Marion Knight, 49, better known as “Suge” Knight, collapsed this afternoon after learning that a Los Angeles judge set his bail at $25 million for murder charges.
According to CNN , the bail amount sparked concern with Knight’s attorney, Matthew Fletcher, who said that it was “excessively high” and more than his client could afford. Knight, apparently, agreed. He doubled over in his chair, hit his head, and fell face down before he was taken to the jail’s hospital ward.
The high amount of bail is not a surprise to those who know of Knight’s long criminal history, which includes a previous assault and weapons conviction and probation violation, among other things.
Knight’s criminal allegations span back more than 25 years. In one high-profile accusation, the record producer allegedly threatened Vanilla Ice by the edge of a balcony in the early 1990s, although the incident was never proven true. However, Vanilla Ice stated that the altercation occurred over financial matters involving his hit single, “Ice Ice Baby.”
“I went to my hotel room and Suge was in there with several people. He let me know he wanted to get some points off the record ‘Ice Ice Baby.’ Suge took me out on the balcony, started talking to me personally. He had me look over the edge, showing me how high I was up there. I needed to wear a diaper that day. I was an “investor” in Death Row Records with no return on my money.”
His latest run-in with the law stems from a January 29 hit-and-run incident, in which Suge Knight is seen on video, driving over Terry Carter, 55 and Cle Sloan, 51, while on the set of a commercial for the upcoming movie, Straight Outta Compton . Both men were rushed to a hospital shortly after. Sloan survived but Carter suffered fatal injuries. He died after arriving at the hospital.
Allegedly, an argument between Knight and the victims sparked outrage. Knight took matters into his own hands when he got into a red Ford Raptor and pummeled both Carter and Sloan into the Tam’s Burgers parking lot, off of West Rosecrans Avenue.
Knight turned himself into the West Hollywood police the next day, and was subsequently booked into the Twin Towers Correctional Facility on attempted murder charges . He remained incarcerated after an initial $2 million bail was denied due to Knight’s “sketchy past,” which makes him a flight risk in the eyes of the court.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Times reports that close to 300 pages worth of evidence and arguments were presented against the mogul, linking him to the hit-and-run incident, as well as various other infractions over the past few decades. Nevertheless, Fletcher insists that the charges are not valid, and that his client is being singled out because of his history.
“If his name wasn’t Suge Knight, they wouldn’t have filed this case.”
Regardless, it seems obvious that Suge Knight, a diabetic with glaucoma and other health complications, did not expect to face such a high bail amount. His condition has yet to be updated.
[Photo Courtesy of Robyn Beck-Pool/Getty Images]