Research

LA Riots

Los Angeles. California
Class IV - Distress Condition, Riot

Florence & Normadie

On March 2, 1991, police attempted to pull over Rodney King.  Instead of stopping, King lead police on a 7.8 mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour.  When police finally stopped the car, they delivered 56 baton blows and six kicks to King, over a period of just two minutes.  The beating resulted in 11 scull fractures, as well as both brain and kidney damage.  A man by the name of George Holiday videotaped the incident.  The next day the 81-second video was playing on television stations around the world.  The four policemen, unaware that they had been videotaped, had filed false police reports that did not mention Kings head injuries.  On March 15th, the four policemen Sergeant Stacey C. Koon and officers Larry Powell, Theodore Briseno and Timothy Wind, were arranged on charges of assault and use of excessive force.  They pleaded "not guilty".  In a controversial court decision, the trial was moved to Simi Valley in Ventura County.  On April 29, 1992, four Los Angeles Police officers were acquitted for the beating of Rodney King.  Many of the people living in Los Angeles were outraged, and some people took their anger to the streets.

Many of the people living in Los Angeles were outraged, and some people took their anger to the streets.  The riots started on the infamous corner of Florence and Normandie, where a gang stopped the truck of Reginald Denny and beat him as news helicopters hovered overhead.  For unexplainable reasons, the police did not respond, and criminals saw an opportunity to riot and loot.  The Los Angeles Riots lasted seven days and resulted in 54 deaths, over 2,380 injuries and over one billion dollars in property damage.

On March 2, 1991, police attempted to pull over Rodney King. Instead of stopping, King lead police on a 7.8 mile chase that reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour. When police finally stopped the car, they delivered 56 baton blows and six kicks to King, over a period of just two minutes. The beating resulted in 11 skull fractures, as well as brain and kidney damage. A man by the name of George Holiday videotaped the incident. The next day, the 81-second video was playing on television stations around the world. The four policemen, unaware that they had been videotaped, had filed false police reports that did not mention Kings head injuries. On March 15th, the four policemen Sergeant Stacey C. Koon and officers Larry Powell, Theodore Briseno and Timothy Wind, were arraigned on charges of assault and use of excessive force. They pleaded "not guilty". In a controversial court decision, the trial was moved to Simi Valley in Ventura County. On April 29, 1992, the four Los Angeles Police officers were acquitted for the beating of Rodney King. Many of the people living in Los Angeles were outraged, and some people took their anger to the streets.

The riots started on the infamous corner of Florence and Normandie, where a gang stopped the truck of Reginald Denny and beat him as news helicopters hovered overhead. For unexplainable reasons, the police did not respond, and criminals saw an opportunity to riot and loot. The Los Angeles Riots lasted seven days and resulted in 54 deaths, over 2,380 injuries and over one billion dollars in property damage