Former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight on Wednesday remained in a hospital where he was taken a day earlier for chest pains after pleading not guilty to a murder charge.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Guillermina Saldana said the agency could not provide any further details on the 49-year-old Knight, who is accused of intentionally running down and killing a friend on Jan. 29. Another man was injured.
Knight complained of chest pains on Tuesday, about an hour after he pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run charges.
Knight’s attorney David Kenner has not returned phone messages seeking an update on his client’s health.
Knight founded Death Row Records, which once featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur as its top artists.
Knight is accused of running down and killing his friend Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, in a burger stand parking lot after an argument on the set of “Straight Outta Compton,” a movie about the rise of the rap group N.W.A.
Knight’s former attorney James Blatt has said Knight was attacked by four people, including Sloan, as he pulled into the lot after Carter asked him to come for a meeting. Blatt said Knight hit the gas as he fled in fear.
Kenner said his client is remorseful about Carter’s death but that does not mean he’s guilty of the crimes.
“He feels bad that somebody that he knew is deceased,” Kenner said. “It’s not his fault.”
Michael R. Shapiro, an attorney who represents Sloan, said his client has a mangled left foot and some neurological issues and is recovering from his injuries under heavy security.
Knight is scheduled to appear for a hearing Monday to determine whether he can be released on bail or must stay in custody. He could face life in prison if convicted.
The hip-hop figure was at the center of one of the most notorious rap conflicts of the 1990s, pitting Shakur against Biggie Smalls in an East Coast-West Coast rivalry.
Knight was sent to prison for nearly five years for badly beating a rival with Shakur at a Las Vegas hotel, just hours before Shakur was fatally shot while riding in Knight’s car in 1996.
Associated Press
