A motorist, Rodney King, was stopped in Los Angeles after speeding on a freeway and then running several red lights. Witnesses said he only left his car after several requests, then was beaten as he attempted to rise from the ground where officers had placed him. The officers then reportedly beat him with night sticks as they held him down. In another case, an officer allegedly used pepper spray against a man who refused to get out of his car. A nearby apartment resident videotaped the entire incident and the tape was broadcast by local and national television, stirring public outrage. One officer approached King to handcuff him, and when King attempted to stand up, Officer Laurence Powell put his knee on his back to keep him down, Talkington said. Los Angeles County and the FBI have opened investigations into the matter.
A motorist, Rodney King, was stopped in Los Angeles after speeding on a freeway and then running several red lights. Witnesses said he only left his car after several requests, then was beaten as he attempted to rise from the ground where officers had placed him. The officers then reportedly beat him with night sticks as they held him down. In another case, an officer allegedly used pepper spray against a man who refused to get out of his car. A nearby apartment resident videotaped the entire incident and the tape was broadcast by local and national television, stirring public outrage. Los Angeles County and the FBI have opened investigations into the matter.