Suge Knight was only faking to get attention when he collapsed in court, a prosecutor suggests of the rap mogul now accused of murder.
Knight collapsed in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday after learning that his bail was set at $25 million. Paramedics rushed to his aid and Los Angeles firefighters ended up carrying Knight out on a gurney.
Suge Knight was taken to a hospital and evaluated, but doctors found nothing serious.
That wasn’t a surprise to deputy district attorney Cynthia J. Barnes , who said she thinks that Knight “did it in front of the cameras.” Suge Knight, whose real first name is Marion, is accused of running down 55-year-old Terry Carter and 51-year-old Cle “Bone” Sloan in his truck an argument on the set of the movie Straight Outta Compton . Carter was killed, and police arrested Knight and charged him with murder, attempted murder, and two counts of hit-and-run. Knight’s lawyers claimed he was acting in self-defense , trying to get away from the group that was attacking him.
“We are confident that once the investigation is completed, he will be totally exonerated,” James Blatt said. “He was in the process of being physically assaulted by two men and in an effort to escape he unfortunately hit two [other] individuals. He was in his car trying to escape.”
The case has already turned contentious, as the prosecution showed in doubting that Suge Knight’s collapse was real. Prosecutors are trying to paint Knight as a violent and intimidating presence, which the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office already noted in asking that his bail be revoked. The department noted that Knight has “witness intimidation issues.” When it requested the high bail number, the district attorney’s office noted a number of allegedly violent acts that Knight committed over the course of the last 11 years, including threats regarding the movie Straight Outta Compton .
The Daily Beast noted as follows.
“According to a court documents reviewed by The Daily Beast, Knight was upset he wasn’t getting paid for the use of his likeness in the film and sent threatening text messages in 2014 to an unidentified victim that read, ‘I will see u in person … u have kids just like me so let’s play hardball you b***h a** N***a’ and ‘I’m from Bompton … time has arrived Faith in God keep people safe The Devils money can’t save no 1 … I will make sure u an that F**g [Dr. Dre] and Taft High school graduate [Ice Cube] receive your hugs…’ “
Suge Knight faces life in prison if convicted of murder.
[Photo Courtesy of Robyn Beck-Pool/Getty Images]
