Police

Someone possibly up to no good must've thought John Mayer's home was a wonderland ... because cops rushed there after his security team spotted a trespasser.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police hit up John's L.A. area home last month after someone was caught on camera roaming the property. Sources say they got out of the camera's range and then just disappeared.

Cops searched on foot and even with a police helicopter but turned up empty-handed.

Police didn't search inside the house -- John's private security told them no alarm was triggered, and they assured cops the house was safe.

No arrests have been made. BTW, John wasn't home at the time of the incident.

The mother of Tyre Nichols says the 5 former Memphis police officers on trial for her son's death are clearly afraid to face some hard truths ... 'cause she says they won't look her in the eye.

Tyre's mom, RowVaughn Wells, says she's going to be front and center at every court date as the trial unfolds ... but she says, so far, the ex-cops lack the courage to face her.

Former Memphis PD officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith made their first court appearance Friday ... putting them in the same room as Tyre's mom and stepdad. She says they refused to even look her way.

The fired cops were arrested and indicted last month on a slew of felony charges ... second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression ... and on Friday they each pleaded not guilty.

Tyre's mom says she's living a nightmare ... but she's vowing to keep showing up to court in support of her late son and see the trial through to the end.

Billie Eilish's L.A. home became the center of some very unnecessary police action thanks to a prankster who sounded a false alarm that the singer may be in trouble.

Several Glendale PD squad cars and officers ascended on the home Wednesday afternoon. Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call to check on Billie's well-being. We're told when cops got to the home, they made contact with members of Billie's team and determined everything was A-OK ... so it appears someone made a prank call.

While the call Wednesday was a false alarm, Billie and her family recently had a serious issue at the house where she grew up and where her parents still live.

TMZ broke the story -- Billie got a 5-year restraining order against Christopher Anderson after he allegedly broke into the family home last month, professing his love for the singer. The restraining order also protects her mom, dad and brother, Finneas.

As we've reported ... Billie is just another in a string of celebs who have fallen victim to these pesky calls.

Kanye West is choosing a different, and more peaceful, way to deal with photographers ... instead of grabbing and throwing their cameras, he's taking his beef straight to law enforcement.

TMZ obtained these photos of Ye strolling into the L.A. County Sheriff's West Hollywood Station Tuesday afternoon ... and our law enforcement sources tell us he was there informing deputies he'd gotten into an argument with paparazzi.

We're told his story is ... he'd asked paps to stop recording him and his family at some point on Tuesday ... and the interaction almost turned physical, but he says it did not escalate to violence.

Ye left the station after filing the report, and we're told the Sheriff's Dept. is now looking into the matter to see if there's anything more to the alleged argument.

Jennifer Coolidge told cops she had an unwelcome visitor takin' a stroll on her property ... and we're told there's now an investigation for the trespass.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... JC noticed the unknown man last month while reviewing security tapes -- which apparently show him walking up to her L.A. area home.

We're told the man tried to open Jennifer's security gate -- to no avail -- which is when he jumped over the gate and continued to walk around her property before eventually taking off.

Police were called and a trespassing report was taken. The man in question may have just been transient in the area. No arrests have been made, at least not yet.

We've reached out to Jennifer's people for comment ... so far, no word back.

Doesn't sound like the man got close enough to actually take anything ... but as you know, she could've had her recently acquired Golden Globe on her mantle, after her hilarious F-bomb-filled acceptance speech back in January.

World-famous gamer/YouTuber FaZe Banks says he's out a huge chunk of change after his ultra-exclusive watch got swiped at a Super Bowl party, but he's hoping cops track it down.

The FaZe Clan founder took to social media, telling folks about his stolen, one-of-a-kind Chrome Hearts Richard Mille watch ... which is worth a cool $200,000!!!

Banks says it went down at Scottsdale Hangar One in AZ Friday night ... at the big H.Wood homecoming party where Drake performed and, as we reported, big names like MGK, Cher, Lil Baby, Meek Mill and Odell Beckham Jr. were there tearing it up.

Scottsdale PD confirms a report for the stolen watch was filed, and you better believe the document highlights that approximate 6-figure value. What's really shocking is FaZe says the crook snatched it right off his body.

He says the piece fell off while he was walking through the crowd, but surveillance video shows him picking it up and putting it in one of his pockets ... only to have someone reach in and pick that pocket clean!!!.

