(Reuters) - Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to accusations that he stole a camera from a celebrity photographer in southern California, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
Knight, 49, entered his plea at a Los Angeles courthouse and was placed back into custody on $500,000 bail afterward, the District Attorney's Office said via Twitter.
Knight and comedian Katt Williams, 43, were arrested last week and charged with one count of robbery each in connection with the Sept. 5 incident outside a Beverly Hills studio.
Knight, best known as the head of Death Row Records, a leading music label in the 1990s featuring artists such as Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, was arrested in Las Vegas last Wednesday.
Las Vegas police said Knight was separately booked for driving on a suspended license.
If convicted, Knight faces up to 30 years to life in state prison because of a previous felony conviction of assault with a deadly weapon.
Williams, whose legal name is Micah and is known for his observations about black life in the United States, faces up to seven years in prison, if convicted.
The Los Angeles Times newspaper said Williams was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, but did not. The pair are due back in court on Dec. 24, the paper reported.
A representative for Williams could not be immediately reached. An attorney for Knight was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)