A new felony charge of criminal threats has been filed against former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight in connection with the alleged robbery of a camera from a paparazzo in Beverly Hills, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Knight, 49, is charged separately with one count each of murder and attempted murder and two counts of hit-and-run for allegedly running down two men in Compton on Jan. 29, killing one and injuring the other.
Knight is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 19 on the criminal threats charge, according to Jane Robison of the District Attorney’s Office. The charge, which was filed in connection with the robbery case, alleges that Knight made criminal threats against the female photographer on Sept. 5 — the same date of the alleged robbery. He was charged in the robbery case last year, along with comedian Micah “Katt” Williams.
Knight, meanwhile, remains jailed without bail while awaiting a March 20 bail hearing on the murder case.
Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes told Superior Court Judge Ricardo Ocampo on Monday that she had a “very large stack of uncharged crimes that I will be presenting with regard to bail” for Knight, who turned himself in the morning after the crash.
He was initially held in lieu of $2 million bail, which was revoked Feb. 2 because he was deemed a possible flight risk and a three-strikes candidate. According to the Sheriff’s Department, “possible witness intimidation issues and a criminal past” were also factors.
Knight allegedly drove his pickup truck backward and forward, killing Terry Carter, 55, and injuring 51-year-old Cle Stone, at 2:55 p.m. Jan. 29 in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers in the 1200 block of West Rosecrans Avenue near Central Avenue.
Lt. John Corina, a sheriff’s homicide detective, said investigators believe Knight intentionally struck the men and that he was not acting out of a reasonable fear.
Corina said Knight had gotten into an argument at a film shoot for a promotional video for “Straight Out of Compton,” a biopic of the Compton rap group N.W.A. Knight, and was told to leave. The argument resumed about 20 minutes later at the eatery about three miles away.
Knight’s attorney at the time, James Blatt, confirmed Knight was behind the wheel of the pickup that struck the men, but said he acted out of fear in trying to escape from as many as four people who attacked him. Blatt also claimed that Knight had been unaware that he hit two men with the pickup, which was later found in a Westwood parking lot.
The criminal complaint against Knight, who could be incarcerated for life if convicted in the murder case, includes an allegation that he committed a serious and violent felony while out on bail in an unrelated robbery case, as well as use of a deadly weapon and causing great bodily injury allegations.
Knight has prior convictions, making this a third-strike case, according to the complaint.
— City News Service