Rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was given 10 months in prison Thursday after a parole board found that he struck a Hollywood nightclub valet.
Knight, who has been jailed since June 27, faced a maximum sentence of a year in prison for the parole violation. He has been credited for time spent behind bars, said Bill Sessa, a spokesman for the Board of Prison Terms.
The parole board heard compelling testimony during a closed hearing from the arresting officer and a witness before making its decision, Sessa said.
Mehdi Lazrak, 25, the alleged victim, said outside the hearing that Knight never struck him.
“I never said I was hit by him,” Lazrak said. “I don’t know how police got that idea.”
Lazrak said he was hit from behind on the back of the head. Authorities believe Lazrak didn’t see who hit him, Sessa said.
Knight, 37, was instrumental in driving gangsta rap into the mainstream in the 1990s while heading Death Row Records. He fielded a stable of rappers that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur.
Knight was paroled from prison in 2001, but served 61 days behind bars earlier this year for associating with a known gang member in violation of his parole.
Source cnn.com.