Cops in Miami have descended upon an area near Bad Bunny's downtown restaurant -- leaving many wondering if he's okay ... but we've learned this has nothing to do with him.

The reggaeton artist's Japanese steakhouse, Gekko, is surrounded by dozens of police vehicles right now -- with SWAT units on the scene as well. The streets are getting blocked off ... and bystanders are filming the dramatic scene.

There are multiple units parked right in front of BB's establishment, with officers seen going in and out the front entrance -- so, naturally, there was panic that something may have happened to the beloved rapper ... that's not the case, though.

Sources directly familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the owners of Gekko have been notified about a possible fugitive situation that's playing out at the SLS LUX Brickell Hotel -- which is adjacent to Gekko and shares the block. This explains this type of police response.

Our sources tell us Gekko is not directly involved in this matter. We're also told Bad Bunny isn't in FL at the moment, so he's no even in the vicinity of what's happening.

Gekko has become a huge hot spot in the city ... when Bad Bunny and Grutman opened this place back in August, it drew a big crowd and a lot of celebs. So, it's quite well-known.

It sounds like whatever the police are dealing with is fluid. We've reached out to the department for clarification on what exactly is going on, and if there's an active threat.

So far, no word back.

The BTK serial killer is back on police radar ...but this time we're told it's to see if he has any connection to the disappearance of an Oklahoma teenager back in 1976.

BTK (real name: Dennis Rader) tells TMZ…he was interviewed January 20 by Osage County Sheriff, Eddie Virden and three other investigators at El Dorado Correctional Facility in Kansas. That's where BTK is serving 10 life terms for killing 10 people from 1974 to 1991. He was captured in 2005 after sending police taunting letters using the moniker, "Bind, Torture, Kill."

Rader said the Osage County cops wanted to know if he was involved in the disappearance of 16-year-old Cynthia Dawn Kinney in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on June 23, 1976. Kinney was reportedly last seen leaving Osage Laundromat and getting into a beige 1965 Plymouth Belvedere with two people under suspicious circumstances. No one has been arrested.

BTK said police thought he might have a connection to the Kinney case because he was actively committing murders in Wichita, Kansas, during that time frame. Wichita is only about a 2-hour drive to Pawhuska.

The killer also said cops asked him about his connection to Oklahoma and the Boy Scouts. BTK admitted he was in Oklahoma as a Boy Scout, but several years before and after 1976.

BTK categorically denied any involvement in the Kinney case.

Sheriff Virden confirmed to TMZ…he and the other investigators visited BTK in prison to interview the serial killer in a roundabout way regarding the Kinney case.

Virden said investigators were pursuing leads and doing their due diligence to see if BTK fits into the Kinney case considering his criminal activities around that time.

Virden said, “There’s similarities between the time frames. She disappeared in daytime – most of [BTK's] stuff occurred in daytime hours. Some of the stuff that motivated [BTK] -- there are similarities,” but Virden declined to further elaborate.

During the interview, Virden said he also gathered personal information from BTK about his early life, military service and his murders.

Sarah Silverman's comedy show in New Jersey got ugly before it even started -- an elderly Black man was kicked out of the venue for protesting the infamous skit she did more than 15 years ago ... in blackface.

The demonstrator, 71-year-old Michael B. Jackson, says he bought a front-row ticket to Sarah's Feb. 4 show at the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City ... and showed up in blackface. He says his intent was a peaceful protest, but it caused a huge issue.

Jackson says 20 minutes into Sarah's opening act, the comic ... Rory Albanese, decided to address him. He claims Rory incited the crowd, insulted and bullied him and asked security to toss him out of the show, despite him saying he did not want to be apart of the routine and sitting silently. Another source who was at the show claims he was heckling and was given a warning.

That's when a bunch of guards rolled up and told Jackson to move to a balcony seat. He refused to move, and pulled out his phone to record the interaction.

The video cuts out before things allegedly got physical -- Jackson claims he ended up in the hospital after being attacked by several security guards, who he says forcibly removed him from his seat, carried him to a back hallway, dropped him facedown on the floor and handcuffed him.

A rep for the casino tells TMZ ... Jackson only requested medical attention for anxiety after being evicted from the show, walking to his hotel room and coming back down to the lobby.

