Suge Knight Gets 28 Years In Surprise Plea Deal

LOS ANGELES, CA — Just days before he was slated to answer to a jury for running over a man on camera during a dispute about the "Straight Outta Compton" movie, rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight entered a surprise no contest plea Thursday to voluntary manslaughter.

In 2015, Knight, 53, ran down 55-year-old Terry Carter and also struck and injured Cle "Bone" Sloan in the parking lot of Tam's Burgers in the 1200 block of West Rosecrans Avenue. Carter died and Sloan suffered serious injuries. The deadly encounter was captured on the burger stand's surveillance video. The confrontation happened near the filming for "Straight Outta Compton," the origin story of the rap group N.W.A.

For years, the music executive claimed he was simply trying to flee an ambush, arguing that Sloan -- who was working security for the film set -- was armed with a gun.

Under the plea deal, he's expected to get 28 years in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 4. Also as part of the deal, charges against Knight are expected to be dropped in a pair of other pending cases: an alleged robbery involving the theft of a camera from a female paparazzo who Knight accused of taking photos of his son in September 2014 and alleged criminal threats against F. Gary Gray, the director of "Straight Outta Compton," in August 2014.

Knight had been facing a possible life prison term. He was charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run stemming from the death of Carter and injuring of Sloan.

Jury selection in the trial was scheduled to begin Monday.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Marion 'Suge' Knight (R) and his attorney Thaddeus Culpepper appear in court for a pretrial hearing at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on February 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Knight is charged with murder and attempted murder after a hit-and-run incident following an argument in a Compton parking lot January 29, 2015. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)