Youth Basketball Coach Fired After Grabbing Ref's Neck ... During Game

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GOING FOR THE NECK

A youth basketball coach who was overseeing a team full of kids 10 years old and younger was fired over the weekend after he appeared to choke a ref during a game.

The wild scene all went down Saturday at the Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif., when the coach of the Cavs Youth Basketball's 10U team appeared to snap on a ref following a controversial call.

The founder of the Cavs' org., Darryl McDonald, tells TMZ Sports his coach was hit with two technical fouls ... and then a verbal altercation ensued.

McDonald, who was not at the venue at the time of the incident but says he launched a thorough investigation into it all, tells us after a back-and-forth between the coach and the refs ... his coach put his hands around the ref's neck.

Video from the scene shows the man was locked on the ref for several seconds ...  before another ref came in and appeared to punch the coach to get him to let go.

McDonald says the fight was broken up just moments later.

McDonald tells us he immediately suspended the head coach, and after a probe into the incident, he ultimately fired the guy on Sunday.

"It was unfortunate," McDonald said. "Our program has been around for over 30 years and before it even went viral, the coach was no longer part of our program. It's completely unacceptable to behave that way in front of our youth. There's no excuse, I don't care what someone says to you. You have to find a better way to handle that particular situation."

McDonald says it does not appear that anyone was seriously injured in the incident. He did not know if criminal charges were being pursued.

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

Golden Corral What's the F***ing Beef ... Chair-Tossing Brawl Over Steak!!!

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BRAWL YOU CAN EAT

No one takes steak more seriously than these pissed-off Golden Corral customers -- who got way more heated than the food, sparking an all-out brawl, and beef might be behind the beef ... TMZ has learned.

It all went down Friday night at a Golden Corral in Bensalem, PA, where things got totally outta hand -- punches, booster seats, chairs ... pretty much anything that wasn't bolted down was tossed. The video shows lots of people getting nailed and taken down too.

The reason for all this violence? Well, a rep for the restaurant tells us things escalated when someone cut the buffet line, and grabbed someone else's steak.

Police don't dispute steak playing a role, but they say they're still investigating the motive.

A Bensalem Police Department Spokesperson tells TMZ ...  there were approximately 40 people involved, and most of 'em had cleared out by the time officers arrived.

Surprisingly, police say there were no serious, or even minor, injuries suffered. They also so say GC staffers stayed out of the chaos.

We're told Golden Corral has been very cooperative and no arrests have been made, but police are still trying to ID people involved ... so that could change.

Beef brawling -- way to butcher a perfectly good night on the town, folks. 🥩

Off-Duty Cop Stops Armed Robbery with Bare Hands!!! Rescues Store Employee

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SPRINGING INTO ACTION

If someone in Spain's looking to reboot "Lethal Weapon," they just found their lead actor ... this off-duty cop who whupped a would-be robber's ass!!!

The hero officer walked into a grocery store in Mataró, Spain, and as surveillance video shows ... stumbled into the armed robbery in progress. Cameras caught the suspect walking an employee to the cash register at knifepoint.

Just as the suspect was cleaning out the register ... the cop walked into frame, sized up the situation and quickly sprung into action.

He casually put down his shopping bag and then subdued the suspect with some wrestling moves, taking him down to the ground.

While holding the guy in a chokehold, you see the cop rip the knife away from the suspect ... who he detained until backup arrived.

Not all heroes wear capes -- some just carry reusable shopping bags!

Michael Rapaport Films Alleged Brazen Shoplifter ... 'I Can't Believe this S***!!!'

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IN PLAIN SIGHT
UPDATE

1:16 PM PT -- A law enforcement source tells us the NYPD is officially investigating the case as petit larceny. Among the items stolen -- totaling about $500 -- include Trojan condoms, Nexus shampoo, Pantene shampoo, Dove soap, electric shaver, Neutrogena conditioner, Old Spice, Axe products, Elvive hair treatment, Conair products, Cremo cologne and toothpaste.

UPDATE

10:31 AM PT -- A rep for Rite Aid tells TMZ ... "The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we are grateful that no one was harmed in this situation. We are in the process of conducting a full investigation and will work with local law enforcement to identify and pursue this offender."

