Crime

A masked man shot at a NYC taxi driver after he apparently couldn't pay his fare in full -- and now the cabbie's own ilk is telling its workforce how to avoid this situation.

In the footage -- filmed from inside driver Eufelix Jiminian's cab earlier this month -- the passenger jumps out of the moving vehicle after complaining about the bill ... and him seemingly not being able to cash out. Eventually, he opens fire on the cab as it drives away.

It's a little bizarre how this whole thing unfolds. First, Jiminian picks him up off the street -- even though he's clearly wearing a mask from the get-go -- and eventually the dude in the back says he needs to go back to where he was to get his wallet.

Albany State University volleyball player Mariam Creighton was tragically killed in a nightclub shooting in Atlanta over the weekend. She was only 21 years old.

The Atlanta Police Department said the incident happened around 2:28 AM on Sunday ... when officers responded to shots fired at the Elleven45 establishment.

Responders found six people shot ... two of whom were pronounced dead at the scene -- Creighton and 20-year-old Nakyris Ridley.

Steve Buscemi was captured on video casually walking on the street moments before he was randomly sucker punched by a hulking assailant in NYC.

On Monday, CBS News published footage of the actor strolling down Third Avenue in Manhattan last Wednesday as he was fidgeting with his cell phone.

Suddenly, Buscemi peered up at a passerby and seemingly said something to the woman. Then he proceeded across the street, where -- off-camera -- he was punched in the head by his attacker for no apparent reason.

Hip Hop's birthplace, New York, is staging a different kind of battle involving rap lyrics -- while some prosecutors want to pin crimes on artists through their lyrics, but rappers and lawmakers are taking immediate action.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with MCs Papoose and Torae following their impassioned appearance at the state Capitol in Albany, where they met with the Lieutenant Governor and other officials to campaign for Bill AB127.

The bill is intended to stop artists from having their lyrics used against them in court and Pap, Torae, Kevin Liles and other members of the Recording Academy all joined forces to raise the awareness.

They're both BK-bred from the true school of hip hop culture, and defenders of the nuanced and explicit detailing of crime-laden minority neighborhoods often heard in rap lyrics.

To be clear, they're advocating for MCs who rap about crimes ... not for people who are actually committing crimes. The bill aims to prevent prosecutors from using artists' lyrics against them in court.

We also got their take on the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, which from numbers alone, is hip hop's biggest battle to date.

Unlike some alarmed reactions to the lyrical battle ... Pap and Torae both feel you can't make an omelet without smashing eggs. In other words: rap is, and always will be, about competition, and the clash was, overall, good for hip hop.

Now that things have cooled off between K.Dot and the Canadian, Pap and Torae believe AB127 should be a priority for all MCs.

Steve Buscemi is still healing after getting randomly attacked in New York last week -- the remnants of which are still visible ... including a black eye.

The actor was out and about in the Big Apple Saturday -- the first time he'd been seen in public since word of the ambush came down yesterday from his team ... and yes, the guy's rockin' a shiner on his left eye, which is where he's reported to have been hit.

As you can see ... he's got a pair of glasses on, and while the left side might look be a darker shade of lens -- that's not the case ... as the right side is totally clear.

Eric Wynalda -- a former soccer star for the U.S. Men's National Team -- has been named in a battery report involving a teenager ... but we're hearing he's calling BS on the claims.

Per a Vegas police report, obtained by TMZ, Wynalda -- who was coaching his son's club team in a recent tournament -- allegedly exchanged words with a player on the other team ... who claimed to cops that Wynalda called him a "bitch," insulted his mom and more.

The player told police he and the coach got face-to-face and he (meaning the kid) ended up shoving the coach ... which led to a fight breaking out between the two sides. The teenager alleges he got scratched amid all this ... but said he wasn't sure if it was EW or the players.

A contestant on the popular European singing competition Eurovision has been banned from performing in the final ... and, organizers say it's because the police are investigating him.

Joost Klein -- who's representing the Netherlands in this year's edition of the contest -- will not compete in the final because Swedish police are looking into a claim made by a female member of the production crew, the Eurovision team announced in a statement Saturday.

While the European Broadcasting Union won't say exactly what the allegations entail... they do mention it occurred after the semi-final performance on Thursday night -- adding it wouldn't be appropriate for Klein to continue while the investigation proceeds.

