Marion "Suge" Knight, founder of recently bankrupt Death Row Records, was allegedly beating up his girlfriend at 6.30am yesterday when Las Vegas police all of a sudden interrupted. Knight was arrested and charged with battery domestic-violence, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription, the Associated Press reported.
For someone whose nickname is derived from "Sugar Bear", 43-year-old Knight does not have a very cuddly personal history. He has been jailed for assault on numerous occasions, accused of assault on even more occasions, and Dr Dre himself allegedly has a Protection Order against the hip-hop mogul.
In this case, Knight was discovered in a car park near the Las Vegas Strip, "violently beating" a woman while holding a knife. Though the woman's name and age have not been released, police said she identified herself as Knight's girlfriend of three years. She had not been stabbed but was treated at a hospital for her injuries.
"This is a very large man," Las Vegas police lieutenant Chris Carroll emphasised to journalists. "He was on top of her, actually in the act of violently beating her when the officers arrived, with the knife in his hand."
Police were initially called to the scene due to a minor traffic accident. Knight's car had veered on to the curb after he punched his girlfriend in the head and she "grabbed the steering wheel", police said.
Knight was also found to be in possession of ecstasy and the prescription narcotic Hydrocodone.
Yesterday, Knight paid $19,000 (£8,500) in bail and agreed to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on September 26 2008.