UPDATE

"Like all retailers, we’ve seen a much higher level of brazen shoplifting and organized retail crime over the last year, and we are taking an active role in helping law enforcement pursue these offenders as well as working with other retailers and local leaders to push for stronger legislation to deter these types of crimes."

Michael Rapaport was almost speechless Tuesday ... he says he watched a "shopper" shoplift a bag full of items and breeze right past a security guard ... and the actor is just incredulous.

You don't see it in the video, but apparently, Michael saw the man putting items in a bag. It's unclear why Michael's eyes were trained on this guy before the video started, but it does appear the guy beelines it for the exit as a security guard stands there and does nothing.

"I can't believe I'm seeing this s*** ... this f***ing guy just filled his two bags up with everything in Rite Aid, right here on 80th and First Avenue is walking down the street like s***."

Rapaport follows the guy outside the store and continues ... "Looking me in my face like, 'What's good?' My man just went Christmas shopping in January. He had the condoms, the shampoo."

Michael put the video on his social media account and tagged NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who has been extremely vocal about crime in the City.

Apparently, the store didn't file a theft report, at least not yet.

We called the Rite Aid, but no one answered the phone.

There's been an epidemic of brazen store thefts around the country recently ... with smash-and-grabs from coast to coast, creating wars between progressive D.A.'s who aren't filing charges against the thieves and police. The L.A. County Sheriff is at war with the L.A. County D.A. for failing to prosecute some of these smash-and-grab robbers.

Originally Published -- 6:57 AM PT

Arizona Golf Bobcat Hunts Down Bird On Course ... Wild Video!!!

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DUCK DINNER
@ramzizu / Instagram

A bobcat used an Arizona golf course's bunker to hunt down a duck (or goose) last week ... and video of the scene is WILD!!!

Several golfers caught the cat in action at Silverleaf Country Club in Scottsdale on Friday ... showing the bobcat stalking a flock of birds on the 15th hole at the course.

You can see in the footage ... the cat used the hole's layout perfectly to get his lunch, hiding in the sand before springing into action.

The animal ended up catching one of the birds with its teeth -- and eventually hauled his meal off into the desert.

The golfers on the course were stunned by it all, laughing in shock ... while a person behind the camera yelled, "That's amazing!"

As for if the interruption affected the golfers' play -- it didn't, 'cause according to Instagram user @ramzizu, several of them were still able to card (ironically enough) birdies on the hole.

Skier Sofia Goggia Hits Head During Crash ... Caught on Video

Scary moment for Olympic gold medalist Sofia Goggia ... the alpine skier banged her head and busted her leg during a violent crash at the World Cup on Sunday -- just weeks before she's supposed to defend her title at the winter games in Beijing.

Luckily for Goggia, the injuries aren't catastrophic.

The frightening incident was caught on video ... showing the 29-year-old going full speed downhill at the Cortina d'Ampezzo Super-G event.

Everything appeared normal until the Italian skier lost control on a turn ... sending Goggia flying through the air.

Goggia -- who was wearing a helmet -- eventually landed and slid headfirst down the mountain before finally coming to a complete stop.

It looked very bad ... but thankfully, the Italian Ski Federation announced she suffered a left knee strain, a partial tear in her cruciate ligament and a small fibula fracture.

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Goggia's rehabilitation will start on Monday as she's determined to defend her downhill gold medal title at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing ... which happens on Feb. 15.

"It's a shame that this injury comes in a very important moment of the season," Goggia said, "but in the next few hours I'll start the physio treatment so I can try to defend my title in the discipline I love the most."

Goggia won a gold medal in the downhill event at the 2018 Winter Olympics -- the first woman to do so for the country of Italy.

AEW's Sting Jumps Off Stage, Crashes Through Table ... At Age 62!!!

Wrestling legend Sting just proved age ain't nothin' but a number -- the 62-year-old AEW star stole the show this week ... when he threw himself off the stage into another wrestler on a table!!

