Police

Mykelti Williamson says John Oliver's dissection of 'Law & Order' as pro-cop propaganda is too serious for his own good -- 'cause at the end of the day ... it's showbiz, baby.

We got the veteran actor -- who recently had a starring role on "Law & Order: Organized Crime" -- responding to JO's anti-Dick Wolf rant while he was leaving LAX ... and his response to John's very serious critique of the long-running franchise is a dash of real talk.

The truth, according to Mykelti, is that DW -- the creator of 'Law & Order' -- is a class act ... especially when it comes to telling authentic stories about POC, so there's that.

On the issue of 'L&O' depicting police in too rosy a light, Mykelti is sorta giving an eye roll here -- first noting the show has attempted to tackle real-world issues within their plots (which is true) and secondly ... rightly pointing out 'L&O' is good old-fashioned entertainment.

As he explains to our photog, the truth is ugly and complicated -- with people already getting their fill of reality in their day-to-day lives ... and looking to TV for some escapism.

He also suggests that people aren't tuning into 'Law & Order' for virtue signaling ... they just want a tight 43 minutes of a cop chasing down a bad guy and cracking the case -- a formula John thinks has been rinsed and repeated for far too long, unrealistically.

But, Mykelti -- who, BTW, is also doing big things outside of TV with his Warrior Recovery Program for vets/first responders -- thinks this debate's more simple than John's making it.

A Chick-fil-A worker looked more like Conor McGregor during an incident at one of the popular fast food joint's Florida locations this week ... thwarting an alleged carjacking by putting a wild MMA move on the suspect.

According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the altercation went down after 43-year-old William Branch grabbed the car keys from a woman holding a baby and then attempted to steal her vehicle.

Cops say the woman screamed for help -- and that's when a young Chick-fil-A employee sprung into action.

Video shot by a witness shows the man latched on to Branch -- and put the guy in a guillotine ... before taking him to the ground.

The restaurant staffer then wrestled with Branch for several moments -- before eventually subduing him.

Cops later arrived on the scene and arrested Branch, booking him on charges of carjacking with a weapon and battery. They later commended the Chick-fil-A worker for his bravery.

"A major shout-out to this young man for his courage!" police said in a statement.

Two women showed up to the Univ. of Utah football game this past weekend and freed the nipple -- and fans and officials were so upset over it, the school's police dept. says it's now investigating it all.

The women stripped off their tops prior to the Utes' game against Southern Utah University at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday ... ditching their shirts and opting for only body paint instead.

According to the university, a female police officer asked them to put on tops a short time later. The school says the women complied -- but now police say they are looking into the matter to see if the duo should face criminal charges.

Univ. officials said the women will also be referred to the school's Dean of Students for "other potential discipline."

YouTuber Melea Johnson said she attended the game with her family and saw the women without their shirts on -- and was outraged over it all.

"We can’t even go to a family-friendly college football game without our kids & family being exposed to nudity??" Johnson wrote on her Instagram page. "And the stadium and security for the event won’t step in or escort them out because they’re worried they’ll get sued because of discriminatory laws??🤯 👈🏻(that’s what they told me!)"

"Are you kidding me?! This is NOT ok @utahfootball ‼️"

Detectives from the LAPD are working around the clock to track down PnB Rock's killer, even alerting local pawn shops to keep an eye out for the jewelry stolen off the rapper's neck.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... investigators are confident they'll make an arrest, and have spoken with those close to PnB to determine exactly what type of jewelry he was wearing at the time of his murder.

We're told investigators contacted numerous pawn shops in the area, asking them to alert cops if anyone tries to make a buck off the stolen pieces. The theory is that the murderer would want to get rid of the jewelry quick ... otherwise, it would directly link him to the crime.

Our sources say detectives believe the suspect targeted PnB because of social media posts. The rapper shared a video of himself wearing several expensive chains, and his girlfriend, Steph Sibounheuang, shared their location just before the shooting.

