Suge Knight Collapses In Court After Hearing His Bail Is Set At Unusually High $25 Million

Rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight collapsed in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday morning, almost immediately after hearing a judge set his bail price at $25 million. Knight is facing charges of murder and attempted murder after a recent incident in California that authorities have described as a hit-and-run case.

Knight, 49, was wheeled out of the courtroom on a gurney and taken to a jail hospital where doctors were to evaluate his condition, according to the Los Angeles Times. Eyewitnesses said the co-founder of Death Row Records experienced twitching in one of his shoulders during the hearing and, after his bail was announced, suddenly collapsed.

But Deputy District Attorney Cynthia J. Barnes saw the incident as little more than a show. She believes Knight “did it in front of the cameras,” according to reports. It wasn't the first time the rapper has had medical problems inside a courtroom. During a February hearing at which he entered a “not guilty” plea, Knight complained of severe chest pains and was rushed to a hospital, according to CNN.

The rapper’s lawyers have requested a jury trial for the case, in which Knight is charged with running over two men with his truck. The incident reportedly began with an argument between Knight and Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, on the set of the upcoming movie “Straight Outta Compton.” Both men were asked to leave the set and their fight later continued outside a local burger restaurant. When Knight drove up in his truck, Sloan approached the vehicle and the pair began exchanging punches through the driver's-side window, recently released video footage shows. The graphic video then shows Knight putting the truck in reverse and then plowing it forward, striking both Sloan and Terry Carter, 55. The impact seriously injured Sloan and left Carter dead.

As Billboard notes, Knight’s bail is unusually high, even for a murder case. During the hearing, Knight's lawyer pointed out that a judge set bail at only $10 million for the late New York mobster John Gotti in a 1998 extortion case. But in Knight's case, the judge apparently responded to Barnes’ reminder of Knight’s previous criminal activity.