A member of Tupac Shakur's entourage was combative in testimony during the second day of the rapper's murder trial, decrying being forced to take the stand and identify those responsible for Shakur's death.
James "Mob James" McDonald said he was threatened with being held in contempt of court if he did not testify on Tuesday.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis is charged with murder and accused of orchestrating Shakur's death. He has pleaded not guilty.
McDonald was asked repeatedly whether he could identify who was responsible for Shakur's death. "You're asking me something that wouldn't be good for him," he said pointing to Davis. "I don't want to send you to prison," he also told the accused.
McDonald got combative on the stand and told the court to treat him as a "hostile witness" over his refusal to answer some questions
The trial – which aims to put to rest one of America's most high-profile unresolved murders – comes 30 years after the West Coast rapper's death.
Shakur was just 25 years old when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on a Las Vegas street after a Mike Tyson boxing match on 7 September 1996.
Prosecutors allege Davis, a former leader of the South Side Compton Crips street gang, planned the shooting after his nephew Orlando Anderson was involved in a fight with Shakur in Las Vegas hours earlier. They argue that Davis believed the attack on his nephew could not "go unanswered".
The shooting came at a time when gangs had a hold over the '90s hip-hop scene, street code forbade police cooperation and distrust of authorities was rampant in the wake of the high-profile police brutality case of Rodney King and the subsequent LA riots.
Shakur himself, in an ambulance after he was shot, refused to talk to a police officer about what happened, instead telling him, "we'll take care of it". He died in hospital six days later.
And now 30 years on, McDonald appeared conflicted over breaking that street code. The witness, who said he had little love for Davis, remained hesitant when he took the stand on Tuesday to recount what happened.
What to know about Tupac's murder trial and the gang leader accused of orchestrating his death
McDonald – a former member of rival Blood street gang offshoot Mob Piru and enforcer at Suge Knight's Death Row Records label, which represented Shakur – testified that he was not with Shakur when the shooting took place.
He was repeatedly questioned by Davis's defence attorney Michael Sanft about whether he witnessed the attack and whether he knew who was there at the time.
Under oath, McDonald raised his voice and arms, saying he didn't want to answer many of these questions because it "wouldn't be good" for the defendant. McDonald looked over at Davis at one point, saying, "talk to your lawyer man, this dude is tripping".