What's more, we're told the entire crime was captured on surveillance ... though sources inside the restaurant tell us that footage is blurry. Cops have been canvassing the area for other cameras, and are working to identify a possible getaway vehicle.

Our law enforcement sources say the killer was wearing a mask at the time of the shooting.

Montrezl Harrell chopped it up with cops for over half an hour about all kinds of NBA topics during his weed stop in May -- including LaMelo Ball and free agency -- and the entire conversation was captured on police video, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The traffic-stop-turned-round-ball-talk all happened in Richmond, Kentucky on May 12 ... after Kentucky State Police pulled over Harrell and his friend in a 2020 Honda Pilot after cops say they were following another car too closely on the road.

During the stop, cops said they smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the ride -- so they detained the basketball player and his friend to check everything out.

While probing the car and asking questions, video shows cops at the scene found out Harrell was an NBA player -- and then wanted to get all kinds of Association scoop from the former Hornets power forward.

At one point, a cop needed to know Harrell's opinion of Ball -- his famous teammate in Charlotte.

"How's LaMelo?" the cop asked.

"He's a cool person," Harrell responded. "I mean, regular kid. At the end of the day, people got to understand he's a kid."

The cop later told Harrell, "I think his dad messed him up."

Cops eventually got Harrell out of the car -- and claim they then found three pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags in a backpack in the back seat of the ride.

"Damn," Harrell said on the video. "Didn't know that was in there."

But the cops were calm with Harrell and his friend -- even at one point saying in the footage, "We are not the weed police."

As they continued to search the car -- the cops peppered Harrell with NBA questions ... asking him about the playoffs, his former teammates, "the biggest prick in the" league, and "the best big guy you ever had to play against."

At one point, Harrell was asked who had the worst facilities in the league -- and he said Philadelphia ... which was ironic, considering he went on to sign as a free agent with the 76ers earlier this month.

Eventually, cops issued a citation to Harrell and the other man, before letting them go.

Video shows one of the cops ultimately took the weed they found in Harrell's vehicle and put it into a squad car.

Harrell was charged with trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana -- a Class D felony -- over the stop ... but he cut a plea with prosecutors last month to close out the case.

Britney Spears' ex-husband, Jason Alexander, just can't seem to stay out of trouble with the law -- because now he's wanted by the cops again ... this after missing a court date.

Alexander was due to appear before a judge Tuesday in Napa County, where he's facing 2 felony counts of grand theft and buying/receiving stolen property. The charges involve a woman who claims he stole some expensive jewelry from her back in 2015.

You'll recall ... Jason hadn't dealt with the case for years, and then he got arrested a few months ago here in SoCal for crashing Britney's wedding to Sam Asghari.

When he got arrested by Ventura County officials, the warrant for the Napa case also popped up. The dude was extradited to face the charges after he completed a 60-day sentence in jail. After his Napa arraignment, he was cut loose and told to come back on Sep. 13.

A court clerk tells TMZ Jason never made it ... and now, a new warrant for his arrest has been issued.

21 Savage wants all evidence collected during his 2019 stop suppressed ... because the superstar rapper says officers had no right to stop him in the first place.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, 21 Savage's team filed a motion to prevent prosecutors from using any of the evidence collected after he was stopped -- claiming he was doing nothing wrong back in February 2019, when law enforcement pulled him over, making it an unlawful stop.

You might recall -- it's been a minute -- officers claim 21 threw codeine out of the car along with his keys when they pulled him over.

As for the firearm cops found in the car ... 21 says "there was no illegality for the weapon to be in the car." Regardless, the rap star was charged with drug and gun possession, and is facing deportation back to the UK ... his birthplace.

The case has been going on for years, which has made it a little difficult to maneuver as a rapper.

The action at SoFi Stadium didn't end with the final whistle of the Rams vs. Bills game on Thursday night -- because some of the two teams' fans got into a wild brawl in the streets surrounding the venue afterward ... just feet in front of ex-NFL star LeSean McCoy!

Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho captured the scene on video and posted it to his social media page ... showing two L.A. fans getting into it with a man in a Stefon Diggs jersey.

In the clip, you can see the Diggs supporter threw a punch at a guy wearing a Cooper Kupp shirt -- and then all hell broke loose.

A man in a Cam Akers jersey raced in to try to get a piece of the Bills backer -- before he slipped and nearly ate a couple of punches.

Eventually, a police officer ran in and grabbed one of the men, which appeared to end the altercation.

McCoy and Acho were standing right behind the fracas the whole time -- commenting on it all as it was going down.

"They can't fight!" said McCoy, a former Bills running back.

No word if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to cops, but haven't heard back yet.

Boosie Badazz's is torn up about a Houston jeweler getting killed shortly after they met -- but he's also pissed there's internet chatter he might be involved in the crime ... something he's angrily denying.

No doubt, Boosie's Labor Day weekend visit to H-Town, ended in a tragedy -- the death of Duke the Jeweler. Police sources tell TMZ Hip Hop the 29-year-old died from multiple gunshot wounds, and was pronounced dead Sunday at 11:46 PM.

According to cops, witnesses said they saw 2 unidentified Black male suspects hop out of a black GMC truck, approach Duke on foot and fire several shots in his direction ... before fleeing the parking lot.

Now, here's where Boosie comes into the story -- on Sunday, he actually met with Duke ... who, as it turns out, unwittingly captured his final moments on Instagram.

During the meeting, Duke showed off some jewelry, stacks of cash and Louis Vuitton bags -- and, according to Boosie, Duke got shot shortly after this.

The rapper was pretty emotional when he posted a video during his flight back home ... and spilled all the details he had about the incident.

Boosie says Duke was walking to his car -- after their meeting -- and, in his opinion, the dudes who jumped Duke were trying to rob the jeweler.

Boosie says it was in the distance, but he definitely heard the gunshots.

His posting only stirred up internet trolls who insinuated Boosie might have some involvement in the fatal shooting -- and that prompted him to curse them out.

There's been another shooting in Uvalde, Texas ... with early reports of at least two people injured and cops looking for multiple suspects.

The Uvalde Police Department posted a message late Thursday afternoon, saying, "Please AVOID the area of the Uvalde Memorial Park. The Uvalde Police Department is currently investigating a shooting with injured victims."

CBS News correspondent, Lilia Luciano, posted a series of photos from the alleged crime scene showing an older model Chevrolet sedan surrounded by police tape and a couple of cop cars.

Luciano reports two injured victims who are being treated at a hospital. She says cops are looking for two possible suspects.

From all counts, it appears to be an isolated incident ... but of course, any gun violence in the Uvalde community is both frightening and extremely sensitive.

Memphis is under siege by a gunman going on a shooting spree across town with at least 5 people hit at the time of this post ... cops are reporting multiple shootings and large parts of the city are going on lockdown.

Police in Memphis says the suspected shooter is 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly and he's considered armed and dangerous. Cops say he's been changing cars and moving around the city, in a scene that sounds straight out of a video game.

The alleged gunman went live on Facebook, where he claimed to have shot numerous people ... with video showing him going into an auto parts store and aiming a gun at someone and pulling the trigger.

Cops say Kelly is the man in the video and he's wanted for multiple shootings in Memphis earlier Wednesday.

There was previously a shooting at a gas station, and another minutes later just down the road, which cops say left a woman critically injured.

Police are urging residents to remain indoors ... and the University of Memphis is on lockdown after shots were reported in the area.

Shoreline Mafia rapper OhGeesy would love to put last weekend in his rearview, for good, but prosecutors won't let him now -- cops say he was riding dirty after leaving a friend's funeral.

Burbank PD pulled over OhGeesy and 3 other people last Saturday afternoon, claiming their car had expired tags and excessive window tint. Officers say they spotted a bottle of codeine in OhGeesy's pocket as he sat in the backseat ... plus, the car's driver allegedly didn't have a license.

