Shooting of Suge Knight on Sunset Strip ‘unacceptable,’ mayor says

A shooting on the Sunset Strip early Sunday that left former rap impresario Marion “Suge” Knight and two others wounded is “unacceptable,” West Hollywood’s mayor said.

“This was just a regular night of fun on the Sunset Strip, and it was disrupted by criminals,” said West Hollywood Mayor John D’Amico. “Hopefully the Sheriff’s Department will find out who the person or persons were and prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”

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For the Record, 11:20 a.m.: An earlier version of this post called the nightclub the Oak Club. Its name is 1Oak.

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A law enforcement source said the Death Row Records founder’s wounds did not appear to be life-threatening. Another man and a woman were also shot, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they are expected to recover.

The shooting occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. at a nightclub in the 9000 block of Sunset Boulevard. The club was hosting a party in honor of Chris Brown, who has a new album coming out.

On Sunday morning, Sunset Boulevard remained closed off as detectives investigated what happened. On the side of the 1Oak club was a huge sign advertising the Brown party.

Chris Brown said Sunday morning on Twitter: “It’s disappointing that we as a society can’t have fun or enjoy ourselves without any altercations sometimes.”

The shooting took place the night before the MTV Video Music Awards, which are to be held Sunday at the Forum in Inglewood.

A witness told The Times that when the shooting occurred, he first thought it was part of the show at the club.

“It was 1:30. I was about to leave, and all of a sudden I heard gunshots,” he said. “I saw a bunch of people running out. I ran out with them. We were standing outside. Everything was fine at that time. They had it figured out. The cops had their guns drawn towards the doors, and it was a crime scene from then on.”

This is not Knight’s first encounter with gunfire. He was shot in the leg at a 2005 pre-VMA party hosted by hip-hop artist Kanye West in Miami.

And in 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas as he rode in a car driven by Knight.

Knight also has had a history of run-ins with the law. He was sentenced in 1997 to nine years in prison for violating terms of probation from an earlier assault case.

He was released from prison in 2001 after serving less than five years but was sent back to jail in 2003 for violating parole when he hit a parking-lot attendant.

Knight filed for bankruptcy in 2006, citing civil litigation against him. The following year, his Malibu mansion was put up for sale.

He was arrested in August 2008 in Las Vegas on suspicion of drug possession and aggravated assault.

In February 2009, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. His plea allowed the dismissal of two felony drug charges and one felony coercion charge stemming from the 2008 incident.

Times staff writer Lauren Raab contributed to this report.