Police have now ID'd a suspect in the horrific attack that put a woman in the hospital after she was strangled with a belt out in public ... and they've released pictures to help find him.

NYPD shared photos taken from security cameras of the man they believe is responsible for this crime ... who seems to be wearing a similar outfit from the OG vid -- with a durag on his head looking very close to the white cloth the attacker used to cover his face.

In the pics, the suspect wears a GAP sweater and white sweatpants. He's about 5'9", according to cops, and he had a backpack with him ... just like the assailant in the video.

A woman in New York City was strangled with a belt in a horrific attack earlier this month -- which rendered her unconscious and left her vulnerable to be sexually assaulted.

The attack happened about a week ago in the Big Apple, and it's on video. You see a woman walking down a street at night, when a man wearing a white face-covering sneaks up behind her, tosses the looped belt over her head and tightens it around her neck.

By the time the woman realizes what's happening, it's too late ... and the man's dragging her with the belt down the sidewalk as she gasps for air. Eventually, she goes limp -- and he pulls her in between two cars, seemingly manipulating her body before the video cuts out.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard believes in her heart of hearts she's Taylor Swift's new muse -- she's convinced one of the singer's new songs is all about her, or at the least ... inspired by her.

Sources connected to Gypsy tell TMZ ... GRB thinks Taylor’s new song "Fresh Out The Slammer" -- from her 'Tortured Poets Department' album -- might be about her December release from prison.

The reason she even suspects that ... we're told Gypsy sees a lot of similarities between the song lyrics and her real life -- almost to a T.

Shohei Ohtani's ex-translator and best friend, Ippei Mizuhara, will plead guilty to multiple federal charges -- after admitting to taking nearly $17 million from the Dodgers superstar -- and now faces up to 3+ decades in prison!

On Wednesday, The United States Justice Department announced that 39-year-old Mizuhara would soon face the music after agreeing to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return for the extensive, multi-year fraud.

"The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said of Ippei's actions.

Drake had another security scare at his Toronto home -- only this one was stopped dead in its tracks before things could get ugly ... and now, a man is in police custody.

Sources with direct knowledge confirmed to TMZ ... cops were called to Drake's mansion Wednesday in the Bridle Path neighborhood -- where his home was subjected to a drive-by shooting just yesterday. Now, we're told they arrived to deal with a would-be intruder.

Our sources tell us a man attempted to gain access to Drake's crib, but we're told he was immediately intercepted at the front gate by security and didn't get onto the actual grounds.

Son tiempos tensos para el equipo de seguridad de Will Smith. Todo gracias a un invitado no deseado que obligó a los guardias a actuar hasta que la policía pudiera llegar... TMZ ha indagado.

Fuentes policiales nos dicen que los agentes respondieron dos veces el pasado miércoles a la casa del actor en el área de Los Ángeles, con la primera llamada informando de un hombre sospechoso merodeando cerca de la puerta de Will y preguntando por alguien que no vive allí.

Nos dicen que la seguridad le exigió al hombre salir de la propiedad y desapareció antes de que los oficiales llegaran, pero regresó poco tiempo después y de alguna manera accedió a los terrenos.

Tense times for Will Smith's security team, thanks to an unscheduled and unwanted guest guards had to take down at Will's home until cops could arrive ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... L.A. County Sheriff's Department deputies responded twice last Wednesday to the actor's L.A.-area home -- with the first call reporting a suspicious man lurking near Will's gate, and asking for someone who doesn't live there.

We're told security demanded the man leave the property, and he disappeared before deputies arrived -- but, he returned just a short time later, somehow gaining access to the grounds.

Kyle Richards' daughter, Farrah Aldjufrie's home was hit by burglars last week ... and the thieves ended up taking off with upwards of a million bucks worth of stuff.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the LASD Major Crimes unit is handling the investigation for the break-in, which took place at Farrah's house last Tuesday.

We're told thieves got away with sentimental and super-expensive jewelry, Hermes bags, designer luggage, high-end watches, and other luxury goods.

The Weeknd's manager Amir "Cash XO" Esmailian is currently dealing with the aftermath of a scary situation -- this after one of his security guards was shot multiple times.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the shooting occurred early Monday morning at 2:25 AM outside a home in the Amestoy Estates area of Encino, a Los Angeles suburb.

According to cops, the security guard encountered three males wearing hoodies and masks who had made their way onto the $12 million property that boasts 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, and a "state-of-the-art security system.''