Update, February 4: Suge Knight has been hospitalised in Long Beach, California where he remains under police guard.
TMZ reports that Knight was hospitalised after suffering an intense physical reaction from a potentially fatal blood clot. The clot apparently formed when he was shot six times in August. Knight has been put on blood thinners and has been handcuffed to his hospital bed under constant police watch.
Update 2, February 3: Suge Knight has entered a plea of not guilty to attempted murder and murder.
He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of hit-and-run. A hearing is scheduled for February 9, and until then he’ll remain behind bars without bail.
Update, February 3: Suge Knight has been charged with murder.
Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey has charged Suge Knight with murder following the hit-and-run incident which killed Terry Carter, Billboard reports. If convicted, Knight could face life in prison. The former Death Row boss has been charged with one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and two counts of hit-and-run. Knight is currently being held without bail ahead of his arraignment, scheduled to take place in Compton tomorrow.
Update, February 2: Sheriff’s officials are in possession of a video of the incident.
Homicide detectives are analysing the video, but the Sheriff’s department won’t say what it shows. However, TMZ also reports that there is no surveillance video from the scene, as the CCTV recorder in the parking lot was not working, which may suggest that the video being analysed by police was filmed by a bystander.
Update 2: Police reportedly don’t believe Suge Knight intended to kill Terry Carter, but he will still be charged with murder.
What began as an attempt to bury the hatchet between Knight and Dr. Dre during a commercial shoot led to the accidental murder of Carter, TMZ reports in a new update. After an altercation with Dre’s security, Knight left the set of a commercial shoot for Straight Outta Compton, only to return when Carter convinced him to go to a nearby burger joint (and soon-to-be scene of the crime) where Dre wanted to resolve the fight. According to Knight, he was attacked on arrival before he could even exit his vehicle.
Police have said they believe Knight had no intention of killing Carter with his car, but was intending to hit actor Cle “Bone” Sloan, one of the men involved in the altercation, a timeline that has been corroborated with multiple witnesses.
What this means for Knight, however, is that even though he may have not intended to kill Carter (who witnesses agree was a friend and an ally of his in the altercation), he was committing a felony by trying to attack Sloan, and killing someone else in the process constitutes murder.
Update: Police have formally arrested Suge Knight on murder charges, and his bail has been set at $2 million.
Knight is now being interviewed by police, TMZ reports. At a press conference earlier, police said two fights took place, the seconding resulting in the fatality. The first fight happened on movie set and the second was at a nearby burger joint. Police added that witnesses claim the car backed up and ran over the victim twice before fleeing.
The former Death Row boss is wanted by US police after a fatal hit-and-run car accident in Compton.
The incident occurred as Suge Knight appeared at the set of a promotional shoot for the forthcoming N.W.A. biopic involving Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and The Game.
According to TMZ, once Knight arrived at the shoot, he got into an altercation with two crew members before getting into his car to leave. As he was leaving the set he reversed over a bystander, reported as Terry Carter, a friend of the former mogul who arrived with him at the scene. The man later died in hospital.
Actor Cle “Bone” Sloane — who featured in Training Day and End of Watch — was also injured in the incident.
The Sheriff’s Department has advised all Southern California law enforcement to be “on the lookout” for Knight, who is wanted for questioning for murder, warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
“So far we have not confirmed it was him, driving the truck. So we’re not saying Suge Knight was driving the truck at this time,” said Lt John Corina, from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “Although we want to talk to him, since the truck supposedly belongs to him.”
As BBC News reports, a lawyer for Knight confirmed he had been driving at the time, but claimed it was an accident and he was running away from attackers.
“He was in the process of being physically assaulted by two men and in an effort to escape he unfortunately hit two (other) individuals,” lawyer James Blatt said. “He was in his car trying to escape. “We are confident that once the investigation is completed, he will be totally exonerated.
The lawyer added that Knight was planning to turn himself in to authorities. The rap mogul could face up to 30 years in prison because of prior convictions.
