Police

Jhené Aiko's in the market for a new luxury SUV after the worst possible restaurant valet experience -- witnessing a thief make off with her vehicle.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... Jhené went out to dinner with family last weekend, grabbing a bite at L.A.'s Tasty Noodle House. She walked away from her white 2020 Range Rover around 8:30 PM Saturday.

We're told when the singer arrived she gave the valet her keys, then went inside to eat. Typical night out up to that point.

But, about 30 minutes later, Jhené saw someone drive away in her Range. We're told she figured the valet staff was just moving it, but it was never returned.

It's unclear who made the clean getaway; it wasn't any of the valet drivers, but cops say there was an extra key inside the SUV --- which, obviously, made things a lot easier for the car thief.

Police are investigating ... no arrests at this point, and no sign of Jhené's Range Rover.

A Pennsylvania chocolate factory exploded in broad daylight Friday, killing two people and injuring eight others ... and the images of the blast are just INSANE.

Check out video, obtained by FOX 29 Philadelphia, showing the moment the R.M. Palmer Co. factory detonated as if a bomb went off during rush hour, while cars drove along a highway nearby. A thick cloud of smoke rose up in the air as large chunks of debris flew every which way. It almost looked like a scene out of a Hollywood movie.

West Reading Borough Police Chief Wayne Holben confirmed two people were dead and nine more unaccounted for. Firefighters were combing through the wreckage in the hopes of finding the missing people alive.

Eight victims were rushed to a local hospital. Five were released after treatment and two were admitted in fair condition. Another victim was taken to a different medical facility, but there was no word on that person's condition.

As of this morning, investigators were still looking into the cause of the explosion. Holben said residents were no longer in danger, but urged them to steer clear of the area around where the factory once stood.

The Memphis women's basketball player who socked an opponent in the face during a handshake line following a game Thursday night has been charged with assault, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Bowling Green State Univ. officials ... Tigers senior guard Jamirah Shutes was hit with the criminal charge on Friday morning -- roughly 12 hours after she punched BGSU player Elissa Brett during an incident following their game in the women's NIT.

The two had gotten into a verbal argument after BGSU's 73-60 win ... which led to Shutes sucker-punching the woman in the face.

Brett crumpled to the court in pain, and was later seen in tears. According to police documents, cops noticed swelling in her right eye. The school said Friday, though, she is "recovering and doing well."

It's still unclear what sparked the altercation. A police investigation is ongoing, the university said.

BGSU added in a statement that it's also "conducting its own review" into the matter ... saying, "Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete."

Neither Shutes nor Brett has publicly commented on it all.

Memphis Univ. did release a statement on the matter on Friday morning, calling the incident "extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with, or representative of, our expectations for our programs and student-athletes."

Ugly scene following an NCAA women's basketball game on Thursday night ... a Bowling Green State Univ. player was socked in the face in a handshake line.

The sucker punch went down just seconds after BGSU beat Memphis, 73-60, in a round of 16 game in the women's NIT.

Broadcast cameras showed Bowling Green's Elissa Brett got into some sort of argument with Memphis' Jamirah Shutes ... before Shutes reared back and threw a straight right at Brett's face.

The punch connected flush -- sending Brett crashing to the court. Shutes was immediately restrained by her coach.

Brett stayed down for several moments -- eventually bursting out into tears. She was, thankfully, ultimately able to walk off the court under her own power.

It's unclear what sparked the incident, after the game, BGSU head coach Robyn Fralick told reporters, "We’re still trying to figure out all those things out and what happened."

BGSU, meanwhile, released a statement late Thursday night saying cops are now involved in the situation.

"The incident that took place following tonight's home WNIT game has been turned over to the BGSU Police Department," the school said.

"Bowling Green State University Athletics does not make comments about active police investigations. Our priority is with the health, safety and support of our student-athletes."

Michael Bay seems to have just gone through a little déjà vu when it comes to shady dudes rolling up to a rich person's crib incognito -- at least that's what his staff told cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ .... one of Bay's employees told cops two men buzzed Mike's intercom at his L.A. area home Monday, telling the worker who answered they were city officials there to check the water meters, but something felt off to Bay's staffer.

