Police

Travis Scott and his team were oblivious to the mass casualties in the crowd at his show while he continued to perform, so says his attorney, who claims emergency workers never relayed the message ... and Travis didn't know the scope of what happened until the next day.

Ed McPherson was on 'GMA' Friday, saying there's still a lot to do in investigating exactly what went wrong last week, but he insists his client was in the dark.

McPherson says Travis was clueless about the calamity in the crowd because he had an earpiece blaring music, blinding lights and no one gave him a heads up. As we reported, Travis even left after the concert and hit up Dave & Busters for an afterparty ... unaware that people had died and hundreds were injured.

McPherson points out the now-viral video of Travis stopping the show to get a fan help who had passed out. He also says it was hard for Travis to determine that at one point there was an ambulance in the crowd ... saying it looked more like a golf cart with lights.

When pushed as to whether or not Travis was inciting his audience to get aggressive by telling them to "rage" -- a phrase he's used for years -- McPherson says that was simply Travis trying to get his crowd into the show and have a good time.

TMZ broke the story, Houston cops were seen taking photos and videos while Travis performed 25 mins after the event was considered a "mass casualty event." McPherson says this is further evidence Travis didn't have a clue what was happening. The lawyer points out, if the cops didn't know ... how could Travis?

On Thursday, 22-year-old Bharti Shahani succumbed to her injuries suffered during the show, she was allegedly trampled during a crowd crush, suffering multiple heart attacks and being declared brain dead.

Travis Scott was more concerned with his own safety than that of his fans, and the tragedy at Astroworld should have never happened ... so says an attorney repping one of the victims.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who is repping the family of Axel Acosta, tells TMZ ... all signs are pointing to Travis and the rest of the festival lineup going to great lengths to protect themselves from the crowd, and not putting nearly enough resources into crowd safety.

Buzbee says Axel traveled all the way from Washington to see the Houston festival and loved Travis, but the feelings were clearly not mutual, because the 21-year-old is one of 9 who perished from injuries suffered at the concert.

The way Tony sees it ... Travis and other artists are full of it when they say they love their fans, because if they really did, they would implement better safety measures at shows. Especially when they're massive 50,000-fan events like Astroworld was.

While Buzbee says he's not singling out Travis from the festival lineup, which also included Drake, watch the clip ... he clearly seems to be laying blame at the feet of the headliner.

TMZ broke the story ... Travis vowed to cover funeral costs for families of the people who died at the show, and provide mental health services to anyone impacted by the events.

Buzbee thinks that's a hollow offer -- he says the Acosta family has not heard a peep from Travis' camp and isn't expecting to get any money for Axel's upcoming funeral.

Travis' camp tells us they have been "actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons" ... adding families of the victims can reach out to them directly too.

Meanwhile, Buzbee is conducting his own investigation, and claims police requested full riot equipment before Astroworld's gates even opened Friday morning -- and by 10 AM cops admitted they had no control ... even with an extra 300 officers coming in to boost the overall number to 500.

A police investigation into allegations that Dalvin Cook beat up his ex-girlfriend is NOT currently underway ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Despite domestic violence allegations against the NFL star in a new lawsuit filed by Cook's ex, Gracelyn Trimble, this week ... the Inver Grove Heights P.D. tells us it has not been contacted by any alleged Cook victims -- and therefore, has not launched a probe into the football player.

But, the Inver Grove Heights chief of police, Melissa Chiodo, said that all could change if someone does file a report.

"At this point in time," Chiodo said, "we have not been contacted by anyone for police assistance or that would like to file a police report."

"When anyone does contact us we will be responsive, we are only a phone call away for any citizen or visitor to Inver Grove Heights or they can come in person to our police station to file a report or ask for any police assistance."

As we previously reported, Trimble -- in her lawsuit -- claims Cook punched, hit and threw her violently during an altercation in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. in Nov. 2020. She says she was left a bloody and bruised mess.

She claimed at one point during the incident, Cook held a gun to her head and told her she was going to die. She also said the Minnesota Vikings player held her against her will for hours -- before eventually letting her go.

In her suit, Trimble never said she went to cops over it all, but we've reached out to her attorney to see if she now has plans to -- but so far, no word back.

As for Cook, he's maintained he was the real victim, saying Trimble broke into his home and held him hostage at gunpoint. Dalvin's reps claim the accusations are nothing more than an attempt to extort the football player.

It's worth noting, police also tell us they are NOT investigating Trimble, either.

"I just want everybody to know I'm the victim in the situation," Cook told reporters earlier this week. "The truth and the details about the situation will come out at a further time."

