Suge Knight, the founder of Death Row Records, was shot as many as six times early this morning inside 1Oak, the nightclub at 9039 Sunset Blvd. at North Wetherly in West Hollywood.
Two other as-yet-unidentified people — a 32-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman — also were shot during the incident, which drew dozens of sheriff’s deputies to the club.
The incident was first reported by TMZ, which posted a video showing Knight being wheeled on a stretcher to an ambulance. Knight was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. TMZ reports that he is expected to recover.
Knight and others were at 1Oak for a party hosted by Chris Brown to celebrate MTV’s Video Music Awards, an annual event that is being held today at the Forum in Inglewood.
The incident caused a major panic on the Sunset Strip, with the TMZ video showing deputies with guns drawn behind cars and 1Oak partiers streaming out of the club with their hands up. Another video, shot by someone inside the club, showed the panicked crowd scattering as the gun went off.
As of 8:30 a.m. today, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had acknowledged only that three people had been shot at 1Oak.
Brown is a nominee for the VMA Best Collaboration Award for his “loyal” video featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga. This morning he reacted to the shooting with a post on Twitter. “It’s disappointing that we as a society can’t have fun or enjoy ourselves without any altercations sometimes. Miss me with the bullsh–!!!”
Knight is a controversial figure who has been in trouble with the law since at least 1987, when he was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend and cutting off her ponytail. But his biggest controversy was around allegations, never proven, that he was involved in the murders of rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) in 1997 and Tupak Shakur in 1996. Despite numerous investigations by police and journalists, no convincing account of those deaths has been produced.
Knight has been involved in at least eight other incidents, ranging from an arrest for violating probation that sent him to prison from Febuary 1997 to August 2001, the beating of his girlfriend outside a club in Las Vegas in 2008, an incident in 2005 when he was shot in the leg at another VMA awards party.
Lani
Low lifes go around shooting one another. In this case the intended target, shot five or six times, is refusing to cooperate with the sherriffs. It’s apparent both the target and the shooters are low lifes. Low lifes can be black, brown or white. I don’t wish to live in a area where shootings are accepted as a way of life. If banning certain groups achieves this wish then so be it. The bottom line is if you want to entertain at upscale venues don’t appeal to those who have no respect for laws and society.
Let it Be, stop being so ignorant. I’m not trying to be politically correct, simply calling racism is what it is. Even if I was being politically correct, I find that to be more of an compliment than a criticism. I would rather be politically correct than a racist. It’s one thing to say that there are lowlifes at the HOB, who happen to be predominantly African American. It’s quite another to associate “lowlifes” with an entire group or class of people. To say that “we’re all a little bit racist,” shouldn’t absolve one stupidity and of being a racist.
Lani…stop being so politically correct and afraid to appear racist yourself. In this case, as is the case with HOB, it’s a definite leaning towards African Americans as the problem. Not racist, just a fact. No different then certain bars probably have problems with white biker skinheads.
We’re all a little bit racist (stolen from Avenue Q, but absolutely true).
Mike Dunn, lowlifes come from all different racial/ethnic groups. But you clearly associate lowlife with race. In this case, I’m guessing you associate it with being Black. That doesn’t just sound racist, it IS racist.
Rumor is that Chris Brown was the intended target.
It may sound raciest but it’s time the city put it’s foot down and ban entertainment acts that cater to these low life’s that believe shooting one another is cool. Living south of the House of Blues while never witnessing a shooting I’m well aware of the constant crime that occurs there almost nightly. While no one want to see someone injured or killed due to no sheriffs and fire dept. response the “Request For Services” at the House of Blues must top the list.
I live two blocks south of here – woke me up. The circling helicopter at one point was shouting to exiting patrons “this is a crime scene with a possible homicide – please raise your hands”. It actually quieted down quickly, but now (10:40 am) Sunset between Doheny and Hammond is shut down with traffic being sent to normally quiet residential streets.
Now I know what House of Blues neighbors go through.