The casino says Jackson "presented himself as offensive" and they have the right to remove or relocate anyone from the property at any time. The statement went on, "Ocean prides itself with both a diverse workplace and customer base."

Jackson claims Sarah was behind it all ... he says she "had the security goons at the Ocean Resort Casino in AC attack me and rough me up" because he wore blackface to protest her 2007 skit.

Sarah wore blackface for a bit on her TV show, "The Sarah Silverman Program." Jackson says the skit is littered with racist comments against African Americans thinly disguised as jokes.

Jackson believes he was kicked out for "racially motivated reasons" and feared for his life and well-being at the time. He claims police were called and gave him a ticket for trespassing. A rep for the casino confirms officers escorted him from the building when he refused to leave, and that's why he got the ticket.

Bottom line for Jackson, "Sarah Silverman feels it okay for her to wear back face, but no one else."

Folks who were there say Sarah addressed the incident when she got onstage -- explaining he was protesting the skit from 2007 and letting the audience know she'd never do something like that today. We're told she also said if Jackson was still in the crowd she would've apologized to him for the skit.

We reached out to Sarah's camp ... so far no word back.

The woman who was accused of making false claims about Terrell Owens to police during a heated confrontation between the two back in August is now off the hook in her criminal case ... TMZ Sports has learned Caitlin Davis' misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident has been dropped.

A spokesperson for the Broward State Attorney's Office tells us the case was dismissed on Feb. 2 -- after prosecutors said in documents they "would not be able to prove the elements of the charged crime with the facts that were presented."

Davis had initially been charged with one count of misdemeanor false reports after Owens said she lied to cops following an Aug. 3 argument they had gotten into in a Deerfield Beach, Fla. neighborhood.

Owens said at the time she made up a story that he had come after her after she had yelled at him for the way he was driving on the street.

Owens actually filmed part of their altercation -- and in the clip, you can hear Davis yell at the former NFL star, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

The Hall of Fame wide receiver said he was grateful that a charge had been filed against Davis over it all ... saying to us at the time, "KAREN IS REAL."

A reporter covering Governor Mike DeWine's news conference was taken down to the ground by law enforcement and arrested Wednesday for allegedly disrupting a news conference.

Governor DeWine was at an East Palestine, Ohio gym, discussing a train derailment in the city when reporter Evan Lambert was doing a live shot for NewsNation. It appears police told Lambert he was interrupting the Governor, but Lambert was in the middle of his report and continued on.

Just after Lambert finished, local police took Lambert down to the ground and cuffed him, as onlookers questioned cops as to why.

Lambert was cuffed and taken to jail. A NewsNation exec tells TMZ they were told Lambert would have to spend the night in jail, adding the Governor called the network and said he wanted Lambert released.

Lambert was arrested for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.

Tyre Nichols' mom is hopeful Congress will make good on what came across as a promise during President Biden's State of the Union address ... but she's reiterating it's time for them to finally act on real police reforms.

We caught up with RowVaughn Wells on Capitol Hill Tuesday night, shortly after the President delivered his State of the Union address ... in which he referenced the fatal beating her son endured at the hands of Memphis cops last month.

RowVaughn tells us she's very appreciative of the President's strong message Tuesday night ... saying now it's all about putting forth action.

Given the reaction in Congress after the Prez speech, she says it looks like something might really change this time around. However, she says "we'll just wait to see" -- a point Ben Crump, who is representing the Nichols family also reinforced.

As you know Tyre was beaten by multiple Memphis PD officers so badly during a Jan. 7 traffic stop ... he died 3 days later in a hospital bed.

Since his death, police have released gruesome video of the brutal beating ... which stirred outrage and multiple peaceful protests across the country.

Five Black officers were immediately fired, and later charged with second-degree murder.

Other firefighters and officers who responded to the scene without rendering timely assistance to Tyre have also been fired, but no one else has been criminally charged.

Tyre's family has vowed to join the renewed push for legislators to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing act ... which was defeated in a 2021 Senate vote.

Gabby Petito's family just released a photo that they say backs their wrongful death suit -- namely, what they claim is an alarming selfie taken minutes before cops stopped her -- and proof officers should've taken action.

Attorneys for Gabby's parents -- who filed suit against the Moab Police Dept. in Utah for not intervening to protect their daughter before she was killed by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie -- distributed a picture they claim was taken on her phone minutes before she and Brian encountered MPD officers on the road ... following a call from a concerned citizen.