First responders were desperate to get Travis Scott fans help, even calling for the show to end in order to help those needing serious medical attention ... and you can hear the urgency in their radio communications that night.

Several audio clips have surfaced online of Houston Police officers and other medical personnel addressing the issues of crowd crushing, fans passing out and even structural issues during Scott's performance. Things are clearly dire, as one voice says, "... folks are coming out of the crowd complaining of difficulty breathing."

During another radio transmission, emergency workers can be heard saying, "... a lot of people trampled and passed out at the front of the stage."

While the audio doesn't make it clear exactly what time all of this was happening, one thing is certain ... authorities knew things were bad. In fact, at one point they flat out say, "They have to stop the show because there's people trampled and (inaudible) not breathing."

Of course, the major question now -- apart from how 9 people died -- is where the communication broke down between emergency responders and show organizers.

TMZ broke the story, Houston PD officers were spotted taking cellphone video and photos of Travis and Drake as the rappers hyped up the crowd.

According to the timestamps, the officers were seen calmly watching Travis perform between 9:57 PM and 10:02 PM.

Members of the Houston Police Department calmly pulled out their cellphones and recorded Travis Scott's performance at the Astroworld festival ... nearly a half hour after it was declared a mass casualty event.

It's significant footage because it looks like cops were unaware of the dire situation behind them, and if they didn't know ... how would Travis?

The Fire Chief called the calamity a "mass casualty event" at 9:38 PM. Now check out the photo (above) of cops shooting cellphone video -- the time stamp shows it was snapped at 9:57 PM ... 19 minutes later.

As for the video -- obtained by TMZ -- it was shot at 10:02 PM, a full 25 minutes after the mass casualty declaration. Again, cops are strolling past the stage, completely oblivious to the carnage behind them.

It's hard to imagine the officers knew what was going on in the crowd. It seems they're in the dark, perhaps because of the noise and general commotion associated with Travis Scott concerts. This seems to buttress Travis' contention he too had no idea this was a mass casualty event.

As we reported, there were people in the crowd begging for someone to stop the show ... some even flat out telling camera operators there were dead people in the crowd. That message seemed to have escaped the officers in the front, and possibly Travis as well.

Terrence J told cops he escaped what appears to be an attempted robbery just outside his home ... and he also says the alleged suspects fired shots at him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor and TV host was pulling into his driveway in Sherman Oaks around 3 AM when another car pulled up with 4 Black men inside, one of whom ordered Terrence out of his car.

We're told he refused the command, and took off in his car -- and Terrence told cops the suspects chased him and fired at his car ... before they fled.

Our sources say Terrence, who hosts shows on BET and MTV, then flagged down a passing California Highway Patrol car, who called the LAPD.

Cops have released terrifying video showing two men smashing into Dorit Kemsley's L.A. home and surfacing with hundreds of thousands of dollars in valuables minutes later.

The men, covered in masks and gloves use some sort of tool to smash through Kemsley's door before making their way inside. Law enforcement sources say once in, the two men confronted Kemsley, who begged for her life and the lives of her kids.

While we never reported the men were armed with guns, several other outlets did ... but the police statement does not indicate the men had guns or other weapons.

After about 15 minutes, the men can be seen outside the front of the home, dragging what police say was a large blanket filled with purses, watches and other jewelry.

The LAPD is asking for the public's help in identifying the two men -- described as black males between the ages of 20 to 30.

Shortly after the incident, Dorit issued a statement saying, “As you all know by now I have been through a terrifying ordeal, one that no parent or person should ever have to experience. My kids are unaware of what happened, they slept through it and I thank God for keeping my kids and myself from being physically harmed.”

We got Dorit and her husband, Paul, who was out of town at the time of the incident out last week who indicated they'd hired new security and were contemplating moving out.

The jury in the Ahmaud Arbery case looks more like the accused murderers than the victim, pigment-wise, anyway -- but that won't automatically affect the verdict, according to Chilli from TLC.

We got Rozonda Thomas -- aka, Chilli -- at LAX and asked for her take on the outrage over the jury's racial makeup ... namely, the fact 11 white folks and one Black person were selected to hear testimony in the murder trial, which just started on Monday.

The obvious assumption fueling the uproar is that white jurors might have an inherent racial bias, and end up siding with the father and son defendants, Gregory and Travis McMichael, based on nothing more than skin color.

Of course, that is NOT a foregone conclusion whatsoever -- despite many making that leap -- and Chilli echoes that, saying we have to assume the jurors (black or white) are reasonable people who are out for the truth and justice.

