EXCLUSIVE Suge Knight details 'conspiracy' against him after Diddy trial heard he was target of rapper's 'armed ambush'

Daily Mail​

22-05-2025

Marion 'Suge' Knight insists there is a conspiracy to have him killed but he still believes his former rival, Sean ' Diddy ' Combs, shouldn't be behind bars.
Knight, who is serving a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter, has been mentioned several times by key witnesses in Combs' criminal trial in Manhattan.
Last week, an emotional Cassie Ventura — Combs' former girlfriend — testified Diddy stopped one of their 'freak off' sex sessions in 2008 because the disgraced Bad Boy mogul was told Knight was at Mel's Diner, a popular restaurant in LA.
Knight's name was mentioned again but this time by Combs' former assistant David James, who testified on Tuesday.
Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, testified she was forced to have sex with male escorts and participate in 'freak offs' allegedly directed by Diddy. She also testified Combs stopped one of these sex sessions after he was told Knight had a run-in with Diddy's associates in 2008
James testified about the diner run-in with Knight, who allegedly responded, 'What you doin' in my city' when he was approached by one of Combs' associates.
According to James's testimony, when Combs heard about the incident, the disgraced Bad Boy mogul allegedly grabbed three guns from his mansion in LA and instructed James to drive back to the diner.
In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, Knight said the coinciding testimonies are not an accident.
'Look, it's clear now — both Cassie and David James told the truth under oath,' Knight said. 'Last week and again today, they each said the same thing. And when two different people say the same thing on the stand, that ain't no coincidence. That's truth finally breaking through the noise.'
James testified when Combs and his posse returned to the diner with weapons in tow, Knight was already gone.
'The real blessing? No violence went down that day,' Knight told DailyMail.com of the 2008 incident. 'Because if it had, that would've been a dark day for hip hop — real ugly, real fast. But I thank God it didn't go there.'
A tearful James testified that the Mel's Diner incident was the last straw for him.
'This was the first time as his assistant that I realized my life was in danger,' James said in front of jurors on Tuesday. 'I told them I want to leave but gave six months notice so I could train the next assistant.'
Knight and Combs' history as fierce rivals became hip hop lore after the deaths of their close friends and their respective record labels' top artists, Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.
But now the former rivals and music moguls are both fighting for their lives in court.
Combs' federal criminal trial is expected to go on for about two months.
Diddy, 55, faces life in prison if convicted of all charges, which include racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He has plead not guilty to all charges.
Meanwhile, Knight, who is already serving a 28-year sentence in a San Diego prison, has recently filed a petition challenging a prior conviction.
In his petition filed on March 15, Knight claims a 1995 assault conviction resulted in triggering California's Three Strikes Law, which affected his 2018 manslaughter case.
Knight was charged with murder after he plowed his red Ford Raptor outside Tam's Burgers stand in Compton in Jan. 29, 2015 during the filming of a promotional video for the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton.
During the collision, Knight's pickup hit Terry Carter, 55, and 51-year-old Cle "Bone" Sloan, a technical adviser on the movie, who survived.
Knight plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
But in his March 15 petition, Knight claims there is new evidence that his former lawyer in the 1995 assault case, David Kenner, allegedly only saw him as a 'cash cow' and failed to perform his duties as his counsel.
Knight was accused of pistol whipping and forcing two aspiring rappers to strip down to their underwear in 1992.
Knight pleaded no contest to the assault charges in February 1995 and accepted a nine-year suspended sentence with five years of probation.
In his petition, Knight alleges former LA deputy district attorney Lawrence Longo had an 'unreported financial relationship' with Kenner, who he alleges used his position as Death Row's counsel to execute deals.
One of those deals, Knight alleges in the petition, involves Longo's daughter, who allegedly received a $50,000 recording contract from Death Row Records shortly after Knight's plea deal in his 1995 case.
Longo not only helped broker the plea deal but also oversaw Knight's probation, the former Death Row Records CEO claims in the petition.
Knight also alleged in the petition that Longo's family leased a Malibu property to Kenner, with rental payments sourced from Death Row Records totaling over $127,000.
He also alleges in the petition that Longo has a history of making racists remarks regarding Black defendants. Longo was eventually fired by the LA County DA's office in 1997.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kenner. Longo passed away in 2014.
Knight said while Combs' alleged crimes are just coming to the surface, he has always had a target on his back.
'Still, let's keep it real: as a Black man, how you're treated depends on how you look, how you act and how much you play the game.
'If you're in shinny suits, 'dancing all in the videos', — people treat you one way. But if you're Suge Knight — if you're solid, from Compton and stand your ground — you're treated like a criminal, no matter what the facts are.'
Knight, 60, maintains his innocence in the Tams incident despite having pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in September 2018.
'In 2015, I was ambushed by men with guns by Tams. I acted in self-defense. But I'm the one sitting in a cell.
'I was shot seven times at 1 Oak nightclub months before the Tams incident — cameras caught it, authorities have documented that they know who did it and still no arrest. Why? Because it's me.'
After hearing about Ventura and David's testimony in Combs' criminal trial, the former Death Row CEO said he realizes his life was always in danger.
'Now Cassie and David's testimony? Sounds to me like there was a real setup in play— like a conspiracy to kill me,' Knight told DailyMail.com. 'Yet I'm the one behind bars.'
Nevertheless, Knight said he wants a surprisingly different outcome for his former rival.
'Still — Free Puff. I don't want to see no Black man in prison. Not even him,' Knight said.