Watts Riots: Traffic stop was the spark that ignited days of destruction in L.A. A California National Guardsman patrols 103rd Street near Compton Avenue in Watts' business district. A California National Guardsman patrols 103rd Street near Compton Avenue in Watts' business district. It all started with a traffic stop. On Aug. 11, 1965, California Highway Patrol Officer Lee Minikus responded to a report of a reckless driver in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Shortly after 7 p.m., he pulled over 21-year-old Marquette Frye near 116th Street and Avalon Boulevard. Frye failed sobriety tests as a crowd of about 50 people began to gather nearby. Rena, Ronald and Marquette Frye, center to right, one month after the 1965 Watts riots.