Paroled Rap Mogul Arrested
By Richard Winton and Chuck Philips, Times Staff Writers
December 24, 2002

Rap music mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was taken into custody Monday for alleged parole violations that could send him back to prison for a year, authorities said.

State parole official Fernando Rios declined Monday to explain the violations allegedly committed by the 37-year-old founder of Death Row Records.

But law enforcement sources said four violations relate to Knight's alleged association with reputed gang members who authorities say are connected with a series of retaliatory shootings this year. As a condition of his parole, Knight is not allowed to associate with gang members.

Knight was taken into custody Monday afternoon by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies after meeting with his parole officer in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. By Monday night, Knight was on his way to Chino State Prison, where he will stay until a hearing on his case.

Knight's lawyer, David Z. Chesnoff, said he was surprised by the arrest.

"Mr Knight has done everything within his power to avoid any kind of trouble and at the same time remain active in the hip hop recording community," Chesnoff said. "His association with people that the parole board finds objectionable is in all likelihood, if true, directly connected to the music business and nothing else."

In the 1990s, Knight's company, now called Tha Row, propelled hard- core rap from the fringe into the headphones of suburban teenagers nationwide and generated $100 million a year in album sales. But the colorful, Compton-born mogul never let go of his tough-guy roots.

In 1992, he was convicted of assault and federal weapons violations but was given probation. In 1996, he was incarcerated for five years for violating the terms of his probation after he and several associates, including rap star Tupac Shakur, were recorded on videotape beating a gang rival in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel. Three hours after that, Shakur was fatally shot on the Las Vegas strip and Knight, who was with him, was wounded.

Since his release from prison in 2001, Knight has vowed to rebuild his company, and stay out of trouble. But in recent months, he has been dogged by a L.A. County Sheriff's investigation into a string of shootings allegedly committed by employees of Tha Row, some in retaliation for the murder of employee and Knight friend Alton "Buntry" McDonald.

The Sheriff's Department has pushed for Knight's return to prison, providing a detailed report of Knight's alleged parole violations garnered in part from a November raid on Knight's homes and businesses (continued...)

bad luck huh

I'm interested in what Daz would say about that...  

Merry Cristmas in prison Suge lol.

[shadow=red,left,300]MERRY CHRISTMAS SUGE KNIGHT[/shadow]

I think if suge does get locked up again we can finally say the row is dead for good. THANK GOD!

kurupt will go back to dpg, crook will sign with daz, eastwood and dannyboy will.. who cares, and all will be normal again.

and Ja Rule will stop his Tupac fever

U gotta feel bad for the man tho, the man that brought us dre, snoop, pac, daz kurupt, lady of rage, you gotta feel for him

He was proberly brought up into the life that he lives so even though he is prob doing wrong its proberly the way he has been brought up to live.  I dont like the man I will tell you that but to be spending christmas in jail is just fucked.  I will pour out some liqor for him next time I drink, truth is I want this fool to get his life back adn track and bring us some more talents and get himself and his label back on top of the game.  Come on Suge get yer act together,!