That prompted a search of the vehicle, and according to cops, OhGeesy didn't have a prescription for the codeine. Even worse, officers found a loaded gun in the ride.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned OhGeesy and all 3 of his pals were arrested for possession of a loaded firearm. They were all charged for the gun, because no single person claimed it.

Cops also booked OhGeesy for the un-prescribed codeine. His bail was set at $35K, and he eventually bonded out.

The 28-year-old rapper had attended the funeral of his best friend Dennis "Dile" Mitchell the same day as the traffic stop.

Former WWE superstar Velveteen Dream exploded on a gym employee before his arrest last month ... punching the man in the face and then biting him -- this according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The incident allegedly happened on Aug. 20 at around 8:4 PM at Club Orlando -- a fitness facility in Orlando, Fl.

Cops in the docs say a senior employee at the gym told them that an altercation between him and Velveteen Dream began after he said the wrestler had to leave an area that was closed for cleaning.

The man claimed Dream -- real name Patrick Clark -- went off on him, becoming "irate and argumentative." Things allegedly got so intense, the gym employee told Clark he had to leave the building entirely.

According to the docs, Clark then made threats to kill the gym employee -- before he hit the guy in his face.

Cops say the gym employee told them the two then got into a fight -- where Clark bit him. The two were then separated by another employee at the facility, cops say.

According to the documents, officers arrested Clark after they observed teeth marks on the employee's "left chest near the left armpit."

Court records show Clark has since been charged with two misdemeanors -- battery and trespassing on a property after warning -- over the incident. The records show his attorney did file a written plea of not guilty in the case.

As we reported, 27-year-old Clark was arrested again just six days later ... on a warrant for a violation of probation by the Orlando Police Department.

Chadwick Boseman's family can rest easier knowing the late actor's uncle has been found after going missing for a few days in South Carolina.

Tony Boseman was located Tuesday by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, who said he was found walking about half a mile from his home -- near a wooded area, apparently -- which they say is stunning because they had previously done an extensive search.

A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Office says Boseman was severely dehydrated, and taken to a local hospital for further medical attention.

The rep continued, "He has been reported missing a time or two here. We're hoping that this is the last and they can come up with some sort of game plan moving forward."

Tony was first reported missing on Sunday, though it's unclear exactly where he was during the entire time he was gone.

Former Raiders defensive back Damon Arnette -- one of Las Vegas' first-round picks in 2020 -- has just entered a diversion program in an attempt to close out his drug case in Florida, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office tells us the 26-year-old will be a part of the program for three to six months.

We're told Arnette must, among other conditions, submit to random drug testing, complete a substance abuse evaluation, report monthly, and pay fees as part of the program.

If he complies with all of the conditions, the spokesperson said prosecutors will revisit his charges.

As we previously reported, Arnette was initially hit with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor knowingly driving with a suspended license following two incidents with police back in July.

According to police documents, cops pulled over Arnette on July 25 and say he was driving on a suspended license. They issued him a citation and informed him he was not to drive until he gets his license reinstated.

But, just hours later on July 26, cops in the police report say they saw Arnette driving again ... and pulled him over once again and this time arrested him for knowingly driving with a suspended license. Cops say they then searched him and found a baggie containing "white powdery substance consistent with that of cocaine" on his person.

It was the second time in the last year that Arnette had been arrested -- he was previously busted in January in Las Vegas after he was accused of pointing a semi-automatic pistol at a valet demanding the person "give me my motherf***ing keys."

That case was ultimately dropped.

It's about as scary as it gets ... an amusement park ride that encircled a tower high above the earth crashed to the ground in dramatic fashion ... injuring lots of people.

It happened in India ... the Drop Tower ride was 50 feet above the ground and presumably was supposed to make a slow descent, but the exact opposite happened ... it spun in circles as it plummeted downward.

There were 30 people on the ride ... at least 10 were injured. Some were taken to the hospital.

There are reports the operators of the ride fled the area after the mishap.