Check out her rationale ... Chilli is optimistic and sees hope for the best in people, a mentality she's applying to this case. Naturally, a lot of people are more cynical -- but Chilli's encouraging folks to have faith in humanity.

G-Eazy just struck a deal in the NYC case where he's accused of brawling in a bar ... and he's going to avoid time behind bars.

The rapper appeared in a courtroom in New York City Monday, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct -- lower than his original charge of misdemeanor assault -- and was assigned to a diversion program ... according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

We're told G-Eazy must complete 3 Manhattan Justice Opportunities sessions ... which are an alternative to incarceration and basically involve meetings with social workers and case managers designed to put people back on a positive path.

TMZ broke the story ... G-Eazy was arrested back in September after he and his crew were accused of getting violent with another group of guys at the Boom Boom Room at the Standard Hotel.

G-Eazy was eventually charged with misdemeanor assault, and ordered to steer clear of the alleged victims. We're told the protective order will remain in place.

The Houston Police Chief was so concerned about crowd control at the Astroworld Festival, he went to Travis Scott's trailer to express concern over the "energy in the crowd."

Police Chief Troy Finner said the "energy" in anticipation of the festival had been escalating for months ... this according to the NY Times. The Chief attributed the energy to the pandemic, the fact that tickets went for hundreds of dollars and the event itself had a history of crowds that were difficult to control.

The Chief knew Travis personally and admired him for all the good work he did in Houston.

That said, it's clear the Chief was concerned about the swelling and anxious crowd.

The Chief may have gone to the trailer because some people who wanted to get in before the concert started knocking down barricades.

Sources connected to Travis tell TMZ ... the Chief never told Travis to pull the plug on the show. Furthermore, the sources say Travis was never told the stop the show prior to 10:10 PM -- more than an hour after the show began -- via his in-ear device. The sources go on to say the fire marshal was also mum.

Although Travis says because of the pyrotechnics, strobe lights and all, he couldn't see the scope of the calamity.

And, there's this ... our sources say at one point officers working the show near the stage were filming the concert on their cell phones ... in other words, not doing their jobs.

There was also this ominous sign ahead of the concert ... there was only 47 security personnel on-hand at the 2019 festival ... by contrast there was 528 security members at this event, underscoring the fear things could get out of control.

As we reported, 8 people died during the chaos, and hundreds were injured.

The fatalities from the event ranged from teens to young adults: a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, two 21-year-olds, two 23-year-olds, a 27-year-old and a male whose age was unknown.

Travis Scott took to Instagram to share his sadness and condolences surrounding the event and that he was working with Houston PD. He's also vowed to refund festival tickets and has canceled an upcoming show in Vegas.

In addition to crowd control, Chief Finner said a security guard working the event felt a prick in his neck by an unknown assailant while he was trying to restrain a citizen -- and he quickly fell unconscious.

Finner says the guard was revived by use of NARCAN ... and that medical personnel did, indeed, see something on his neck that indicated he'd been stabbed with a syringe.

Blueface is a wanted man -- there's a warrant out for his arrest, related to the on-camera beatdown of a nightclub bouncer ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us felony arrest warrants were recently issued for Blueface and 2 other men who allegedly carried out the brutal attack of the bouncer, back in September in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

We're told Blueface and his pals have each been hit with 2 felony charges ... one for assault, and another for robbery. Our sources say the robbery charge stems from an accusation that one of the men took a chain from the bouncer.

TMZ broke the story ... video captured the brutal incident, which appears to show Blueface and 3 other men stomping, kicking and punching the doorman.

The man had to be taken to a hospital by ambulance, and needed stitches.

We obtained photos of his alleged injuries -- the guy looked to have been beaten pretty badly -- and we knew the police had taken a battery report after the incident.

Now cops will be on the lookout to arrest Blueface and co. ... if they don't surrender on their own.

A horrifying video has surfaced, showing the chaos at the Astroworld festival had emergency workers so overtaxed, they tried taking one of the victims out on a stretcher but dropped her on her head.

The video shows a security guard, a police officer and another person carrying a woman on a stretcher to an elevated ledge ... in an attempt to bring her down onto a street where go-carts were waiting to take victims to a medical tent on the premises.

Three rescuers positioned themselves at one end of the stretcher ... near her feet. The 3 men were asking people around them to help bring the woman down off the ledge.

A passerby jumped in to help, but instead of grabbing the other end of the stretcher near the woman's head, he grabbed the area by her feet.

So, all 4 men were on one end of the stretcher and no one was on the other end. When they dragged the stretcher off the ledge, the woman's head violently drops and hits a metal grate below.

The men then put the woman on one of the go-carts and it drives to the medical tent.

