Summer/Beach

Venice Beach is looking like a war zone -- this footage shows police officers armed with assault rifles detaining a group of homeless people, but cops say the tense incident was misrepresented on social media.

The video does seem rather menacing -- the heavily-armed LAPD officers were questioning 5 homeless people sitting on their knees in front of a makeshift encampment, with their hands in the air.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... this happened in the afternoon of July 25, when police got a call reporting a man brandishing a gun and threatening someone.

We're told police found a BB gun in the area, but no one was arrested because cops could not find a victim. Our sources say it's routine for cops to respond with heavy firepower when they get a call about a person armed with a gun.

Someone had tweeted the video and said the cops were evicting the homeless at gunpoint ... which sparked, understandable, outrage. However, we're told none of the people in the video were removed.

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from a top-secret spring where 24-year-old curve model Ella Halikas strung herself up in an eye-popping puka shell bikini and posed for some refreshing photos during a Los Angeles heatwave.

When this Greek goddess isn't collaborating with awe-inspiring artists like Megan Batson to create unique images for Ella's Instagram and TikTok accounts ... Halikas inspires others with their self-love journeys, playing soccer ... and most recently graced the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue with her stunning beauty.

If she doesn't inspire you ... we don't know what will!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

It's vacation time for Lionel Messi ... and the soccer megastar is enjoying his annual getaway on the Spanish waters with his wife, kids, and bestie, Luis Suarez!!!

Of course, Messi and Suarez are as close as it gets ... and the gang has been known to tour Spain on expensive boats during the summer months over the past few years.

2021 is no different, with both families bringing their kids along for a bit of R&R ... and fellow pal Cesc Fàbregas coming along for the ride.

Messi has a lot to celebrate -- he's fresh off his Copa America victory with Argentina ... the first of his career!!!

Messi's wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, Suarez's wife, Sofia Balbi, and Fàbregas' wife, Daniella Semaan, look to be enjoying the trip ... and they all look incredibly stunning!!

We can't forget to mention the fellas, though -- they look just as shredded as you'd expect ... after all, they are world-class athletes.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's adventure at sea continues -- especially now that they're back on a vessel ... and clearly getting lots and LOTS of sun along the way.

Bennifer were spotted floating on a yacht Wednesday, taking in the gorgeous views of the Amalfi Coast spanning Italy's shores. Jen was showing off her tan in a skimpy striped crop top --- offset by some comfy, loose boat pants (for balance).

Ben was around there somewhere as well ... he was photographed at one point sitting next to his boo and chatting her up. He, too, is taking in the rays -- perhaps more harshly than J Lo. Dude's face is looking like a fire engine here ... bring this man some SPF 50!

Anyway, check out the photos for yourself. It's more of Jen lounging and chillin' than anything -- which is interesting, considering she was working up a sweat in this exact setting almost 3 years ago to the day.

You might recall ... she and her ex, A-Rod, also hit the Amalfi Coast together right around this time in 2018 -- but they were way more interested in maintaining their fitness regiment than all the canoodling Ben and Jen have been doing these past few days ... or so it seemed, anyway.

Stark contrast in couple-y activities, at least in our eyes. One looks like they're putting on a HIT seminar for paps, and the other ... well, looks like they're on a proper bae-cation.

Chrishell Stause just went public with her new relationship ... and it turns out she's dating her boss, Jason Oppenheim.

The "Selling Sunset" star just posted a ton of pics with Jason from what appears to be a romantic getaway with the "Selling Sunset" cast to Capri, Italy ... and there are a few shots of Chrishell and Jason planting kisses on each other.

Chrishell captioned her photo dump "The JLo effect" ... a nod to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who were just flaunting their romance -- very publicly -- in Capri as well.

Jason's brother, Brett Oppenheim, already commented on the post, telling his "Selling Sunset" co-star... "Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy." Jason added a "❤️" emoji comment too.

The relationship dynamic's kinda interesting ... Chrishell works for The Oppenheim Group, a real estate company founded by her new boo -- so, you've gotta figure this relationship won't sit well with some of the other agents.

Jason is at least the second boyfriend for Chrishell since her divorce from Justin Hartley ... as we first told you, she was dating 'DWTS' star Keo Motsepe for about 3 months before a mutual split.

Hunter Biden has made a big move ... to a Southern California beach town riddled with celebs ... aka Malibu -- TMZ has learned.

Biden is renting a 3,000 square foot, 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home about a mile away from the ocean. The house sold for $3.34 million back in 2019 and it was listed for rent at $20k a month.

Neighbors tell TMZ ... the house is crawling with Secret Service agents. One neighbor tells us, someone from the Secret Service approached him a few days back and asked if he'd be willing to rent out his house to them for a year. He politely declined.

The photo of Biden (above) was taken Monday as he was leaving lunch with several people.

We're told Joe Biden's son actually moved around 4 months ago, but it was kept on the down-low. He was previously living in Venice, CA in a house that had very little privacy, which seems to explain the move.

