A jury in the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley acquits four police officers who had been charged with using excessive force in arresting Black motorist Rodney King a year earlier. The announcement of the verdict prompted the L.A. riots, which spread quickly throughout much of the sprawling city. It wasn’t until three days later that the violence and arson finally ended.
Immediately after the verdict was announced that afternoon, protestors took to the streets. At the corner of Florence and Normandie streets, Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, was dragged from his truck and severely beaten by several angry rioters. A helicopter crew caught the incident on camera and broadcast it live on local television.
The acquitted police officers were later convicted of violating Rodney King’s civil rights in a federal court trial. Reginald Denny’s attackers were identified through the helicopter videotape, arrested, and convicted of assault and battery. However, the jury declined to convict on attempted murder charges, apparently due to the defense’s argument that the defendants had only fallen prey to uncontrollable mob rage.
