Suge Knight charged with murder in deadly hit-and-run case
Rap mogul allegedly ran over, killed friend
COMPTON, Calif. – Former hip-hop music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was rushed to the hospital complaining of chest pains following his Tuesday morning hearing in Compton, Calif.
No further information about his condition was immediately available, Los Angeles County sheriff's Officer John Gardner said.
Knight had sat straight-faced in an orange jumpsuit showing no emotion as murder and other charges were read in relation to a hit-and-run incident last Friday that left one man dead and one badly injured.
Several members of the family of the deceased victim, Terry Carter, sat on one side of the courtroom.
Knight entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
Prosecutors allege that Knight intended to run down a friend and another man after an argument on a movie set. Knight’s original attorney James Blatt said he accidentally ran over the men as he tried to escape a vicious attack.
Knight’s new attorney, David Kenner, was present at the hearing. He told reporters his client was confident he would be found not guilty and felt remorse for the victims.
The surviving victim, Cle "Bone" Sloan, is being represented by Michael Shapiro. He said his client, who he described as a budding filmmaker who was working on the “Straight Outta Compton” promo shoot the day of the incident, was severely injured, with a mangled foot and head injuries and remained in the hospital along with “personal protection.”
Knight is being held without bail at least until the preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for February 19, after a court commissioner agreed with authorities that he was a potential flight risk and could intimidate witnesses.
Detectives told a judge the 49-year-old founder of Death Row Records could face a lengthy prison sentence because of a violent criminal past, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.
Knight was sent to prison for nearly five years for badly beating a rival with Tupac Shakur at a Las Vegas hotel, just hours before Shakur was fatally shot while riding in Knight's car just east of the Strip.
Authorities have said Knight argued with Sloan earlier at a location for the film "Straight Outta Compton" and was told by sheriff's deputies providing security to leave.
The argument resumed in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant where Knight and Sloan allegedly exchanged punches through a window of a pickup truck before the two men were run down, authorities said.
Blatt has said Knight was attacked by four people, including Sloan, and that Knight hit the gas and fled in fear.
The incident came less than six months after Knight was shot six times at a West Hollywood nightclub in August — the second shooting he has survived. No arrests have been made in that case.
In November, Knight pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge filed after a celebrity photographer accused him of stealing her camera in Beverly Hills. Because of prior convictions, he could face up to 30 years in prison in that case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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