Suge Knight, rapper and music producer, is no stranger to legal trouble but as of this morning, he is facing very serious charges of murder. After being identified as a “person of interest”, Knight turned himself into authorities, followed by being formally charged.
Thursday night while on the set of Straight Outta Compton, Knight reportedly ran over two men, injuring one and killing the other. Initially, he was wanted for questioning in what was perceived to be a “vehicle versus pedestrian” accident but after conducting further investigation and interviewing Knight, the charges were changed to murder.
The incident occurred around 3:00 pm when Knight and the two men got into a verbal altercation. Approximately 20 minutes later, the men were at Tam’s Burgers in the parking lot when 49-year-old Knight ran both of them over with his Ford F-150 Raptor. Making things worse, after striking the men, he then backed his truck over them before fleeing the scene.
Terry Carter, age 55, died at the scene of the crime while the other man, aged 51, was taken to the hospital with injuries. As to how serious his injuries are no information has been released at this time. According to Lt. John Corina with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, this was not a traffic accident but a homicide in that the action of Knight was deliberate.
However, in a formal statement from Knight’s attorney, James E. Blatt, his client was being attacked by a gang of men and while trying to escape, the two men were run over. He added that the investigation is ongoing, witnesses are still being interviewed, and the video of the accident still needs to be seen. Knight’s lawyer also stressed that he is positive his client will be vindicated.
Also on the set prior to the incident were Ice Cube, The Game, and Dr. Dre, who posted Instagram photos while still filming. None of the other celebrities mentioned were at the burger joint when the men were run over by Knight.
Knight has a lengthy arrest record and has been involved in many questionable incidents. In 1995, he was given five years’ probation for assaulting two rap artists in a 1992 incident. Then last August, he was at an after party for Chris Brown at the 10AK club and shot six times. To date, there have been no arrests made in that case.
Then in October, Knight was arrested after stealing a paparazzi’s camera and in November he pled not guilty. His other convictions include assault with a gun and armed robbery. Because of his past criminal record, if Knight is found guilty of this homicide he could easily be sent away to prison for 30 years.