The insane moment happened during AEW Dynamite ... when Sting was originally scheduled for a tag team match against The Acclaimed -- featuring stars Anthony Bowens and Max Caster.

But, when Sting's tag team partner, Darby Allin, got hurt, the match turned into a handicap match ... meaning Sting had to fight both Bowens and Caster by himself.

The video is nuts -- the 37-year wrestling vet gets a running head start on stage and goes crashing down into Caster, who had been laid out on a table.

Keep in mind ... this spot in the match came after Sting had just wrestled two guys nearly half his age by himself -- for 10 minutes!!!

Even the most casual wrestling fan has to admit this was impressive ... especially considering other wrestling icons like Ric Flair and The Undertaker are retired.

AEW brought in Sting a little over a year ago, and his current on-screen role is supposed to be a mentor to Darby ... but it looks like Allin needs to be taking moves from the former WCW and WWE legend!!

Sting eventually made his way back to the ring ... just in time to see his partner hit his signature coffin drop finisher on Bowens -- scoring both men the victory.

WV Reporter Hit By Car On Live TV ... Gets Back Up and keeps Reporting!!!

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STRUCK ON LIVE TV
WSAZ

A reporter in West Virginia just earned some extra stripes ... because she got hit by a car during a live shot and didn't miss a beat!!!

It all went down Wednesday night, when WSAZ-TV reporter Tori Yorgey had started to report from the field when you see a car come from behind and strike her. Her body kind of lunges forward out of frame and she screams, "Oh my god! I just got hit by a car, but I’m OK."

Ever the trooper ... Tori hops back up, moves her camera and sluffs it off ... “That’s live TV for you. It’s all good." Tori said that wasn't the first time she had been hit either. It happened in college as well.

As for the driver who hit her, she apologizes during the live shot, and Tori is unbelievably gracious ... "Ma’am, you are so sweet, and you are OK."

This is 2022, so social media was looking for someone to drag, and they went after the anchor for not having what they felt was an appropriately horrified reaction. He defended himself in a tweet, saying he could only hear Tori and didn't see the actual impact. He says she was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

And, get this ... this was her last week at the station. She's moving on to Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh drivers ... stay in your lanes!!!.

NFL's Malik McDowell Charged At Officer While Fully Naked ... Video Shows

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CHARGING THE OFFICER
Courtesy Ty Jenkins

A completely nude Malik McDowell aggressively charged at an officer before he was arrested on Monday ... hitting the cop with full force -- new video shows.

The clip, recorded by a bystander who was just feet from the altercation in Deerfield Beach, FL, shows McDowell was extremely aggressive before he was taken into custody.

You can see McDowell -- a 6-foot-6, 290-pound Cleveland Browns defensive lineman -- sprinted at full speed toward the officer, eventually making contact with the man's chest.

McDowell then appeared to throw punches at the cop ... before shoving him through a bush. McDowell then seemed to take off.

As we reported, officers in police docs say they eventually used a taser to subdue McDowell -- before arresting him.

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THE ARREST
TMZSports.com

Cops tell TMZ Sports McDowell was then taken to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation before he was ultimately booked into jail on three charges.

McDowell -- who's slated to be an NFL free agent this offseason -- was released from jail late Tuesday night.

Wedding Disaster After-Party Turns Ugly ... Violent Arrests After Cops Called

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WEDDING PARTY CHAOS
TMZ.com

A wedding party in Southern California turned into an all-out brawl with police -- a melee that started with a simple noise complaint ... and the video is wild.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, which we're told shows what occurred after a wedding ceremony at a Quality Inn in Barstow, CA Sunday night, into early Monday morning.

Sources say cops were called over an apparent rowdy group of guests. We're told there was wrestling going down, as a bunch of the guests were MMA trained.

It looks like, when officers arrived, things escalated into violence, with what appears to be one of the cops punching a guy on the ground, who also gets tasered. We're told the cops came upon the group in a common grass area ... and saw 2 guys wrestling. Eyewitnesses tell us the crowd was trying to tell them it was a friendly match, but that the police didn't listen.

We're told the guy who's seen getting punched on camera was zapped 3 times while on the ground. We're told the bride, who is pregnant, was also tased/detained in the mayhem ... and that there were kids present.

