Shortly after graduating from high school, Snoop Dogg was arrested for possession of cocaine and for the following three years was frequently in and out of prison.
[5] In 1990, he was convicted of felony possession of drugs and possession for sale.
[101]
While recording
Doggystyle in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermariam, a member of a rival gang who was shot and killed by Snoop's bodyguard, McKinley Lee; Snoop was charged with murder along with Lee as he was driving the vehicle from which the shooting had commenced. Snoop and Lee were defended by
Johnnie Cochran.
[102] Both Snoop and Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years.
[103]
In July 1993, Snoop was stopped for a traffic violation and a firearm was found by police while conducting a search of his car. In February 1997, he pleaded guilty to possession of a handgun and was ordered to record three public service announcements, pay a $1,000 fine, and serve three years' probation.
[104][105][106]
Snoop Dogg,
Tha Dogg Pound, and
The Game were sued for assaulting a fan on stage at a May 2005 concert at the
White River Amphitheatre in
Auburn, Washington. The accuser, Richard Monroe, Jr., claimed he was beaten by the artists' entourage while mounting the stage, allegedly after an "open invite".
[107] The lawsuit, which sought $22 million in damages, was dismissed in 2009.
[108]
In September 2006, Snoop Dogg was detained at
John Wayne Airport in
Orange County, California by airport security, after airport screeners found a collapsible police
baton in Snoop's carry-on bag. Donald Etra, Snoop's lawyer, told deputies the baton was a prop for a musical sketch. Snoop was sentenced to three years' probation and 160 hours of community service for the incident starting in September 2007.
[109] Snoop Dogg was arrested again October 2006 at
Bob Hope Airport in
Burbank after being stopped for a traffic infraction; he was found in possession of marijuana and a firearm, according to a police statement. The following month, after performing on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he was arrested again for possession of marijuana and a firearm.
[110] In April 2007, he was sentenced to a three-year
suspended sentence, five years' probation, and was required to perform 800 hours of community service after pleading
no contest to two felony charges of drug and gun possession by a convicted felon.
[101]