First of all, the men arrived in a white van with New York plates, which didn't make sense if they were working for the city. Second, Bay's employee noticed one of the alleged city employee's uniforms looked off -- with his stomach exposed.

Pair that with the fact the men appeared to be scoping the place out, looking all over ... so Bay's employee decided to call the cops.

Our sources say the staffer didn't give them access to the property ... so the dudes scrammed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops showed up and investigated it as an attempted trespass ... but it's actually being viewed as something more serious ... namely, would-be burglars scoping out a target. We're told detectives are on the case.

No word on whether Michael himself was home ... but if he had been, he probably could've seen this one from a mile away. Remember, he did something similar in "Bad Boys II."

Rihanna's house became the center of some serious police action after one man showed up wanting to ask for her hand in marriage.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the man, who traveled from South Carolina, walked up to Rihanna's home Thursday where he was almost immediately greeted by her security.

Our sources say the man claimed he was there to propose to the singer, and Rihanna's team called the cops right away. When officers arrived, they put the man in handcuffs, got him in a car and had a serious chat about his intentions.

We're told it was determined the man -- dressed in a red Nike hoodie -- had not broken any laws, though he was asked to leave and told not to return.

It was back in 2018 when a man named Eduardo Leon was arrested inside Rihanna's L.A.-area home. Leon allegedly had been inside the home for at least a day, while Rihanna was out of town, before he was discovered. He allegedly told cops he was there to have sex with the singer.

Stephen Smith's mom fired off a letter to the FBI about the mishandling of her son's death investigation, saying he was murdered for being gay and naming Buster Murdaugh as a possible suspect.

Sandy Smith sent the 4-page letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2016, hoping the agency would take over the case from local South Carolina authorities, whom she believed had covered up critical evidence in the case.

As you know, Stephen was found dead in the middle of a country road in Hampton County near the Murdaugh family estate on July 8, 2015. Police initially thought Stephen's death was a "homicide" because there were no signs he'd been struck by a vehicle. Yet, the pathologist who performed the autopsy ruled that it was a hit-and-run, but Stephen's manner of death was left undetermined.

In the letter, obtained by FITSNews, Sandy wrote Stephen's older brother, Christopher, was told by a classmate that Buster Murdaugh allegedly killed Stephen with a baseball bat because Stephen was gay. Buster is the eldest son of convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, who is serving life in prison for murdering his wife and younger son.

Sandy said Buster and the classmate were smashing mailboxes around town when they came upon Stephen, and Buster "seized the opportunity."

Sandy also claimed Buster threatened to kill the classmate if he spoke out about what happened. The information was allegedly turned over to local investigators, but nothing ever materialized.

What's more, Sandy said Stephen was apparently dating "someone from a prominent family in the county who was hiding his sexuality." But, Stephen kept the person's name under wraps.

Sandy alluded to a secret romance between Buster and Stephen in the letter. The same allegation was highlighted by their former schoolmates in a recent Netflix series about the Murdaugh murders.

And then there's this ... Alex Murdaugh's brother, Randolph, called Stephen's dad immediately after his son's death, asking to work the case pro bono and act as an intermediary between the Smith family and police, according to Sandy. Randolph was the county solicitor at the time.

Sandy said Stephen's father accepted the offer, although he was confused as to why Randolph wanted to help and how he found about the case before his son's body had been identified. But, Sandy said, Randolph stopped calling her family after a few interactions and wound up not representing them.

In a recent twist, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officials announced they're now investigating the case as a homicide.

As for the feds, it's not clear if they acted on Sandy's letter and looked into Stephen's death.

Dick Van Dyke got into a car crash in Malibu ... though he managed to avoid serious injury.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police responded to a call of a single-car accident last Wednesday morning, and when deputies arrived they found Dick behind the wheel of a 2018 Lexus LS 500 which he'd crashed into a gate.

Our sources say the 97-year-old film and TV legend told cops his car slid and he lost control before slamming into the gate. The streets were wet from the nonstop rain L.A.'s been getting.

