LAbyrinth. A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the...

265 Pages·2002·1.48 MB·English

by  Randall Sullivan

Praise for LAbyrinth:
“With LAbyrinth, Randall Sullivan offers a heretical view of Rampart and much
more. … LAbyrinth is a jeremiad, leveling everything in its path. … LAbyrinth
gleefully wants to provoke a discussion. Well, a knockdown brawl, but still.”
—R. J. Smith, Los Angeles Magazine
“A fascinating read.”
—Mark Brown, The Rocky Mountain News
“One of the most exhaustive, compelling studies of hip-hop culture ever
published.”
—Meghan Sutherland, Paper
“Sullivan makes a strong case for thinking that the murders of Tupac Shakur and
Biggie Smalls are connected, and the LAPD Ramparts Division scandal is
connected to them. … You haven’t got the goods on any of these notorious cases
until you read this intricate showbiz true-crime thriller.”
—Booklist
“Sullivan strikes again. … Sullivan’s reportorial writing style accurately reflects
the investigative work of homicide gumshoe Russell Poole while building the
drama within the truly labyrinthine political cover-ups, cop-to-criminal
crossovers and the breaks in the LAPD’s code of silence.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Compelling … Augmented by a roster of more than 130 key players, a detailed
timeline of events, and reference to 224 supporting documents, the book offers a
blueprint for federal authorities to investigate the grave injustices it alleges. …
No single source presents so complete or damning a record as LAbyrinth.”
—Evan Serpick, CNN.com
“Knowing a scandal when he sees one, Sullivan names names and sets scenes
piled high with drugs, guns, cash, fab cars, and corpses.”
—Anneli Rufus, Eastbayexpress.com
Also by Randall Sullivan
The Price of Experience
LAbyrinth
A Detective Investigates the Murders of
Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.,
the Implication of Death Row Records’
Suge Knight, and the Origins of the
Los Angeles Police Scandal
RANDALL SULLIVAN
Copyright © 2002 by Randall Sullivan All rights reserved. No part of this book
may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in
writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages
in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part
or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain
permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to
Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.
Permission to quote from Notorious B.I.G.’s “Somebody’s Gotta Die” by Hal
Leonard Corporation. Words and music by Sean Combs, Christopher Wallace,
Nashiem Myrick, Carlos Broady, and Tony Hester. Copyright © 1997 EMI April
Music, Justin Combs Publishing Company, Inc., Big Poppa Music, EMI
Longitude Music, Nash Mack Publishing, and July Six Publishing. All rights for
Justin Combs Publishing Company, Inc. and Big Poppa Music controlled and
administered by EMI April Music, Inc. Contains elements of “In the Rain.” All
rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
PHOTO CREDITS: page 1, bottom right, Robert Yager; page 3, top, Ted
Soqui/CORBIS Sygma; page 4, bottom left, CORBIS; page 4, bottom right,
Simone Green-English, page 5, top left, AP/World Wide Photos; page 5, top
right, Bill Jones; page 5, lower left, AP/World Wide Photos; page 5, lower right,
George De Sota/Newsmakers; page 7, top right, Robert Yager; page 8, top,
Robert Yager.
Published simultaneously in Canada
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sullivan, Randall.
LAbyrinth : a detective investigates the murders of Tupac Shakur and
Notorious B.I.G., the implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the
origins of the Los Angeles Police scandal / Randall Sullivan.
p. cm.
eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-55584743-2
1. Murder—California—Los Angeles—Case studies. 2. Police misconduct—
California—Los Angeles—Case studies. 3. Police corruption—California—Los
Angeles—Case studies. 4. Shakur, Tupac, 1971–5. Notorious B.I.G. (Musician)
6. Knight, Suge. I. Title.
HV6534.L7 S848 2002
364.15’23’0979494—dc21
2001053709
Grove Press
841 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
To M.D., who talked me into this.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
PART I THE RACE CARD
PART II DEATH ROW INMATES
PART III NATURAL LEADS
PART IV INVENTING THE SCANDAL
PART V HEAT FROM A COLD CASE
EPILOGUE
LABYRINTH ROSTER
TIME LINE
DOCUMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY/RECOMMENDED READING
“Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that
every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on.”
—Robert F. Kennedy Retaliation for this one won’t be minimal Cuz I’m a
criminal Way before the rap shit Bust the gat shit Puff won’t even know what
happened, If it’s done smoothly —from “Somebody’s Gotta Die,” Notorious
B.I.G.
PROLOGUE
March 18, 1997, North Hollywood, California
Even people in passing cars could see that this was an occasion for steering
clear. It was just past four in the afternoon, the beginning of rush hour in Los
Angeles, when two men, one white, the other black, became embroiled in what
appeared to be an overheated traffic dispute. Both combatants were dressed to
display their muscular builds, although in styles at considerable variance. The
white man, who drove a battered Buick Regal, wore a pale gray tank top that
showed off his bulging biceps and with it a baseball cap bearing the insignia of a
marijuana leaf. He sported a bushy Fu Manchu mustache and his long, silver-
streaked hair was tied back in a ponytail. The black man, who drove a shiny
green Mitsubishi Montero, had a shaved head and a goatee, while the breadth of
his bare chest showed beneath a green Nike jacket worn open nearly to the
navel.
The Buick had just stopped in heavy traffic at the intersection of Ventura and
Lankershim Boulevards when the Montero pulled up on the left, rap music
thumping through its open windows. The black man began staring in the
direction of the Buick and shaking his head. The white man thought he must be
looking at someone on the sidewalk and turned to check, but the sidewalk was
empty. The white man rolled down his window and asked, “Can I help you?”
“Roll that window up, you punk motherfucker!” the black man shouted back.
“Get out of my face or I’ll put a cap up your ass!”
“What’s your problem?” the white man asked.
“I’m your problem, motherfucker!” the black man shouted. “Pull over right
now and I’ll kick your motherfucking ass!”
“Yeah, sure,” the white man replied.
The black man became so enraged that his eyeballs bulged. “I’ll cap your
ass, motherfucker!” he screamed. “Pull over right now!” The man in the
Montero punctuated his threat with a series of curious hand gestures, then
pointed to the side of the road.
The white man nodded and said, “All right, let’s go. Pull over.”
It looked as if the two were going to climb out of their cars and go at it right