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According to Poole, Knight had Shakur ki. lled because the rap star was about to lea. his label -- and Knight. then had Wallace murdered to make it appear that both slayings were the result of a bicoastai rap feud. Poole contends that Knight may have used corrupt police officers to help carry out both murders.. Mack, onetime partner of disgraced former LAPD Officer Rafael Perez, came under suspicion after he was arrested in December 1997 for robbing a bank. He was later convicted and is serving a 14-year prison term. Mack owned a black Impala similar to the car used in the Wallace slaying, and a witness reported seeing him at the scene. Informants told investigators that Mack may have provided security for Knight. Both men grew up in Compton. Poole began scrutinizing Muhammad, who was a classmate of Mack's at the University of Oregon, aiter learning detectives that Wallace's killer was a Southside Crip who went by a Middle Eastern name, possibly "Amir" or "Ashmir' - - and that his true name might be Abraham or Kenny or Keeky. A driver's license photo of Muhammad resembles a police sketch of Wallace's killer based on witness. descriptions.One witness told police he saw a man who resembled Muhammad outside the Petersen museum the night of the shooting.. that night or that I had anything to do with this is a liar," he said.. Poole resigned from the LAPD in 1999 after disputes with his superiors about the direction of various investigations, including the one into Wallace's murder.. Since then, Poole has promoted his theory of the Wallace slaying in newspaper interviews and books and being shopped to Hollywood studios. Actor Sylvester Sta!lone has discussed portraying Poole in a movie. Poole also joined forces with Wallace's mother, Voletta, who filed a wrongful-death suit against the city of Los witness for the plaintiffs. Lawyers in the case have taken depositions from Poole and other police officers tied to. the Wallace investigation. In:those depositions, which have been sealed under court order, officers disclose details about the FBI probe. The FBi's interest in the case was sparked by a TV special on the Waliace killing aired on the VH1 cable channel last summer. An FBl agent who saw the show later contacted attorneys for the Wallace family, who alleged that witnesses were afraid to taik to LAPD detectives about the case, documents show. The FBl has interviewed several witnesses at the suggestion of the Wallace family's lawyers. Depositions suggest that agents have reviewed Muhammad's mortgage payments and phone records and conducted Wu taps, trying to tink him to Mack. The FBl recently conducted surveillance of Muhammad in San Diego and. sources said, wired an informant in. an attempt to elicit incriminating statements from him. jThe effort yielded nothing; according to court documents and people familiar with the case. An FBI agent recently tried to interview Mack at the federal prison in Alabama where he is serving 14. years for the t997^bank"robbery: Mack denied having anything to do with the Wallace murder, according to court records and sources. The FBl declined to comment on the investigation. Documents indicate that the bureau is coordinating its work http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/583747181.html?MAC=0d87ecfef255c4896d31a723a...3/22/2004