‘Suge’ Knight faces hearing as judge weighs $25 million bail

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Marion “Suge” Knight is scheduled to be back in court Friday morning after a Los Angeles prosecutor asked a judge to set bail at $25 million in the former rap music mogul’s murder case, alleging he has been shaking down rappers.

The bail motion filed Thursday cites numerous threats and acts of violence by Knight dating back to the mid-1990s. It accuses him of being part of an extortion ring that targets up-and-coming and established rappers and has been paid more than $10 million in recent years. It also states Knight has made threats over the upcoming film “Straight Outta Compton,” which chronicles the rise of iconic rap group N.W.A.

The co-founder of Death Row Records was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s, his label once listing Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its artists. Knight lost control of the company after it was forced into bankruptcy.

Knight has been held without bail since early February, when he was charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run after authorities say he struck two men with his pickup truck in a Compton parking lot. Terry Carter, 55, was killed in the crash.

Knight has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have said Knight was ambushed. A phone message for Knight’s attorney, Matthew Fletcher, was not returned Thursday.

If Knight attempts to post bail, Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes has requested that he prove the money has not come from illegal activities.

If Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen grants bail, Knight would either have to post the entire amount in cash or pay a bond company 8 percent of the bail amount and the company would put up the whole amount, Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Lou Shapiro said.

The bond company would keep Knight’s money – $2 million if bail is set at $25 million – as its fee, Shapiro said.

Barnes’ bail motion includes a summary of a heavily redacted police report taken last year from someone who claims Knight issued threats over “Straight Outta Compton.”

“Knight was angry that he was not compensated for his likeness in the movie,” the motion says. It adds that Knight warned the unidentified victim that he was prepared to attack over the film and would target former N.W.A. members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

The prosecutor’s motion also cites Knight’s 1994 conviction on a federal firearms charge and a 1995 conviction on two counts of assault with a firearm that led to a lengthy prison sentence.

“Since his release from prison custody, defendant Knight has continued his repugnant life of crime,” the motion states before listing allegations that include battery, criminal threats, extortion and assault.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Richard Biddle said detectives began looking into the extortion scheme after Knight was shot six times last year at a West Hollywood nightclub on the weekend of the MTV Video Music Awards.

Knight has complained that he is suffering from complications from his wounds. He told a judge at a hearing earlier this month that he is blind in one eye and has limited vision in his other eye.

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