The photo appears to show Gabby with a bruised eye and red marks on her face ... something that didn't look nearly as visible in body cam footage taken during the actual traffic stop.

Interestingly, the cop talking to Gabby did point out something on her face ... asking if she'd been hit. He also pointed out what he seemed to think was an injury on her shoulder.

The Petito family says a timestamp from Gabby's selfie shows it was taken at 4:37 PM on August 12. Moab PD's body cam footage started rolling shortly after at around 4:53 PM.

Gabby's parents feel this shows she was obviously injured at the hands of Brian ... and that law enforcement had a duty to step in and shield her. As we now know, the two officers on the scene made a decision not to arrest anyone at the time ... something the Petitos feel warrants at least $50 million in damages.

The woman who accused Armie Hammer of raping her says he's trying to gain sympathy and manipulate her by now claiming he tried suicide after she spoke out against him.

Effie Angelova took to Instagram Monday and said the actor told her about his attempted suicide before she publicly claimed he raped her in 2021.

Armie broke his silence Saturday about the rape allegations, saying he was hoping to drown or get eaten by a shark in the ocean, but he changed his mind, thinking about his kids.

Hammer has denied her claims and said this was all consensual role-playing and she's the one who suggested they meet at Starbucks, pretending they were strangers ... and then she would go home and leave the door unlocked for him to come in.

TMZ broke the story, law enforcement has already decided no criminal charges will be filed, but the LAPD has not turned the case over to the D.A. ... it's been with LAPD for more than a year and a half.

In several IG posts, Effie said she was so worried about Armie and only wanted to take care of him after he told her about his alleged childhood abuse and had disappeared for a couple days.

"Now he claims his ocean story happened after I spoke out publicly," Effie said.

She added, "It seems so manipulative because he knows his ocean story shut me up last time and evoked sympathy and it's like now he's trying it again."

As we reported, Effie claimed Armie violently raped her for four hours, during which he allegedly slammed her head against a wall and physically abused her in other ways.

Preston Hemphill, the white Memphis police officer involved in the Tyre Nichols arrest who is heard on body cam footage wishing Tyre harm, has just been fired.

The Memphis Police Department announced Hemphill's firing in a Friday news dump ... and he has not been criminally charged in connection with Tyre's death.

Hemphill was one of the first officers to confront Tyre during the fateful January. 7 traffic stop ... and he's alleged to have used his Taser on Tyre.

Hemphill's body cam footage shows him chasing Nichols on foot ... and he's twice heard saying, "I hope they stomp his a**."

As you know ... Tyre was later confronted by 5 Black cops, who used pepper spray and beat him so badly he complained of shortness of breath and ended up in a hospital, where 3 days later he died.

The 5 Black officers ... Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith ... were fired before Hemphill, and they've been charged with second-degree murder.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Tyre's family, has been questioning why Hemphill is not being prosecuted.

In a statement, Memphis PD says they conducted a thorough review of Tyre's arrest and determined Hemphill violated multiple department policies, including personal conduct, truthfulness and not using his Taser properly.

Meanwhile, a 7th Memphis PD officer who was involved in the arrest is on administrative leave ... but the officer's identity has not been publicly revealed.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman says Democrats and Republicans are scared to break party lines, particularly when it comes to police reform, and it's maddening because people are literally dying as a result.

The Congressman from New York joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him if any legislation will come out of Tyre Nichols' death, which is sparking renewed calls to pass reforms written in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Rep. Bowman, a member of the Congressional Black Congress, says provisions in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would do a lot of good for Americans who have their rights violated by police ... but he says the gridlock in Washington is making it impossible.

It's pretty damning ... Rep. Bowman says there's so much tribalism going on within the Capitol, nothing can get done ... and he's blaming corporations and mega donors for the standstill.

Rep. Bowman says Democrats and Republicans agree on different aspects of police reform behind closed doors ... but he says lawmakers are too scared to piss off Congressional leaders and the folks who put them in power, and almost no one has the guts to go against the grain.

An educator before being elected to Congress in 2020, Rep. Bowman says the tribalism in D.C. is especially frustrating for him to watch because he's not a career politician ... and as he puts it, the logjam is happening as "people are freaking dying."