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'''Rodney King''' (d. June 2012) was an [[African American]] construction worker and resident of California. In 1991, he was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence and speeding.  King was arrested by four Los Angeles Police Department officers: Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sergeant Stacey Koon. A taser was used to subdue King, and he was repeatedly beaten.

'''Rodney King''' (b. 1965, d. June 2012) was an [[African American]] construction worker and resident of California. In 1991, he was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence and speeding.  King was arrested by four Los Angeles Police Department officers: Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sergeant Stacey Koon. A taser was used to subdue King, and he was repeatedly beaten.

The police were unaware that they were being videotaped from a nearby apartment, and when the cameraman publicly released the video it became an international sensation.  The infamous footage strained race relations between the LAPD and the African American community, with many residents calling for changes.  The four officers were charged with beating King, but a state court jury convicted only one.  Subsequent to the acquittals in state court, a federal prosecution for civil rights violations was initiated; the federal jury convicted only two officers.   

The police were unaware that they were being videotaped from a nearby apartment, and when the cameraman publicly released the video it became an international sensation.  The infamous footage strained race relations between the LAPD and the African American community, with many residents calling for changes.  The four officers were charged with beating King, but a state court jury convicted only one.  Subsequent to the acquittals in state court, a federal prosecution for civil rights violations was initiated; the federal jury convicted only two officers.