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King was viciously beaten by four LAPD officers after they pull him over for speeding
The officers pleaded that he was resisting arrest. -
Three officers and one Sergeant were indicted and the trial is moved from LA County to Simi Valley.
They were brought up on charges of assault by force with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury. The trial is moved from Los Angeles County to the predominately white middle class are of Simi Valley on the grounds that there was too much pre-trial publicity in LA to get a fair verdict. -
The officers were found not guilty and the South Central LA began to riot.
A jury of 10 whites and 2 hispanics (no blacks) find the officers not guilty on all accounts, even with the evidence of the videotape. Due to the extensive media coverage, the public received immediate news of the verdict. Since the videotape was shown nationwide, everyone knew the officers were guilty and many African-Americans began rioting in South Central Los Angeles. -
A Grand jury reignites the case against the officers with new charges.
A Federal Grand Jury indicts the officers on one count of violating Rodney King's constitutional rights and the Sergeant on an additional count of violating King's rights by willfully permitting the other officers to beat him. -
Jury finds verdicts on the four policemen
The Sergeant and senior officer were found guilty and the two other officers were found not guilty onthe grounds that they were only following orders from their superiors.
