Rap mogul Marion 'Suge' Knight's lawyer insists his client had no idea he had run over and killed a friend as he attempted to make a quick get away from a movie set in Compton, Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon (29Jan15)
Knight reportedly rammed pal Terry Carter, who was trying to break up a fight between the former rap boss and others, and left him for dead as he drove away in his truck.
The fallen hip-hop mogul has since turned himself in to police and he has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
But Knight's lawyer James Blatt has told the Los Angeles Times his client had no idea he had left his friend for dead as he drove away.
He says, "He had no knowledge whatsoever he ran over anyone. There’s no damage to Mr. Knight’s car."
Meanwhile, Blatt tells the publication Knight was attempting to flee for his life after a fight broke out shortly after his arrival on the set.
The lawyer says, "Mr. Knight was attacked by a group of men while he was in his vehicle. They were beating him, threatening to kill him and attempting to drag him outside of the vehicle. He made an effort to escape, he was in fear for his life. And that’s exactly what he did... He was the victim, he was not the aggressor."
Blatt has asked detectives to locate security camera footage which he hopes will exonerate his client.
Knight is being held in Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles on $2 million (GBP1.3 million) bail.