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Suge Knight rushed to hospital shortly after pleading not guilty to murder

Charges relate to incident that allegedly took place on a film set

Andrew Buncombe
Tuesday 03 February 2015 21:03 GMT
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Suge Knight has denied the allegations levelled at him
Suge Knight has denied the allegations levelled at him

Rap music mogul Suge Knight appeared in court and pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to murder and attempted murder charges before complaining of chest pain and being taken to a hospital.

Mr Knight, who was detained last week after allegedly driving over two men with his pick-up truck, wore an orange jail uniform at the morning court appearance in Los Angeles where be pleaded not guilty to four counts, including hit-and-run charges.

He is is accused of intentionally running down two men, including a friend, in Compton on Thursday. Mr Knight’s lawyers have said he hit the men by accident as he fled an attack.

Mr Knight, 49, whose real name are Marion Hugh Knight, is charged with killing Terry Carter, 55, and attempting to kill Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, after an argument at a location where the movie Straight Outta Compton, about the rise of the rap group N.W.A., was being filmed.

The incident for which Mr Knight has been charged took place on a film set for a bopic of the group N.W.A.

No further information about the condition of the founder of Death Row Records was immediately available, Los Angeles County sheriff's Officer John Gardner said, according to the Associated Press. He is due back in court on February 9 when a judge will consider whether to set bail.

Mr Knight’s attorney, David Kenner, said his client is remorseful about Mr Carter’s death but that did not mean he was guilty of the crimes.

Mr Knight co-founded Death Row Records with Dr Dre in 1991 and built it into the first rap label to consistently dominate the pop scene. But he has a history of legal troubles, the Los Angeles Times said.

In 1996, Mr Knight was at the wheel of a BMW in Las Vegas when passenger and popular rapper Tupac Shakur was shot by gunmen in another vehicle. Mr Shakur died a week later, and the case has not been solved.

In 1997, Mr Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for violating the terms of his probation from an earlier assault case. He was released from prison in 2001 but was sent back to jail two years later for violating parole when he hit a parking attendant.

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