‘Suge’ Knight wanted after judge issues bench arrest warrant

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Former rap impresario Marion ‘Suge’ Knight is wanted again after skipping a Beverly Hills court appearance in his conviction for driving without a license, officials said Monday.

He was sentenced in 2011 to three years of probation for driving without a license, stemming from a Feb. 15 arrest that year. Jane Robison, a district attorney’s spokeswoman, said a judge on Thursday issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court.

The former head of Death Row Records has had a history of run-ins with the law. He was sentenced in 1997 to nine years in prison for violating terms of probation from an earlier assault case.

He was released from prison in 2001 after serving less than five years but was sent back to jail in 2003 for violating parole when he hit a parking lot attendant.

Knight filed for bankruptcy in 2006, citing civil litigation against him. The following year, his Malibu mansion was put up for sale.

He was arrested in August 2008 in Las Vegas on suspicion of drug possession and aggravated assault.

In February 2009, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery. His plea allowed the dismissal of two felony drug charges and one felony coercion charge stemming from the 2008 incident.

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-- Richard Winton