Officials Seek to Revoke Rap Mogul’s Parole

State officials said Monday they would move to revoke the parole of 37-year-old rap impresario Marion “Suge” Knight after his alleged assault on a parking lot attendant outside a Hollywood nightclub.

According to Los Angeles police, Knight was unhappy with his parking place at the White Lotus Club in Hollywood, a nightspot popular with celebrities such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis and Tobey Maguire.

A decision will be made in the next 30 days by the California Board of Prison Terms on whether parole will be revoked. If Knight is found to have committed assault, it would be the second time in a year that the rap mogul has returned to prison for violating the terms of his parole.

Parole officials said Knight could spend as much as a year in prison if his parole is revoked.

The rap mogul served a 61-day sentence from Dec. 23. to Feb. 25 and was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service after Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives said Knight had violated his parole when he associated with gang members. Knight employed gang members who police believe are connected to a series of recent shootings, authorities said.

Knight built his company, which has been renamed Death Row Records after a brief time as Tha Row, by employing ex-cons from his hometown of Compton. While he has had success signing hit artists, he has also had numerous brushes with the law, dating back more than a decade.

He 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. Three hours later, Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas. Knight was wounded.

The latest incident involving Knight took place about 1:30 a.m. on June 21.

Knight, who had spent time at another club, Papaz, across the street from White Lotus, had left the scene by the time police arrived, said LAPD Det. Mike Thrasher of the Hollywood Division.

Thrasher refused to discuss other details of the case, including the injuries to the victim.

Citing the LAPD report, Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Heimerich said the victim had parked Knight’s car in such a way that it was blocked in by other vehicles. Upset, Knight punched the attendant in the face from behind, police alleged.

Attorney Robin Yanes, who represents Knight, disputed authorities’ version of events, saying his 315-pound client was doing everything he could to avoid prison.

“That’s totally ridiculous,” Yanes said. “I don’t believe that at all. That’s so un-Suge-like to hit somebody. Have you ever seen the size of Suge? If he hit one of those little valets, the guy would be broken.”

The Los Angeles County district attorney has not received any request to file criminal charges against Knight, said a spokeswoman, Sandi Gibbons. Separately, parole officials said they would proceed with a hearing before the California Board of Prison Terms to determine if Knight violated the conditions of his parole.

At the board hearing, authorities will hear testimony, not only from police detectives and parole agents, but also from Knight and any character witnesses he calls.