Barstow PD tells us the call came in as a report of 4 males fighting in the courtyard, and that a use of force investigation has been opened ... while noting the clip is just a small part of what happened. BPD says the investigation will determine why the officer was punching.

We're told in total, 3 people were arrested for the incident.

Serena Williams 4-Year-Old Daughter Shows Off Backhand ... Just Like Mom!!!

Serena Williams' young daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., is already showin' she's got tennis in her DNA ... the 4-year-old hit the court to work on her backhand.

Video of the training sesh was posted Monday ... showing Alexis in her sports gear, executing a picture-perfect backhand.

Keep in mind, she's only 4 years old!!

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"Practice makes progress," the caption read on the video posted to Alexis' Instagram (BTW, she has 631K followers) ... and fans went crazy in the comments over the resemblance to her 23-time Grand Slam winning mom, Serena.

Even her auntie, tennis star Venus Williams, was taken back by the impressive move -- saying, "It's Oracene [Price] all over again!".

FYI, Oracene is Serena and Venus's mother who coached them -- alongside their father Richard Williams -- when they were around Alexis' age.

Alexis seems to be a star in the making ... not only does she have her momma's move, she also has her fashion sense! She wore the same fit Serena had on at 2021's Australian Open.

Like mother, like daughter.

Canadian Woman Snaps Selfie On Sinking Car!!! Moments From Going Under

Doin' it for the 'gram never looked cooler, or stupider ... is what comes to mind at the sight of a woman taking photos atop her car as it sinks into a mostly frozen Canadian river.

This all went down on Sunday in Ottawa, and the woman -- whose car had cracked through the ice -- seemed totally unfazed as she posed for selfies ... and worried neighbors rushed to her rescue.

As you can see, the car was going deeper and deeper into the river and the car was almost fully under -- yet, Selfie Sally persisted.

The heroic neighbors eventually used a kayak to save the woman. One man yelled, "Don’t go towards the car, please come closer in.”

It's ironic, the folks recording the video and trying to help appeared to be more concerned than the sinking woman herself. Thanks to them, she made it safely to shore.

She had no reported injuries and didn't need any treatment once paramedics and police arrived.

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ICY RESCUE
Doug & Joann Stephenson

Some residents who witnessed the incident say the car had been driving fast over the frozen river. Appropriately, police say she was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Officially, there's no criminal charge for stupidly daring selfies. Not yet, anyway.

Hey, at least she got some content for the gram. 🥴

Michael Jackson Impersonator Kickin' Ass in Vegas!!! Here's How It Happened

UPDATE

11:44 AM PT -- The Michael Jackson impersonator who took down a guy trying to fight him is speaking up about what exactly led up to this confrontation ... and it sounds like it was a random attack from somebody who wasn't well, so says MJ himself.

UPDATE
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WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHIN'
TMZ.com
UPDATE

We talked to performer Santana Jackson on "TMZ Live" to get the blow-by-blow ... and he truly makes it seem like this came out of nowhere, unprovoked. Watch how he explains the story ... SJ claims the man in green straight-up hit him for no reason, which set things off.

UPDATE

As Santana mentions to us here, he's been training in pro wrestling for a while now -- he's on the independent circuit -- so he knew how to subdue the guy, noting he didn't wanna hurt him more than he had to. Eventually, the cops showed ... and Santana says they, too, got a taste of the action.

UPDATE
UPDATE

As you can see, Santana uses his MJ skills to the max while inside the square circle. The Fremont Street perp was apparently hauled off to jail ... while Santana carried on with his act. What a pro!

A Michael Jackson impersonator got the best of a dude on the mean streets of Las Vegas, and ... well, it's hilarious!

There's not a whole lot of info on what's behind the fight, but it went down on Fremont Street.

The fight looks almost slapstick ... MJ and the dude squaring off with fists raised, and then they tangle.

Michael's ground game is far superior to the guy in green, and he eventually gets the guy in a headlock and begins to squeeze. At a point, it's not funny anymore, and it looks like the guy might lose consciousness. Some passersby disentangle the 2 and no one seems worse for wear.

