Rodney King – 1965–2012

On the night of March 3, 1991, the California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles police officers chased King—who was speeding—for eight miles before he stopped. A
confrontation occurred, during which King resisted, and LAPD officers repeatedly beat King with batons. This incident (but not the resistance that had allegedly preceded it) was videotaped by a bystander, and was nationally televised on news programs. It sparked a public outcry against racistmotivated police brutality and sparked massive race riots in Los Angeles in 1992 after a jury acquitted officers on criminal charges.