The “Rodney King Riots,” also known as the “Los Angeles Riots,” began this day in 1992, after four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were acquitted of charges in the savage beating of Rodney King. The racially sparked riots lasted more than six days, with thousands of Angelenos taking to the streets in an especially violent display of protest. Fifty-three people were killed and more than two thousand were said to be injured.
Back in March of 1991, King and two passengers were driving west on I-210 when he was ordered by California Highway Patrol officers to stop. After leading the officers on a high-speed chase, King stopped the vehicle and was the last to exit. As officers reportedly attempted to subdue King, they beat him, and the entire act was caught on videotape by a nearby resident.
Police initially claimed King was under the influence of drugs, but that was later refuted.
The mostly white jury could not determine if the officers acted excessively, especially since a small clip of the video was allowable in court. On the seventh day of deliberation, the jury acquitted three of the four accused officers after not being able to determine the fate of the fourth.
Source: David Butow / Getty
Officer Stacey Koon had to be escorted by police detail after the verdict was publicly released outside the courtroom. That afternoon, hundreds of rioters began marauding the streets and looting stores. People were attacked and the crowds began to swell and outnumber police forces.
That same day, white trucker Reginald Denny was cornered by rioters and struck violently in the head with a brick. The event took place during live television coverage and unveiled the tension of the riots to those outside of Los Angeles. Gang banger Damian Williams was accused of throwing the brick at Denny and was later said to have attacked construction worker Fidel Lopez.
Watch news coverage of Denny’s beating here:
On the second day of the riots, actor and comedian Bill Cosby took to the airwaves on the final episode of his hit series “The Cosby Show” to tell rioters to stop and watch the program. The California National Guard was called in to help assist police but failed to reach the city in adequate time.
Source: The ‘Rodney King Riots’ In Los Angeles Began On This Day In 1992
