Weapons & Guns

2x Lakers champ Slava Medvedenko -- Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's former teammate in Los Angeles -- is doing everything in his power to protect his home country of Ukraine against Russian forces ... including picking up an AK-47.

Medvedenko, who spent 7 seasons in the NBA and won two championships ('01,'02) with Mamba in L.A., grew up in Ukraine and took up arms to help defend his country.

The 43-year-old has been involved in the war almost since the first day Vladimir Putin ordered his military to invade the sovereign country ... sparking one of the most violent conflicts in recent history.

Slava provided The Athletic with a very detailed account of what life is like for him as he protects the tallest building in Kyiv -- the neighborhood he lives in with his wife and kids.

The former power forward, who had no military experience prior to joining the war, told the outlet things are typically quiet during the day, but fighting intensifies during the nighttime.

Equipped with binoculars and a Russian-made Kalashnikov (AK-47), Medvedenko recalled a night when he watched Russian forces fire more than 20 missiles ... in an attempt to eliminate Ukraine's radar system.

Of course, the professional hooper, who played alongside one of the most potent 1-2 combos in NBA history (Shaq and Kobe) never envisioned he'd be in the middle of such a dangerous war.

“Can you imagine?” Medvedenko said. “You’re just sitting at a checkpoint and you see a big f***ing rocket just fly over you?” he told The Athletic.

Although fighting seems to have quieted down in Kyiv (at least for the time being) where Slava spends a majority of time ... the near 7-footer is turning his attention to relief efforts for those who've been affected.

A group of smash-and-grab thieves definitely got more than they bargained for when jewelry store employees decided they weren't going to give up their goods without a fight.

The whole thing went down at Princess Bride Diamonds in Huntington Beach, CA over the weekend. It's business as usual until 4 men in hoodies, covering their faces and armed with hammers charged into the building. One man was able to smash a jewelry case ... but then the employees leap into action.

A male employee comes sprinting to the front of the store, landing some serious haymakers. The female employees turn it on too, kicking, punching and even throwing a chair at the would-be-robbers.

The whole thing is pretty badass ... and the crooks take off without managing to steal any jewelry.

Princess Bride Diamonds let customers know they'll be closed for the next 4 days while they clean up the smashed glass and get their case restored.

The house Tyler Perry built was almost blown to smithereens -- at least that's what could've happened if this guy got his way ... so say cops.

The media mogul was at the center of a scary bomb threat from a man named Coles Arrasheed ... according to Atlanta PD which arrested him for making terroristic threats against Tyler's Georgia studio.

In the report, obtained by TMZ, cops say Coles dialed in to the studio's main number back on May 13, and demanded to speak to TP himself -- but the receptionist told him it was impossible, which apparently pissed off this guy to the point he started talking gibberish.

Naturally, the receptionist was freaked out, hung up and even blocked his number. But, according to the report, she discovered he left a voicemail in which he allegedly threatened to blow the place to high heaven. That's what prompted her to call the police.

Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas says there's no bad blood whatsoever between him and Javaris Crittenton more than a decade after they had their infamous locker room gun incident ... saying this week he still talks to his former teammate in jail.

The 40-year-old former Wizards guard sat down for an interview with LeSean McCoy, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Brandon Marshall for an episode of "I AM ATHLETE" -- where he opened up about his relationship with JC.

Pacman asked Arenas if he and Javaris were still quarreling after the two drew guns on each other in the Wizards' locker room following a gambling spat in 2009 ... and Gilbert said not at all.

In fact, Arenas said the two are actually great friends ... and despite Javaris being locked behind bars after he was accused of shooting and killing a woman in 2011, they still chat regularly.

"We talk once a week," Arenas said. "It's just like when we were teammates -- 'Man, what do you think about this series? What do you think about this series?'"

"He just talks basketball. We just talk about basketball."

Gilbert said even though the duo's careers spiraled following league punishment for their locker room gun incident ... he was even cool with the former Wizards player shortly after it all.

"His mother needed surgery for her neck," Arenas said. "He asked me [for money] -- because he knows I'm not going to hold it personal."

"Even then, I took care of him," Arenas said. "Because nobody wanted to f*** with him at that time. Like, even to this day, I send him cell phones if he needs a new cell phone."

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed's car was shot up in Louisiana ... but cops say he was not inside of the ride at the time and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

The Minden Police Department tells TMZ Sports ... the gunfire went down at some point on Friday afternoon in Minden, where Sneed played high school football.

According to a department spokesperson, Sneed's Ford Bronco -- which the 25-year-old football player was not an occupant in at the time -- was hit by bullets ... and Sneed later showed up on the scene to check things out.

We're told Sneed and others were detained on the scene and questioned by officers, but ultimately, Sneed was not arrested and not charged with a crime ... and was let go.

Sources close to Sneed say two of his friends were driving the vehicle at the time ... and believe the shooting was random.

The spokesperson said cops are investigating the situation to find out who fired on the vehicle. No arrests have been made at this time, the spokesperson added.

