MURDER PROBE LEADS TO RAP MOGUL'S OFFICE.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

Rap music mogul Marion ``Suge'' Knight's offices and homes were raided by sheriff's deputies and SWAT team members Thursday and three men were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit murder.

Authorities said Knight was not a target of the investigation and they denied the raids of his Beverly Hills offices and 14 other locations were linked to the two biggest unsolved rap killings: Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, 1996, and Biggie Smalls (Christopher ``The Notorious B.I.G.'' Wallace) in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.

Sheriff's Capt. Pete Amico of the Safe Streets Bureau said the arrests were made in connection with the gang-related retaliation slaying of Eric Daniels of Compton on June 7.

``This is strictly a gang-related murder in the city of Compton,'' said sheriff's Capt. Pete Amico. ``There is no relation to Biggie Smalls.''

Daniels was shot in retaliation for the April killing of Alton McDonald, 37, a former production manager at Knight's record label, as he pumped gas at a Los Angeles service station, according to investigators.

Theodore Peter Kelly, 29, was inside the offices of Knight's Tha Row Records (formerly Death Row Records) when he was arrested. Two others, Michael Leroy Payne, 25, and Kordell Depree Knox, 37, were arrested at other locations.

Knox is a former sheriff's deputy who was fired on Nov. 1 because of his suspected involvement in an assault case, and failure to cooperate in a subsequent Los Angeles Police Department investigation. Prior to that, he was a Compton police officer, said sheriff's Deputy Darren Harris.

Five more arrest warrants have been issued, Amico said.

Arthur Barens, Knight's Century City attorney, said his client knows nothing about the investigation, and that no weapons were taken from the record company's office.

`We're just grateful Mr. Knight is not a subject or a target of the investigation.''

``I have talked to my client, and he doesn't know anything, he has no information concerning these matters,'' Barens added. ``If there's some alleged association with homicides (we) don't know about it. I know no weapons ... were located or removed.''

Knight completed a five-year prison sentence in August for a probation violation involving a fight hours before Shakur was shot to death.

Barens said he didn't know what, if any, relationship those arrested might have had to the record company or Knight.

Knight has been a marquee figure in the rap world, which has been bloodied by vicious East Coast-West Coast feuds.

He was in a car with Shakur in 1996 when he was shot and killed in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson fight.

Knight's record label offices were searched by police in 1999 in connection with Smalls' killing but no charges were filed.

Two former Knight employees were killed this year: McDonald, the former production manager, and Henry Smith, who designed the company's distinctive electric chair logo.

And, Oct. 30, Jason Mizell, known as Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, was shot and killed in New York.

Sixteen warrants in two states were served in Thursday's dragnet, including two in North Hollywood.

The other searches took place in Paramount, Compton, Lynwood, Long Beach, Malibu, Los Angeles, and Lakewood, as well as Las Vegas.

``Evidence was seized at the above locations regarding several homicide and conspiracy to commit murder investigations,'' the sheriff's department said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.