Nevada: Rap mogul Marion ‘Suge’ Knight was named as a suspect in a hit-and-run that killed one person near Los Angeles on Thursday, officials said. The incident occurred in the city of Compton about 3:00pm local time, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant John Corina.

Corina said that a man fitting Knight's description drove up to a burger shop, began arguing with two people outside, and ran the two over with a red pickup truck before fleeing the scene.

Corina added that Knight was involved in an earlier altercation with the same two people.

"We are in the process of talking to those other witnesses, and reviewing video, and trying to track down Suge Knight and get his side of the story," Corina said.

One of the victims died in a hit and run, the Sheriff's Department said. The condition of the second victim was also not immediately known.

An attorney for Knight, the 49-year-old co-founder of Death Row Records, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times newspaper that he has talked with his client about ‘next steps’.

A Las Vegas-based lawyer who has represented Knight in past legal proceedings could not be reached for comment on Thursday evening. A number previously used to reach Knight directly has been disconnected.

In November, Knight pleaded not guilty to a criminal charge stemming from accusations that he stole a camera from a celebrity photographer outside a Beverly Hills studio. He was later released on bail.

Death Row Records was a leading rap label in the 1990s, featuring artists such as Dr Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.