We've reached out to the Chiefs for comment.

Sneed was picked in the fourth round by the Chiefs in the 2020 NFL Draft ... and quickly became one of K.C.'s best players.

Kim Kardashian says her life and the lives of her children are in danger, after receiving scores of letters that threaten their lives and one where the letter writer threatened to blow up her office with a bomb.

Kim's lawyer, Shawn Holley, beelined for court Monday to get a restraining order against David Resendiz, someone Kim says she's never even met. Kim says somehow Resendiz got her home and business addresses and began sending a slew of letters -- more than 80 -- threatening her and her 4 kids in various ways.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim says Resendiz made numerous false and delusional claims about her intimate relationships. She says he's made "disturbing sexual references about me in his letters."

Kim says he's threatened in multiple letters to kill her. And, she says, on April 25, she received a written bomb threat in a letter delivered to one of her business offices. She says the letter is a dead ringer for the ones Resendiz previously sent.

Kim says she's scared for her safety and the safety of her family. She believes unchecked ... Resendiz could harm or even kill her.

Attacking Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl is opening an even bigger can of worms for Isaiah Lee, who's now facing attempted murder charges ... for a separate incident.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office says Lee stabbed his roommate back in December ... which flew under the radar until Lee made international headlines when he tried to tackle Chappelle earlier this month.

District Attorney George Gascón says, "The publicity generated by the attack on Mr. Chappelle helped police solve this crime."

According to the D.A., Lee stabbed his roommate at a transitional housing apartment -- but the victim wasn't able to identify Lee as his attacker until he saw him in the media reports about the Chappelle incident. The victim had previously reported the attack to cops.

As we reported, the D.A. got a lot of criticism for refusing to charge Lee with a felony for what went down at the Bowl -- the L.A. City Attorney ultimately charged him with 4 misdemeanors.

A horrifying and heartbreaking video has surfaced of a kid's game of tag interrupted by gunfire which killed a man near a California playground.

The clip starts with two young kids going back and forth and then gunshots ring out, sending the kids running for their lives. In the video, you can hear parents screaming and a little girl yelling for help as she fights back tears.

Cops say more than 33 shots were fired in the exchange between the two groups in a Palo Alto neighborhood on Tuesday. 3 people were injured and 1 killed. It does not appear any kids were hurt.

In a press conference Tuesday, Police Chief Jeff Liu, said, "Shooting and violence, especially at our parks with kids playing is completely unacceptable. We need to come together as a community and send a message that this type of activity will not be tolerated."

Daymond John is offering financial aid to the family of the security guard killed in the Buffalo shooting ... reaching out after discovering the guy was a big fan of his.

The son of Aaron Salter Jr., the retired police officer who was working security at the supermarket where the tragic shooting happened, tells TMZ ... Daymond recently called him and struck up a conversation, getting emotional and offering to help with funeral expenses and other bills.

Daymond told Aaron Salter III he saw some photos online of the guy's dad posing with cardboard cutouts of the "Shark Tank" star ... and it turns out watching "Shark Tank" was a family affair in the Salter house.

Aaron, who is being hailed a hero for likely saving the lives of others in the attack, was also an inventor like Daymond ... and his son says DJ told the family his heart goes out to them and he wants to help in any way possible.

When Aaron's son relayed funeral details, Daymond offered to help cover the cost and told the family someone from his camp would be in touch.

We're told Daymond got emotional as the conversation continued ... Aaron's son could hear the pain in Daymond's voice, and towards the end of their talk Daymond offered to help the family with anything they need in the future, urging them not to hesitate.

Aaron's son says his dad was a huge fan of Daymond's and is looking down now, super proud.

Daymond's offer to the family is in addition to a visit from President Biden ... we're told POTUS spoke individually with 9 family members, shaking hands and expressing condolences.

The Buffalo Bills and NFL are teaming up to contribute $400,000 to local relief efforts in Buffalo ... after a mass shooting on Saturday left 10 people dead and several others injured.

"On behalf of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, we are most grateful for the generous contributions from the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the National Football League Foundation that will allow us to create real change and emerge from the darkness of this heinous act," said Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

The $400K donation will be divided up amongst several groups ... with $200,000 going to the Buffalo Community Response Fund, and the other $200,000 going to various nonprofit orgs working on relief efforts.

"This Fund is a partnership to build upon the collective desire to take action and to work together as a community to address immediate needs, long-term rebuilding and systemic issues that continue to marginalize communities of color," Dedecker added.

We've already seen members of the Bills org. -- like defensive back Micah Hyde -- literally, step up to the plate by donating proceeds from his charity softball game to the victims of the tragedy.

Hyde hosted the event at Sahlen Park, a minor league baseball facility, where he announced a huge $200K donation.

And, Josh Allen is also involved. The star quarterback said the team planned to meet to discuss further ways they could help the innocent victims and people in the community who are hurting.

The partnership between the Bills and the NFL is certainly a big step in the right direction.

A person cops believe to be responsible for shooting a Johnny Cash silhouette, causing a hilarious leak, is in custody and facing felony charges.

