After a fatal hit-and-run on Thursday (Jan. 29), Suge Knight has been arrested.
The Death Row Records co-founder turned himself in to Los Angeles authorities around 3AM on Friday morning (Jan. 30) after striking a man with his vehicle in Compton. He was taken into custody, charged with murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
Knight was on the set of the 'Straight Outta Compton' biopic, where Ice Cube, Game and Dr. Dre were reportedly present Thursday. After a physical assault that occurred in the movie set's parking lot, Knight felt his safety was threatened, which caused him to hop back into his truck. He drove the vehicle in reverse, hitting and killing Terry Carter, who was pronounced dead at the hospital. He also struck Cle "Bone" Stone, causing him to suffer non-life threatening injuries.
The red pickup truck that Knight was reportedly driving in the fatal hit-and-run was later found in Westwood, Calif.
While he is being charged with murder, Knight's attorney claims it was an accident. "He was in the process of being physically assaulted by two men and in an effort to escape he unfortunately hit two (other) individuals," Knight's lawyer told The Associated Press. "He was in his car trying to escape."
When the 49-year-old turned himself in to authorities, he was smoking on a cigar and appeared to be complacent. He shook hands with an LAPD official, who commented on his physical appearance. "You lost some weight, huh?" to which Knight responded, "Yeah." That was the only statement he made despite reporters inquiring about his thoughts on the allegations against him.
Knight has had a number of run-ins with the law throughout his career. Most recently, he was arrested in October 2014 for stealing a photographer's camera and would have faced a 30-year jail sentence if he was convicted. But the problems for Knight didn't stop there. A month into being in prison, he was sent to the hospital after falling in his jail cell. Last summer, he was shot six times while at a pre-party for the MTV Video Music Awards.