Cops Say Suge Knight Was The Intended Target In Shooting

Investigators are reviewing “clear” video of Sunday’s shooting at the 1Oak club in West Hollywood, and the evidence suggests that rap mogul Suge Knight, and not Chris Brown, may have been the intended target.

Detectives are analyzing hours of video from multiple, high-tech security cameras inside the club, where gunfire about 1:30 a.m. Sunday wounded Knight and two others, marring a pre-VMAs party that Brown hosted along with Pia Mia. The focus is on piecing together the gunman’s movements, a law enforcement source close to the investigation told the Daily News.

“The shooting happened almost immediately after (Knight) arrived, so it looks like a crime of opportunity,” the source said. “He appeared to be the intended target.”

The source’s comments contradict initial reports from some clubgoers, who said they believe Brown, 25, had been the target.

“Literally can’t believe what I just witnessed,” one attendee, Katie Clendon, tweeted. “Someone tried to fire shots at Chris Brown at 1Oak. Speechless.”

Clendon later told The Daily Beast that she couldn’t say whether Brown was the target but that “the shots were obviously targeted at his table.”

While Knight, 49, has a long history of glamorizing gang violence, the motive for the attempted murder remains unknown, the law enforcement source told The News.

“We know there’s a gang history, but so far there's nothing to suggest this was directly gang related,” the source said. “There’s no motive yet.”

Knight was reportedly shot six times and underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Investigators have spoken to Knight in the hospital, the source said.

“We’ve talked to him a couple times, but he’s pretty sedated. It was hard for him to answer our questions," the source added. “We’ll try to talk to him again tomorrow.”

Brown, who is currently on probation for his 2009 assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna, hasn’t yet spoken to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators, the source said.

West Coast rapper The Game, who also has gang ties, was turned away from the club before the shooting, the source said.

“I don’t think we need to talk to (The Game). The club wisely didn't let him in, and he left without incident,” the source said. “Suge also was turned away, but he eventually pushed his way in. It was all about being seen at that party.”

The source said the sheriff’s department may release video footage of the gunman if ongoing interviews don’t allow investigators to discover his identity.

Former LAPD detective Greg Kading, who is not affiliated with the sheriff’s current investigation, told The News on Monday that detectives will face a wall of silence when they try to get associates to finger the triggerman.

“Law enforcement is dealing with a street code of ‘No snitching.’ There’s fear of retaliation,” said Kading, who worked on investigations of the killings of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur.

“I can almost assure you this has something to do with Suge’s long history of strong-arm ... tactics,” he said.

People with knowledge of Knight’s recent activities believe the shooting was connected to the upcoming NWA biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” which is still in production, sources said.

“One of the characters being portrayed is Suge, and he feels that if his image is going to be represented, he believes he should be compensated for that,” one source said. “He is bullying and threatening people because he believes anything to do with rap in Los Angeles means you have to pay him.”

Attempts to reach Knight’s camp were not immediately successful on Monday.

A statement posted on his personal Facebook page asked fans to keep him in their prayers.

“Suge is currently resting and has lost a lot of blood — he’s human,” the statement said. “He's done a lot of things for the community and the culture as a whole so we ask that you respect that.”

The other two victims were a 33-year-old man who has not been identified publicly, and a 19-year-old model who posted a photo from her hospital bed on Instagram.

“My a-took a 9 mm and I'm keeping it as a souvenir,” model Megan Hawkins posted along with a photo, which was later deleted from her page.

She'd been released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as of Monday afternoon, a hospital operator said.

“Yes, she’s doing better. But we’re not available for any interviews,” her mom told The News.

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