We're told he has pretty much kept to himself. The neighbors we spoke with say they haven't even met him and most haven't even seen him.

WWE Superstar Roman Reigns knows exactly how to prep for a huge match against John Cena at SummerSlam -- hitting the beach with his smokin' hot wife in Miami!!!

Of course, the wrestling legend called out RR just last week ... saying he's coming for the Universal championship belt next month.

But, Roman doesn't seem too fazed -- ditching his shirt and soaking up the sun with his wife of 7 years, Galina Becker on Monday.

Just take a look at the pics -- the couple looks absolutely stunning ... with Roman showing off his tatted bod and Galina rocking a fun patterned one-piece.

SummerSlam is set to go down Saturday, August 21 at Allegiant Stadium ... and it's gonna be HUGE.

Cena -- a 16-time champ -- last competed at WrestleMania 36 in March 2020 ... where he lost to WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt.

Reigns ain't impressed by Cena's return, though ... saying, "He came out here, the same music, the same entrance, the same run to the ring, the same outfit, the same promo, the same insults."

"If I wanted that, all I had to do was search online for 2005 John Cena. It's the same thing, over and over and over. It's like missionary position every single night."

This week's Summer Hot Shots comes from a pack of men that can only be described as the Silverfox Squad (LLC) ... who slipped into some of the most stylish looks money can buy and boarded their yacht for a shirtless photoshoot that is guaranteed A+ eye candy for both the young and old!

The age-defying dudes in the elite Silverfox Squad are comprised of some gorgeous grey-haird guys like Irvin Randle, Winston Warrior, JP Hanney, Darryle Jones, Stephen Adkins III, JL Michaels, Titus Unlimited and Eustace Collens Jr. -- but don't let the white hair fool you ... these shredded seniors are more ripped than models half their age.

Squad goals!

We are continuing to whip up our Summer Hot Shots for 2021 from a distance and have collaborated with some mind-melting hotties from around the world for your viewing pleasure!

Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead are looking like they're all in for their relationship -- all in each other's arms, and all in each other's mouths ... based on their beach PDA session.

The duo some have deemed the rando hookup of the year were chilling Saturday in the sand of Laguna Beach, and they were all over each other -- hugging and making out like a couple of teenagers.

From the way they were going at it, you'd never guess they had a baby in tow. Yeah, imagine how Ant's son, Hudson, was feeling during all that kissing!! Ehh, he's one ... he won't remember it.

The hot and heavy beach date seals it -- Renee and Ant are the real deal. TMZ broke the story ... they first met last month when she was a guest on his Discovery+ show, "Celebrity IOU Joyride." Since then, we've seen 'em out doing some shopping together, but Saturday marked their first romantic outing ... in public, anyway.

As we reported, Ant and Christina Haack recently finalized their divorce, and will share custody of Hudson.

Ant's beach date with Renee went down near his oceanfront home, and as cozy and comfortable as she's looking ... ponder this: Renee Zellweger, OC housewife???

It looks like happy hour in Hollywood is a 24 hour a day affair!

Stars like Kendall Jenner, Vanessa Hudgens, Bella Hadid, Nicole Williams English and plenty of others have been laying out with a drink by their side!

Whether it's a margarita, Aperol spritz or even the ever-illusive piña colada ... these bikini babes know how to have a good time with a drink in their hand!

Jordyn Woods, Larsa Pippen, Francesca Farago, and Sailor Brinkley-Cook are just a few other celebs to name that have been getting their drink on!

You don't have to be 21+ to take a look at all the other sexy stars that have been mixing things up by scrolling through our gallery of bikini babes sippin' on cocktails!

A South African man suffered horrific injuries after being viciously attacked by a shark while surfing along the country's coastline this week ... and the photos of his wounds are gruesome.

It happened on Wednesday in Jeffreys Bay ... when 40-year-old Jason Lammers had a terrifying encounter in the water with a shark.

Lammers' surfing buddy, Mark Krieger, tells TMZ Sports the scene was very scary ... saying when he pulled up to the surf spot, Lammers was out of the water and bleeding profusely in a nearby parking lot after being bit.

According to the National Sea & Rescue Institute, Lammers suffered wounds to his right leg and torso -- and in photos that Krieger took of the injuries, you can see it all looked pretty dire.

The pictures show Lammers had deep bite marks in his body -- and in one of the photos, you can see the shark even took a chunk out of Lammers' surfboard while trying to chomp on him.

There's good news, though ... Krieger says after Lammers was treated by the NSRI and transported to a nearby hospital -- he's somehow doing well!

In fact, Krieger tells us his pal is in such good spirits -- they made him a shark attack cake to celebrate the recovery!!!

Lord Stanley looked more like Lord Jet Ski on Monday ... 'cause Tampa Bay Lightning stars Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov just took the Stanley Cup for an epic ride on the water!!!

