Four Los Angeles police officers, all white, were acquitted of assault charges in the Rodney King beating case. The beating, captured on amateur videotape, showed excessive force used against King, a Black motorist. The verdict sparked immediate and widespread unrest in Los Angeles, including fires, looting, and attacks on motorists.
Mayor Tom Bradley declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles. Governor Pete Wilson announced that he would deploy the National Guard. Mayor Bradley made an impassioned plea for calm on television.
The jury, after reviewing seven weeks of testimony and the 81-second videotape, found the officers not guilty. The prosecution indicated a possible new trial for one of the officers on a charge where the jury was deadlocked.
The highly publicized trial and the subsequent riots brought national attention to issues of police brutality, racism, and racial tensions in America.