she believed she had somehow avoided serious injury ... though there's now obviously concern that's changed.

Stacy, meanwhile, was arrested Thursday night over the incident ... and is still behind bars while facing felony charges of aggravated battery and criminal mischief.