As for Dick's injuries ... we're told he was bleeding from the nose and mouth and might have suffered a concussion. Paramedics treated him at the scene, and he had no interest in going to a hospital.

Dick's taken a beating onscreen during his seven decades in Hollywood ... so we're guessing a few minor bumps and bruises don't faze him much.

Our sources say drugs and alcohol were NOT involved ... though cops have submitted paperwork to the DMV requesting a driving retest for Dick, with one of the factors being his age.

Afroman is being dragged to court by the same Ohio sheriff's deputies who searched his home ... because the deputies are pissed the rapper's using footage from the raid to make money.

Several deputies and sergeants are suing Afroman, claiming he's using videos and pictures from the August raid at his Ohio home in music videos, and selling merchandise with their images.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the deputies claim Afroman was not home at the time of the raid, but his wife was in the home and she whipped out a cell phone and recorded the search. The officers also claim Afroman's home was full of security cameras, which also recorded deputies during the raid.

Their main gripe is this ... deputies didn't give Afroman permission to use the footage in music videos, or to slap their faces on merch ... and he's profiting off their images and likenesses.

In the suit, the officers say Afroman's music videos, social media posts and merchandise related to the raid amount to an invasion of privacy and misappropriation of their likenesses ... and they say it's causing them emotional distress, ridicule, humiliation, loss of reputation and embarrassment.

For his part, Afroman says deputies raided his home in search of narcotics but came up empty ... and he claims deputies ended up seizing cash during the search, $400 of which wasn't returned. The Clermont County Sheriff's Office investigated and found that the Adams County sheriffs had miscounted the money seized and the correct amount had been returned.

Police still have not cracked the case involving the 2018 killing of Richard Jefferson's father ... but now, they're hoping a big monetary reward can help change that.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Dept. Lt. Patricia Thomas said on Tuesday they're offering $20,000 to anyone who can assist them in solving the four-year-old case.

Thomas told reporters at a news conference she and investigators believe there are people still out there who saw the suspects that shot 65-year-old Richard Jefferson Sr. in Compton, CA back on Sept. 19, 2018.

She said investigators believe a car full of gang members fired on the former NBA player's father while he was talking with neighbors -- mistakenly thinking he was part of a rival gang.

Thomas urged anyone with info to call the homicide bureau at 323-890-5500.

Jefferson Sr.'s brother, Kenneth, also spoke at the news conference -- and pleaded for anyone with information to come forward as well.

An Oklahoma City police captain put on a show after he was busted for allegedly driving drunk ... and it was all caught on body cam video -- which he desperately tried to suppress.

Check out the footage, released Thursday by Oklahoma City PD, showing Capt. James French getting pulled over at his home by a police officer last weekend after cops said he was swerving as he drove down the road.

Right from the get-go, French tried to weasel his way out of trouble by identifying himself as a police captain and whispering to the officer to turn off his body cam. But, the cop refused and asked French if he had been drinking because he was slurring his words.

French changed the subject and made a second attempt to get the camera switched off.

But, the officer was in a no-nonsense mood. He sternly said, "I'm not turning my camera off. You got to be kidding me."

Things only got worse for French, who explained that he had consumed 3 to 4 beers at a poker game earlier that night and had drunk his last brewski about 2 hours before he was stopped by the officer.

Then came the dreaded field sobriety tests, which, of course, French failed. During a balance test, French lifted up his leg only to stumble forward. He then asked the cop to switch off the camera a third time.

But, the officer stood his ground again, saying that he had taken an oath to uphold the law and would not show favoritism to anyone -- even the President of the United States.

That didn't stop French from urging the cop to kill the camera one last time. And, predictably, he got another "no" from the officer.

French was eventually placed in handcuffs and booked into the county jail for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was later released after posting bond.

Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley praised the officer for his professionalism and for following the department's body cam protocols.

Gourley also said that French was put on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant is sharing his side of the altercation at his sister's volleyball game that led to a police investigation ... saying he only showed up to the event to make sure she was safe.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Morant, his family and a group of adult men were investigated for simple assault in September ... after they were accused of confronting a high schooler who allegedly called his sister a "bitch."

