Catch a Case
“…Hold y’all breath/ I told y’all/ Death controls y’all/ BIG don’t fold, y’all/ I spit phrases that’ll thrill you/ You’re nobody till somebody kills you…”
Today is an important day in the life of slain rappers. Today, a suit by the mother of Christopher Wallace, known by many as the late rapper the Notorious B.I.G., commences in California in civil court. The suit alleges that various defendants, most notably the L.A.P.D., contributed to the death of Biggie and/or botched the investigation of his still-unsolved murder, which took place in 1997.
Unfortunately, the two men rumored to be most responsible for his death were dropped as defendants from the law suit. One of those men is Former L.A.P.D. detective David Mack. Mack, who is currently serving a 14-year term for armed robbery, was affiliated with the L.A. street gang the “Bloods” at the time of the murder. It was also rumored that he owned a car similar to the one used in the shooting of Biggie, and that he had a virtual shrine of Tupac Shakur and Death Row Records in his home. The other man dropped from the suit, Amir Muhammed, was widely rumored to be the man who actually did the shooting, but the L.A.P.D. could not gather enough evidence to prosecute him. A person at the last place Biggie was seen at alive described seeing a man who looks very similar to Mohammed lurking around the exit to the building while Biggie was inside. It was also rumored that Mohammed was affiliated with the Bloods.
The detective first assigned to the case, Detective Russell Poole of the L.A.P.D., was regarded as one of the better homicide detectives in the area. According to him, when he mentioned discovering some of the above information to his superiors, they told him he was not allowed to pursue any link which implicated the L.A.P.D. or former L.A.P.D. members in any way. According to Poole, the trail soon ran cold after this restriction was applied.
To make matters worse, the lawsuit alleges that both off-duty L.A.P.D. detectives and gang members moonlighted as security guards for rival rappers touring the West Coast. Bloods undertook security for Death Row Records and their C.E.O., Suge Knight, who is also currently incarcerated, and “Crips” undertook security for Biggie’s label, Bad Boy Records, owned by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. The L.A.P.D., according to the law suit, knew of this association and of the feuding (i.e. -- Bloods vs. Crips; Death Row vs. Bad Boy), and did nothing to stop this potential pressure-cooker, despite their knowledge of several assaults in the two years leading up to the killing where off-duty police officers were, at the very least, “nearby.”
The F.B.I. later took over or began assisting with the investigation and also could not find enough evidence to prosecute anyone. Today, over eight years after the slaying, many people originally interviewed by Poole have either been lost, disappeared, or have developed “hazy” memories either due to the lapse of time or fear of retaliation.
Here’s hoping the lawsuit can shed light on some of the mysteries regarding the murder and the investigation and provide closure to those involved.
Today is an important day in the life of slain rappers. Today, a suit by the mother of Christopher Wallace, known by many as the late rapper the Notorious B.I.G., commences in California in civil court. The suit alleges that various defendants, most notably the L.A.P.D., contributed to the death of Biggie and/or botched the investigation of his still-unsolved murder, which took place in 1997.
Unfortunately, the two men rumored to be most responsible for his death were dropped as defendants from the law suit. One of those men is Former L.A.P.D. detective David Mack. Mack, who is currently serving a 14-year term for armed robbery, was affiliated with the L.A. street gang the “Bloods” at the time of the murder. It was also rumored that he owned a car similar to the one used in the shooting of Biggie, and that he had a virtual shrine of Tupac Shakur and Death Row Records in his home. The other man dropped from the suit, Amir Muhammed, was widely rumored to be the man who actually did the shooting, but the L.A.P.D. could not gather enough evidence to prosecute him. A person at the last place Biggie was seen at alive described seeing a man who looks very similar to Mohammed lurking around the exit to the building while Biggie was inside. It was also rumored that Mohammed was affiliated with the Bloods.
The detective first assigned to the case, Detective Russell Poole of the L.A.P.D., was regarded as one of the better homicide detectives in the area. According to him, when he mentioned discovering some of the above information to his superiors, they told him he was not allowed to pursue any link which implicated the L.A.P.D. or former L.A.P.D. members in any way. According to Poole, the trail soon ran cold after this restriction was applied.
To make matters worse, the lawsuit alleges that both off-duty L.A.P.D. detectives and gang members moonlighted as security guards for rival rappers touring the West Coast. Bloods undertook security for Death Row Records and their C.E.O., Suge Knight, who is also currently incarcerated, and “Crips” undertook security for Biggie’s label, Bad Boy Records, owned by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. The L.A.P.D., according to the law suit, knew of this association and of the feuding (i.e. -- Bloods vs. Crips; Death Row vs. Bad Boy), and did nothing to stop this potential pressure-cooker, despite their knowledge of several assaults in the two years leading up to the killing where off-duty police officers were, at the very least, “nearby.”
The F.B.I. later took over or began assisting with the investigation and also could not find enough evidence to prosecute anyone. Today, over eight years after the slaying, many people originally interviewed by Poole have either been lost, disappeared, or have developed “hazy” memories either due to the lapse of time or fear of retaliation.
Here’s hoping the lawsuit can shed light on some of the mysteries regarding the murder and the investigation and provide closure to those involved.
posted by TheRealDookie | 2:44 PM
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