The 1992 Los Angeles riots , also called Rodney King uprising or Rodney King riots , started on April 29 , 1992 when a jury set four white police men free . The 1992 Los Angeles Riots , also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest and Rodney King Uprising , were sparked on April 29 , 1992 , when a jury acquitted four white Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King following a high-speed pursuit .