Suge Knight Will Stand Trial for Murder and Attempted Murder After Incident at Burger Stand
Marion "Suge" Knight will face a trial for murder and attempted murder charges after the former rap music executive hit two men with his truck in January, killing one of them, USA Today reports.
Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen made the ruling Thursday after hearing testimony from Cle "Bone" Sloan, who was hit by Knight outside a Compton burger stand. The judge reduced the bail from $25 millon to $10 million.
Sloan told detectives that he attacked Knight but does not remember fighting with him. He also said he did not want to be a "snitch." Prosecutors played Sloan's police statements to the court. They provided a detailed account of the events on Jan. 29 that led to Knight striking the men with his truck.
Authorities say that Knight purposely hit the two men with his truck, killing Terry Carter. Knight's attorney, Matt Fletcher, says his client was trying to escape an attack from Sloan when he ran over the two men.
Knight allegedly has gang ties and a reputation for intimidating witnesses. This caused Sloan to initially decline to testify.
"I will not be used to send Suge Knight to prison," he said.
Sloan added that he was only on the stand because he was subpoenaed.
Prosecutors tried to ease Sloan's concerns by offering him limited immunity. Sloan said he planned to use the Fifth Amendment to avoid incriminating himself.
Knight was a key member of the rap scene in the 1990s. His label once included artists Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dog. Knight lost control of the company when it went bankrupt.
Sloan says he is trying to forget the incident where Knight ran him over. As a result of the incident, Sloan suffered two broken ankles, a serious cut to his head, tow torn knee ligaments and a shoulder injury.
"Every day, I try to forget it," Sloan said. "I just know, I screwed up, and Terry's dead."
Sloan's failure to remember the event led to the judge saying, "I find that this witness is being deceptive."
The judge heard statements from the lead detective investigating the case and also watch security camera footage of the incident. The footage shows Knight struggling with Sloan through his truck window. Knight then puts the truck in reverse, striking Sloan. He then puts the truck in gear and runs over Sloan again and also hits Carter before leaving the scene.
Fletcher tried to prove that Sloan was enraged at Knight on the day of the crash. Sloan said he was mad at Knight but not enraged. He also called Sloan the aggressor to the fight, which Sloan agreed to.
Knight could face life in prison if he is convicted in the case. He has a prior criminal record that includes felony armed robbery and assault.
Knight was with Shakur in Las Vegas the night of his murder in 1997. That murder remains unsolved to this day.
TMZ obtained the video of the incident. Watch it below.
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