We don't know her condition ... but it looks extremely serious.

As we reported, 8 people are known to have died during Friday's concert. Hundreds were injured after a stampede during Travis Scott's performance.

Univ. of Georgia linebacker Adam Anderson -- one of the team's best players -- has reportedly been suspended indefinitely ... after a woman says he raped her the night before the Bulldogs' game last weekend.

According to police docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, officers say a 21-year-old woman told them that after having a few drinks at an Athens, GA residence last Friday ... she awoke to Anderson having non-consensual sex with her.

No further details of the alleged incident were revealed in the docs.

Athens-Clarke County Police lieutenant Shaun Barnett told ESPN no arrests have been made despite the woman's claims ... adding that it's all "still open and under investigation."

Nonetheless, per ESPN, UGA football has barred 22-year-old Anderson from the team indefinitely while the probe continues.

For his part, Anderson has denied the allegations ... with his attorney, Steve Sadow, telling TMZ Sports the claims are "unfounded and unsupported."

"Adam hopes and prays the UGA community, and the public keep an open mind and not prejudge him based on inconsistent, unsubstantiated and baseless accusations," Sadow said.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said he was aware of the woman's report and that he would be working closely with the school's administration to ensure they cooperate fully with all law enforcement and campus protocols.

Anderson, meanwhile, played in Georgia's win over Florida on Saturday -- the day after the alleged incident with the woman -- recording 7 tackles and a .5 sack.

Brian Laundrie took his own life before the nationwide manhunt ... at least that's what cops in Florida are saying.

Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman told folks in town Brian "went out there and by all accounts probably committed suicide and he was right out there where we thought he was" ... TMZ has confirmed.

As we reported ... Brian's remains were found Oct. 20 off a Florida trail near his notebook and backpack, ending a 5-week manhunt after he disappeared in the wake of his fiancée, Gabby Petito's death.

The FBI positively identified the bones found as Brian's, thanks to dental records, but the coroner could not determine a cause of death from Laundrie's remains ... and the bones were sent to an anthropologist for further examination.

Police say the area where Brian's remains were found had previously been under 4 feet of water ... one reason why he was not found sooner.

Superman's bisexuality is having real-world consequences -- outraged fans targeting the folks behind the new comic series ... and cops stepping in to make sure things don't escalate.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD officers were recently dispatched to patrol the homes of some of the illustrators/production staffers who created the latest iteration of Superman. The extra protection comes after major backlash that included some so-called fans making threats.

We're told the pissed-off comic book readers inundated the studios to voice their displeasure with the character's newly-announced sexuality.

Our sources say the studios called LAPD, requesting for patrols to keep an eye out -- both at the private residences of some artists, and at the studio itself.

While nothing legitimate came from the threats, our sources say cops still patrolled out of an abundance of caution -- and that the situation has since settled down.

Still, pretty scary and crazy ... considering Superman (and everything about him, including his bisexuality) is pure fiction -- and yet, some seem to have taken it very personally.

As we reported ... DC announced its new Superman, Jon Kent -- son of Clark and Lois Lane -- would be starting a same-sex relationship with a friend in forthcoming issues, and released drawings of them kissing.

A Japanese man dressed as the Joker went on a rampage with a knife while onboard a train in Tokyo -- and video of the passengers attempting to flee is absolutely terrifying.

Check out this wild footage from inside a subway car Sunday that was heading to the Shinjuku station ... where folks were running for their lives after a guy who's said to be just 24 years old started randomly stabbing people -- all while donning a Joker costume.

You can see passengers from one train car hopping to another in sheer panic, and then huddle up together on the opposite end ... obviously scared to death. It looks like a movie ... but it's as real as it gets.

Witnesses told police and local media that the man was brandishing a long knife smeared in what looked like blood -- something bystanders thought was a Halloween joke -- and then he started swinging it, successfully stabbing upwards of 10 people ... per reports.

He then began dousing the interior with a liquid of some sort ... and tried setting the train ablaze. That's why you're seeing all the smoke start to build up -- and why people were literally jumping out of windows to escape. All in all, cops say at least 17 people were hurt, to varying degrees.

The perp appears to have sat down after all the chaos ... and lit a cigarette with his legs crossed, seemingly taking in everything he'd just done. It's as eerie as it sounds. People from the outside filmed him through the door windows ... all he does he stare back and smoke.

It wasn't long before the cops showed up and arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder, among other charges. He didn't put up much of a fight either -- looks like the man cooperated with police and allowed himself to be taken into custody.

Cops say they don't have any clear motive just yet -- but we're sure this dude will get the grilling of his life to figure out why he did this.