Rodney King
Rodney King is an African-American who was at the center of the controversial police-brutality trial that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. King can be seen on season two of Celebrity Rehab, which premieres on October 23, 2008. Other castmembers include Sean Stewart, Tawny Kitaen, Amber Smith, Gary Busey, Jeff Conaway, Steven Adler and Nikki McKibbin.
Fast Facts
- Full name: Rodney Glen King
- Born: April 9, 1965
- Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas
- Date of incident: March 3, 1991
- Officers involved in incident: Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, Sergeant Stacey Koon1
- Verdict handed down/Riots began: April 29, 1992
- Shot in unrelated incident in November 2007
- King tried to quell the unrest by appearing on television and asking, "Can we all get along?"2
Rodney King Beating
King was beaten by four Los Angeles police officers after being stopped for speeding and evading arrest. A video of the incident was used in the trial of the four police officers, who were eventually acquitted.1
Trial Verdict
After the verdict was delivered by a suburban jury, anger in the African-American community of South Central Los Angeles boiled over, resulting in a wide-spread riot that claimed more than 50 lives and $1 billion in property.1
Timeline
- April 9, 1965: Born
- March 3, 1991: Beating occurred1
- April 29, 1992: Verdict handed down/Riots begin3
- 1999: Arrested for spousal assault4
- 2003: In auto accident5
- November 29, 2007: Shot with birdshot in a "not life threatening" incident
- 2008: Appeared on Celebrity Rehab6
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