It all went down at the NHL team's championship parade in Tampa, Fla. ... and video from the scene is absolutely AWESOME!!!

The two put the trophy up front near the steering column ... and then took the title bling out for a joy ride.

At one point, the guys maneuvered it all the way over to a packed crowd ... and stood up on the ride to lift it up so everyone could cheer it on!!!

Of course, the parade has featured a ton of other memorable moments ... with guys chuggin' booze, tossin' bottles from boat to boat, and even Andrei Vasilevskiy putting the Conn Smythe Trophy on his head!!

And, if you were wondering ... the Cup has NOT been thrown from one ride to another just yet -- seems the Lightning aren't willing to be as brave as Tom Brady was in February.

Come hell or high water took on a whole new meaning when the ocean surface in the Gulf of Mexico caught on fire ... and the video's astonishing.

The crazy scene played out Friday west of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula ... where the state's oil company, Pemex, said a gas leak from an underwater pipeline triggered a blaze that looked more like a scene from Michael Bay's next blockbuster.

You can see there are HUGE, bright orange flames shooting from the surface ... looking like an erupting volcano. The video quickly spread like fire (sorry, not sorry) on social media ... aptly dubbed, "eye of fire."

Fortunately for all involved ... the blaze, which went down 150 yards from a drilling platform, was extinguished. Nitrogen was reportedly used to control the fire. More good news ... Pemex said no injuries.

Finally .... it looks like the black family whose descendants were terrorized by the KKK and screwed over by L.A. County will be getting their land back.

There's now a detailed plan to restore ownership rights to the Bruce family, whose land was taken out from under them in 1929. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn has been leading the charge, declaring, "I am committed to getting this done and setting an example for governments nationwide for how we can begin to right the historic injustices committed against African Americans in this country."

ICYMI ... back in 1912 Charles and Willa Bruce bought a parcel of land in Manhattan Beach for $1,225. They bought some adjacent lots and then turned the properties into a beach resort for Black families ... something that didn't exist along the shores of L.A. County.

The resort didn't sit well with some racist white residents, who harassed the members and vandalized the property. The KKK got involved and terrorized resort members.

The government was right behind the racists and used its power of eminent domain to condemn the property in 1929, claiming they needed it to build a park. And, that was the end of the resort and the Bruce family lost the property.

The land actually sat vacant for decades ... finally, in 1960, the County realized it had a legal problem, because the whole park-plan looked like a ruse, so they turned the area into a park.

In a hollow gesture, in 2006 the County renamed the area "Bruce's Beach" to somehow appease the Bruce family.

Well, now -- thanks largely to Supervisor Hahn -- there's a plan in place to return the land to the Bruce family.  The plan was released earlier in the week and requires the County to assess the property value, figure out who's entitled to the land and restore it to them.  The County also has to figure out where to put the lifeguard station that's sitting on the property.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancée, Brittany Matthews, wants to make one thing abundantly clear -- her boobs are, in fact, 100% real ... and she's making her statement with a stunning bikini pic!!

The NFL superstar's longtime lady made sure any speculation was put to rest on Wednesday ... saying, "Haters will say they are fake, but breastfeeding moms will understand🤷🏼‍♀️😘."

Of course, the couple welcomed their first child, Sterling Skye, back in February ... and Brittany looks absolutely incredible while rocking an orange bikini just 4 months after giving birth!!

Mahomes and the fitness guru have been posting hot shots throughout their trip to Cabo ... enjoying their summer on an expensive ass boat.

It's been a great past year for the lovebirds -- they got engaged at the Super Bowl ring ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium in September 2020, made another trip to the S.B. in February, and had baby Sterling a few weeks later.

Yeah, not too shabby.

On top of all that, Mahomes was also just announced as a cover athlete for Madden NFL 22 alongside Tom Brady ... proving this hot streak isn't coming to an end any time soon.

Megan Thee Stallion just redefined "WAP" while modeling her new swim collection, 'cause ... WHAT A PERFORMANCE?!?!

The rapper dropped her new line of swimwear Wednesday in collaboration with Fashion Nova ... and it's pretty jaw dropping. The barely-there bikinis come just a few days after summer's official start ... so, get ready for hot girl summer.

MTS flaunted her bod in the photoshoot, and it's hard not to think of her own famous lyric ... "Body-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody"

The rapper's designs include a denim "sunsuit," a black latex bikini and a sparkly pink thing ... all of which she proudly rocked during the photoshoot.

Megan told her fans these are "Thee HOTTEST swimsuits for all shapes and sizes for this mf HOTGIRL Summer🔥🔥🔥."

This is her second collab with Fashion Nova ... a sequel to her Fall 2020 collection. Megan is 5-foot-10 and says she designed a lot of the swimwear with taller girls in mind.

She reportedly said, "If you're a tall girl like me, finding clothes that have a savage style has never been easy, until now."