On April 29, 1992, a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers accused in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. Thousands of people in the Los Angeles area rioted over the six days following the verdict. Property damages topped roughly $1 billion, 54 people died during the riots, and thousands more were injured.
Rodney King is beaten, sparking the flame:
March 3, 1991: Rodney King is beat by four police officers. He is laying on the ground and is unarmed. His initial crime was driving over the speed limit, but he engaged in a high-speed chase with cops because he feared breaking his parole (for a previous robbery conviction). When he resists arrest, he is tasered and hit with a baton 56 times, and kicked at least six. Nearby and unbeknownst to the officers, a private citizen -- George Holliday -- caught the confrontation on video (warning: graphic violence at video link).
Rodney King, following the beating:
King alleged he had suffered "11 skull fractures, permanent brain damage, broken [bones and teeth], kidney damage [and] emotional and physical trauma." Nurses at the hospital where he was treated reported that the officers who accompanied King openly joked and bragged about the number of times King had been hit.
On April 29th, 1992, the four officers were acquitted. President George H W Bush: "viewed from outside the trial, it was hard to understand how the verdict could possibly square with the video. Those civil rights leaders with whom I met were stunned. And so was I and so was Barbara and so were my kids."
Source: framework.latimes.com
The Riots:
An aerial view of firemen extinguishing a fire. (AFP PHOTO/MIKE NELSON)
Source: lfpress.com