News of November 26, 1996
MGM Video in Court: Suge Knight's Probation Revoked
A hotel video, a victim exonerating him, and a judge seeing kicks: On November 26, 1996, a court revoked Suge Knight's probation.
In the proceedings regarding Suge Knight’s probation, the surveillance video from the MGM Grand became the key piece of evidence. It shows a group beating Orlando Anderson in the hotel lobby on the evening of September 7, 1996, hours before the shooting of Tupac. On November 7, Judge J. Stephen Czuleger viewed the tape multiple times and stated that Knight had kicked at least twice. He denied release on bail.
The Victim as a Defense Witness
A week later, Anderson of all people testified that Knight had not attacked him, but had tried to break up the fight. Two police officers countered that Anderson had told them the exact opposite back in October. Knight himself stated on November 25 that he had wanted to end the brawl, and that he remembered much of it only vaguely.
On November 26, Czuleger revoked the probation. Knight had been an active part of a group attack, and he faced up to nine years in prison. Prior to sentencing on February 28, 1997, the judge sent him into state custody for three months for evaluation. The scene in the lobby is described in The Brawl at the MGM Grand.