Officials arrested Timothy Sled on Monday, for shooting the 50,000-gallon water tank in Kingsland, Arkansas. He's been hit with 2 felony charges, one for criminal mischief and another for impairing the operation of a vital public utility.

Chief Deputy at Cleveland County Sheriff's Department Gary Young tells us they were led to Sled after an investigation that included local surveillance ... and there's still a possibility a second person will be arrested.

The alleged Buffalo shooter once detailed a grisly account of beheading a cat -- an incident that left him feeling absolutely nothing at all.

18-year-old Payton Gendron documented the killing in a digital journal entry on Discord -- which was public for a time before being taken down -- in which he describes slicing up a feral gray tabby cat that was apparently attacking his family's own pet cat in their garage.

He goes on to say he spent the next hour chasing it around and stabbing it with a camouflage knife ... until the animal died. Gendron is said to have also logged times on when it went limp, and how it bled from its mouth.

Doesn't sound like the guy was done desecrating the body ... Gendron went on to say he pounded the cat onto the concrete with its tail, and then cut off its head with a hatchet after about 20 hacks -- with blood splattering on his face.

He then wrote, "Honestly right now I don’t feel anything about killing that cat. I thought I would be in pain but I literally just feel blank," adding ... "Well my cat Paige is safe now from that evil feral cat, may you find bliss from consciousness less."

Gendron ended that entry by noting his cat had hung out with him more than anyone in the last few years, and that he hoped his family would care for it when he was "gone."

The families of the victims killed in the Buffalo massacre are getting a lot of help in the wake of this tragedy -- both on the crowdfunding front ... but, possibly, on the civil side too.

Fundraisers have been organized in the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting -- which claimed the lives of 10 people after 18-year-old Payton Gendron opened fire in a supermarket in an attack that was rooted in racial hatred.

One of the campaigns was organized by Keith Blakely, CEO of OnCore Golf Technology, and has already raised around $100k.

Blakely tells TMZ ... the money came in over the course of a few days, with more than 1,400 donors making contributions ranging from $5 to $5k. Blakely says the $100k goal seemed like a tall order at first, but now ... he's aiming to give each family $10,000.

Blakely says he's teamed up with the Mayor's Office to help distribute the money ASAP. He tells us celebs have chipped in, but won't say who ... but he tipped his hand and said athletes have really stepped up.

Other GFMs have been started ... one for the Tops store, another for the slain security guard, yet another for victims' families and a 4th for resource deliveries to victims and members of the community who might be affected.

While all that dough is great, there might be an even larger amount on the horizon thanks to Ben Crump and his team ... he's already been retained by the family of Ruth Whitfield -- one of the oldest victims killed in Saturday's massacre.

Sources tell us Crump is looking to represent as many families as possible ... which we're told may include suing the gun manufacturer of the weapon used in the attack ... an AR-15-style rifle with a high capacity magazine.

The man responsible for slaughtering 10 people at a Buffalo grocery store left no question ... his attack was racially motivated, as evidenced by the hateful messaging emblazoned on his gun.

18-year-old Payton Gendron descended on the Tops store with a black Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle littered with  racist language -- "N****" on its' barrel, "Here's your reparations," "Dylan Roof," "John Earnest" and "SYGAOWN."

"SYGAOWN" is an acronym for "Stop Your Genocide Against Our White Nations." As you probably know, Dylan Roof is the man who killed 9 black worshipers at a South Carolina Church. Earnest killed one woman and shot 3 others in 2019 at a synagogue in San Diego.

Johnny Cash is arguably the greatest country singer ever, so it was fitting for his hometown in Arkansas to put his silhouette on a water tower, but someone decided to enhance the image with a bullet, and the results are hilarious!

The bullet hit squarely on Johnny's junk, penetrating the water tower in the process, and it now looks like J.C. is taking a never-ending leak.

It's an ignominious turn for Kingsland, a city of 500 that just wanted to honor Johnny. The singer has been taking a leak for over a week, thanks to the 50,000-gallon tank.

As humorous as it is, there are serious implications. More than 30,000 gallons of water have escaped through the bullet hole, soaking the dirt around the tower.

On the upside, there are lots of visitors who are descending on Kingsland to get a look at the leak, which always helps the local economy.

Horrifying situation for NHL star Mitch Marner on Monday night ... the Maple Leafs forward was carjacked at gunpoint by multiple people in Toronto.

The Toronto Police Service tells TMZ Sports the incident went down at around 7:46 PM ... when three suspects -- two with handguns and one with a knife -- approached a black Range Rover.

The TPS does not name victims of crimes ... but Marner, according to multiple reports, was driving the Range Rover at the time.

Cops say the three suspects ended up jacking the vehicle -- and fled in it. Police said they're now searching the area.

Thankfully, cops added, there were no injuries in the incident.

According to the Toronto Sun -- which first reported the news -- Marner was "shaken up" on the scene, but was otherwise unharmed. He's expected to meet with media members on Tuesday.