CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) — A lawyer for Marion "Suge" Knight said Wednesday that she has statements from eight witnesses that the rap mogul did not punch a parking valet, an incident that could return him to prison.
"Unfortunately for Mr. Knight, it appears that he was arrested prior to a full investigation of the allegation," attorney Rose Kogeman said at a news conference Wednesday.
Kogeman said it was another patron, whom she did not identify, who got angry and shoved the valet while waiting for a vehicle.
Knight, 37, was arrested last month for allegedly punching the attendant. Parole officials say they will ask the California Board of Prison Terms to determine if Knight violated conditions of his parole. Revocation of parole could lead to as much as a one-year prison term, officials say.
The witness statements will be considered during an as yet unscheduled administrative hearing when Knight will have a chance to offer his defense, officials said.
Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said being taken into custody for a suspected parole violation is different than a regular arrest because parolees are technically still in the custody of the state.
"If we have reasonable suspicions that someone has violated parole, we'll take then back into custody and let the Board of Prison Terms adjudicate," he said.
Knight, who founded Death Row Records, was convicted in 1992 of assault and weapons violations and was placed on probation. In 1996, he was jailed for five years for violating 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. Shakur was later fatally shot in Las Vegas.
Knight spent 61 days in jail earlier this year after authorities found that he had associated with a known gang member in violation of his probation.
Also present at the news conference was Minister Tony Mohammad, western regional director of the Nation of Islam, who said he was with Knight the evening of the altercation and saw no physical contact between Knight and the valet.
"Unfortunately for Mr. Knight, it appears that he was arrested prior to a full investigation of the allegation," attorney Rose Kogeman said at a news conference Wednesday.
Kogeman said it was another patron, whom she did not identify, who got angry and shoved the valet while waiting for a vehicle.
Knight, 37, was arrested last month for allegedly punching the attendant. Parole officials say they will ask the California Board of Prison Terms to determine if Knight violated conditions of his parole. Revocation of parole could lead to as much as a one-year prison term, officials say.
The witness statements will be considered during an as yet unscheduled administrative hearing when Knight will have a chance to offer his defense, officials said.
Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said being taken into custody for a suspected parole violation is different than a regular arrest because parolees are technically still in the custody of the state.
"If we have reasonable suspicions that someone has violated parole, we'll take then back into custody and let the Board of Prison Terms adjudicate," he said.
Knight, who founded Death Row Records, was convicted in 1992 of assault and weapons violations and was placed on probation. In 1996, he was jailed for five years for violating 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. Shakur was later fatally shot in Las Vegas.
Knight spent 61 days in jail earlier this year after authorities found that he had associated with a known gang member in violation of his probation.
Also present at the news conference was Minister Tony Mohammad, western regional director of the Nation of Islam, who said he was with Knight the evening of the altercation and saw no physical contact between Knight and the valet.