We don't know what started the fight, but the shirt on the guy in green reads, "CAN'T FIX STUPID."

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BIKINI BOTTOM BRAWL
TMZ.com

It's the most entertaining lookalike fight since SpongeBob squared off with 2 women.

Originally Published -- 7:24 AM PT

Tonga Underwater Volcano Erupts Tsunami Warning for U.S. West Coast

A volcano eruption off the island of Tonga has sent literal shockwaves around the world -- so much so, that now authorities have warned ... we here in the U.S. could be at risk.

The underwater explosion took place Friday, which was actually noticeable from satellites all the way up in space ... and the images captured of the moment the volcano blew are mind-blowing, giving you a true sense of how powerful this thing was -- and how devastating too.

The real-world effects were felt almost immediately ... not only did people hear and see the mighty boom, but soon -- there were massive waves crashing ashore on the island of Tongatapu. Several videos were posted of the early damage, and even then ... it was bad.

Check out some of these clips ... you can see water tearing through residential areas and ripping down gates and fences. Some areas seem to have been hit harder than others.

There's one video that looks like it's straight out of a movie (in a bad way), with massive waves bursting their way onto the city streets ... and cars having to do quick U-turns to get the hell out of there.

So far, there are no reports of injuries or deaths -- but at the same time, much of the island is without communication or internet at the moment ... that's how rocked they've been over the past 10 hours or so.

Now, the rest of the world (at least on the Pacific side) is starting to feel the ramifications from this ... including here in the States, where weather officials have issued tsunami warnings in Hawaii, Alaska, British Columbia and all up and down the west coast of the U.S.

There are reports of massive waves crashing against the shorelines in cities like Monterey and elsewhere ... and locals have been told to steer clear of the area for a while.

Story developing ...

U.S. Skier George McQuinn Knocked Out After Brutal Crash ... Caught On Video

Scary moment for professional skier George McQuinn who was knocked unconscious after a brutal crash during the FIS Freestyle World Cup event in Deer Valley Utah on Thursday.

But thankfully, he's okay.

The terrifying incident was caught on video ... showing the Team USA skier taking a nasty spill on the last jump of the course, smacking the back of his head as he took off.

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REWATCHING THE CRASH
Instagram/@mcquinn_george

McQuinn is immediately knocked out cold from the blow to his head, and you see his body go limp, as he then slides down the mountain, face first.

Medical professionals quickly jumped into action and removed McQuinn on a backboard from the course. Thankfully, officials announced shortly after the crash that he'd regained consciousness.

Later that night, McQuinn let his fans know that he was okay after the "gnarly crash" -- posting video of the incident on his IG and a photo of his facial injuries with a thumbs up.

All things considered ... disaster averted.

LAPD Saves Pilot from Plane Wreck ... Moments Before Train Crash!!!

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JUST IN TIME

A pilot is lucky to be alive after some quick-thinking LAPD officers pulled him from train tracks just moments before an oncoming train collided with his downed plane.

The pilot made an emergency landing Sunday in the valley, which of course triggered a police and fire response. Thankfully for the pilot, officers were on the scene just in time to save his life.

You can see in the body cam video, the pilot was stunned, and almost totally out of it ... but officers were able to pull him out just seconds before the collision between the plane and commuter train.

The 4 officers being hailed as heroes are Damien Castro, Christopher Aboyte, Robert Sherock and Sgt. Joseph Cavestany.

LAPD tweeted, "Foothill Division Officers displayed heroism and quick action by saving the life of a pilot who made an emergency landing on the railroad tracks at San Fernando Rd. and Osborne St., just before an oncoming train collided with the aircraft."

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MOMENT OF IMPACT
Storyful

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane went down around 2:10 PM just moments after it took off from Whiteman Airport ... and the train crashed into the plane around 2:15 PM, according to body cam footage from police.

The pilot was alone in the plane during the time of the crash. Apparently, the plane landed near an LAPD station, and officers were able to get to the scene immediately and pull the pilot out of the plane and onto the pavement.

Thankfully, the pilot is expected to make a full recovery.