Raids target homes, offices of rap mogul; five arrested
The three — a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy and two gang members — are accused of plotting to kill the rival in revenge for the death of another Knight associate who was gunned down in April. The arrests came during a sweep in which 175 sheriff's deputies served search warrants at 16 places in Southern California and Las Vegas, including Knight's office near Beverly Hills and his homes in three cities.
Knight, founder of Death Row Records, was one of the most influential figures in rap and hip-hop music. However, he has been closely associated with the music's dark side: a violent streak that has claimed the lives of several of its brightest stars and many hangers-on.
Sheriff's department officials said yesterday that Knight was not a suspect in their investigation, which focuses on a string of killings, including several in which the victims were Knight employees or associates. They also said the investigation was not related to the unsolved killings of two of rap's biggest stars, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (also known as Biggie Smalls and Notorious B.I.G.).
The sweep netted the arrests of former Sheriff's Deputy Kordell Depree Knox, along with gang members Michael Payne, 25, and Theodore Kelly, 29, authorities said. They were being charged with conspiracy stemming from the June 7 death of Eric Letheal Daniel, 29, a Compton, Calif., gang member known as "Scar."
None of the three is believed to have been the gunman, investigators said. Sheriff's investigators have arrest warrants for five other people who are at large.
Knox, 37, is a former Compton police officer who became a sheriff's deputy when the department took over policing duties in Compton. He was dismissed by the department this month when he came under investigation for an off-duty assault, Sheriff's Capt. Pete Amico said.
Two other men were arrested on unrelated drug-possession charges, sheriff's department officials said.
Heavily armed deputies served search and arrest warrants in and around Los Angeles. Besides Compton and Long Beach, warrants were served in Malibu, Lakewood, Paramount, Lynwood and Las Vegas.
Investigators believe Daniel's slaying was the result of a rivalry between two sects of the Bloods gang and was in revenge for the killing of Alton "Buntry" McDonald, a former associate of Knight.
Knight did not return calls yesterday. His lawyer issued a one-sentence statement: "We appreciate the professionalism of the police in clearly indicating that Mr. Knight is not a suspect."