Morant was asked about the incident in an interview with ESPN's Jalen Rose on Wednesday ... and he's adamant he only acted out of fear his sister could be in danger.

"That's my baby sister," Ja said in the sit-down with Rose. "I received a call and was checking on her safety."

Ja claims once he knew his sister was okay, he left the school ... but says it was made out to be a bigger deal because he's a recognizable NBA player.

"Obviously, I realize Ja showed up and that's all everybody needed to paint whatever picture they want," he added. "I realize now that's a problem and I put myself in those situations."

Ja and his family were ultimately not charged for their involvement in the incident.

Morant is currently serving an 8-game suspension for flashing a gun at a Colorado strip club earlier this month ... just the latest off-court issue he has faced in his short career.

Kanye West won't face any charges for grabbing and throwing a photog's phone ... TMZ has learned.

A release from the Ventura Co. District Attorney's Office Wednesday revealed the phone suffered minor damage -- only affecting the $30 case around the device -- and stated the female paparazzo declined to press charges against Kanye.

It was back in January when West was filmed taking and tossing the phone into the street close to a facility where his daughter, North, was playing basketball. Kanye had asked the paps in the video not to film him while he was trying to spend time with his kids.

As we reported, it was only a few weeks after the phone incident when Kanye was seen outside the West Hollywood Sheriff's Department ... proceeding inside to ask deputies to take care of the paparazzi following him. The photogs were not causing harm.

A forklift collapsed and seriously injured a worker at JFK Airport in NYC ... and TMZ has obtained footage of the chaotic aftermath.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the lift toppled over at a Delta building on Tuesday night, landing on the worker.

We’re told cops and Emergency Service crews quickly responded to the scene and extricated the man from under the lift.

Check out our video showing police cars and ESU trucks with lights flashing and the scene cordoned off with yellow tape. You could also see what appears to be the forklift.

Our sources say the victim was conscious, but suffered a serious leg injury and needed a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment ... his condition was not known.

Stanley Wilson Jr.'s family claims the ex-NFL player didn't simply collapse and die while in police custody last month ... they believe he was actually beaten by law enforcement officials before he passed away.

The attorney representing Wilson Jr.'s family, John Carpenter, said at a news conference on Tuesday photos of Wilson Jr.'s body show the Detroit Lions cornerback was a victim of excessive force before he died suddenly at a Los Angeles County mental hospital on Feb. 1.

Carpenter said pictures of abrasions on Wilson Jr.'s head appear to show he was kicked or stomped. Images of markings on his wrist, meanwhile, seem to reveal he was cuffed at the time of the attack, Carpenter said.

Wilson Jr.'s mom, Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, said county officials had told her the former football player had collapsed and fallen out of a chair while going through the intake process at Metropolitan State Hospital before he died. But, Carpenter said the photos show a "stark contrast to what we've been hearing."

Carpenter filed three claims against L.A. County on Tuesday morning over it all -- one on behalf of Wilson Jr.'s mother, one on behalf of his father, and one on behalf of his estate -- asking for damages in excess of $45 million.

"The County has grossly misrepresented the cause and circumstances of Stanley Wilson Jr.'s death," the attorney said in the court filings.

Carpenter added during the news conference that he has yet to receive Wilson Jr.'s autopsy results.

As we reported, Wilson Jr. had been in custody following his vandalism arrest back in August ... but after he was declared incompetent to stand trial -- he was transferred from county jail to the Metropolitan State Hospital, where officials say he died.

Law enforcement sources told us at the time foul play was not suspected.

YouTuber Adin Ross has been the victim of repeated swatting pranks ... and now L.A. cops are taking steps to change how they respond to calls involving his house.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone tried to swat Adin again earlier this month -- LAPD says they got a call about a shooting. It was all made up.

Cops say pranksters have phoned police numerous times when Adin was live streaming so cops would show up and interrupt his stream.

We're told LAPD will now take a different approach -- police will first contact Ross' security team to make sure it's not a prank before they send out patrol cars and helicopters.