Lawyer: Video Shows Ambush of Former Rap Mogul 'Suge' Knight
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A lawyer for Marion "Suge" Knight said Wednesday that members of his office have reviewed video that appears to show the former rap mogul was ambushed before two men were hit with his truck and one was killed.
David Kenner said the surveillance video came from a Compton burger stand where Knight struck the men on Jan. 29.
Asked what the video showed, Kenner replied: "I think the evidence ultimately will show that this was an ambush for the purpose of killing Mr. Knight, and that what he did was nothing more than trying to avoid being killed in that ambush."
He declined to discuss specifics of the alleged footage but said it would aid in Knight's defense against murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run charges.
Knight, 49, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remained jailed without bail.
Kenner said details about the confrontation that killed Terry Carter, 55, has been one-sided and he urged people to keep an open mind.
A phone message seeking comment about the video from sheriff's Lt. John Corina was not immediately returned.
Kenner criticized previous statements made by Corina that Knight had repeatedly struck actor and film consultant Cle "Bone" Sloan, who was injured by the truck.
Corina has said witnesses told investigators it looked like an intentional act.
Authorities said they do not believe Carter was involved in the altercation.
TMZ cites a source who claims the video shows Sloan had a gun and pointed it at night.
The burger business has told news outlets that their security cameras weren't working the night of the altercation. But Kenner insists they were and investigators have had access to the video from the beginning.
Sloan's attorney Michael Shapiro says he's never heard of the video and doesn't trust TMZ's unnamed source.
"There's no doubt that our client's position will be confirmed by evidence," Shapiro said. "I am completely confident that there was no inappropriate behavior at all by Mr. Sloan."
CBS2/KCAL9 legal analyst Steve Meister said: "Could it turn the case on its head? Sure, if it's authentic and if it shows what they say it shows. But it's too early to tell what's going to be on there."
Knight is the co-founder of Death Row Records, which once boasted Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg as its artists.
Kenner appeared on Knight's behalf at a brief hearing Wednesday on an unrelated robbery charge filed after a celebrity photographer reported that Knight and comedian Katt Williams stole her camera.
Both men have pleaded not guilty in that case.
Prosecutors later added a felony charge against Knight alleging he made criminal threats toward the photographer. Knight has not yet been arraigned on that charge.
Deputy District Attorney Keri Modder said at the hearing that she wants Knight's bail increased to $1 million now that he has been charged with murder.
Kenner said he will oppose the motion at a Feb. 19 hearing.
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