The Rodney King Beating, Trials,
and the Riots of 1992
Julian Carapellotti
Beating
• On March 11, 1991, Rodney
King was pulled over for
speeding. The officers
demanded him to get out of his
car. He refused at first, and the
officers called for backup. King
got out of his car, and was hit
with a baton numerous times,
and then he was handcuffed.
He continued to be beaten even
after he was handcuffed and
thrown on the ground.
Trial
• About a year later, the four
officers went to trial being
charged for use of excessive
force. The venue, jury, and
judge were all changed at
some point. The new jury
consisted of ten whites, a
Latino, and an Asian. Three
of the officers were
acquitted, and they could
not agree on charges for the
fourth officer. This sparked
outrage in the city.
Aftermath/Riots
• The jury’s verdict sparked the riots of 1992 in
Los Angeles. The African-Americans in the city
felt that they had been stereotyped by the
LAPD for too long, and they were outraged.
The riots were devastating, lasting six days
Works Cited
• http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/mess
ages/65919/712487.jpg
• http://www.braunlaw.com/law/inset/REPRO4.
jpg