officers - The Black Vault

fr~350 (~ev. 5·8·81)
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MAY
0 4 ·1992
:ViOlence Fo ow.s~
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.-Trial: "GOvernor deploys 1 Bradley, in a late-night televised · The 81-~econ9·video;.mmea· by
· , . address to ttle city, said a curfew an amateur. showed officers.deliv~ ..
troops at mayor s request may be impose~ tonight if the ering repeated baton blows and
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after arson looting erupt violence continues.
kicks.as~ing rolled on the ground.
· . . ' • Wilson's decision to send in the Its images have ·been seared into
V~tura County jury National Guard came after rioters the m:inds'· of Viewers the .world
.apparently was not touched off _more than 150 fires, l over who ·~ave watched --~~~.:JaJ>~.·
• .. stormed pollee heaQ.quarters and broadcast repeatedly. · · · · .
convmced that videotape trashed . numerous- downtown!· A visibly. angry Bradley·safa'he
told the whole story. f~i.i~~g:ir!P~~a~~ ~~~e ~:0~~ ~~~s~f:;s:.·~~r~~~!~~·~~~d ~!
By RICHARD A. SERRANO
and TRACY WILKINSON
TIMES STAFF WRITERS.
rising from the fires fprced the city to refrainJrom violence ..- · :·
· authorities to reroute landing pat- "The jgry's verdict :Will~~rtever
terns for aircraft at Los Angeles blind the world 'to ·what we:saw·on·
International Airport.:.... ; ~ . the video~j)e.'' Bradley srud:: :.=::
By late Wednesday nigfit, au- The nQt guilty verdicts··py··a
. ··siMI VALLEY -Four Los An- tborities had linkecffour deaths and Ventura ;.county Superior.~ Court
geles polfce officers won acquittals 106 injuries to the violence .. Some jury-wliich included l;lO J~!!l_cks7
Wednesday in their trial for the people were p~lled from therr cars were reached .after. seven. gays -of
·beating of black motorist Rodney and beaten. · , · , deliberationS. For three days, the
G. King, igniting renewed outrage· I It was the largest rioting to erupt jury fore~oman· ..:s~g~·the--panel
over a racially charged case that in Los Angeles since the Watts focused :exclusively~·on:..:a:srngle
had triggered a Qational debate on riotsof1965~ .;. ·.• ' . · · ' ·,~o_uQU>f~~l:!~~~fri~f:.OM.¢Ub~ .
police brutality. · Acquitted were Sgt. Stacey .c.. officers. With ·the jury ;unable to ·
Hours after the verdicts were Koon and Officers La~ence M. ·feach a. consensus, a mistlial ·was.·
announced, angry demonstrators Powell, Theod~re· J. Bnseno and declared on that count· bJ:" Juqge
-torchedbuildings,lootedstoresand- Timothy E,, Wmd. J';ll'ors appar- ·stal;lley~. We~sberg.
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assaulted passersby as civic1eaders ently were not convmced that a f"'Except for the single deadlocked
pleaded for calm.-Gov. Pete Wilson videotape of the March 3. 199~. C()].lnt~ all four defendants, viho·are ·
9eployed the National Guard at the beating of .King represented the· white, were acquitted on all counts.
··request of Mayor Tom Bradley, entire story. ~ne juror ·s,aid that_ t~e unresolved count is an assault
.who warned residents to "stay off King. by bemg combative and, aharge against Powell; .prosecutors
the streets." · ignoring the ?fficers' :orders,! will announce .May 15 Y{hether
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- brought the beatin~ upon hl~seJf . .J they will r~~y tP,~ offic_et. , ·-· ~- . \. j
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FBI/DOJ