officers - The Black Vault

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• ~D-:'350 (Rev-, 5-8·81)
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•
•(Indicate page, name of
newspaper, city and state.)
(Mount Cupping in Space Below)
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK, NY
~~os. Jt_n~e.{~S ~oliceTTlf!n.-_---' __ -------l~~n= =~· ~E~~~~: 2 PAGE 1
;Acquitted i~ T~peci Beat(n~
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·:. -· :ByS.ETH.MYDANS . Bl k R .. . 'Ch
~· ' SpecialtoTheNewYorkTimes , QC S alS~ng arge
, 1·-:SIMI VALLEY, .cam., -April 29 - of Racism as Storm
-Four. Los .(\ngeles police officers were
~quitted of assault today in the video- of Anger Results ..
;~ped beating of a black motorist that _ .. ·-··-· ..... .. .
;Stunned the nation. The verdict imme-. . · · · • ·
;dlately touched off a storm of anger in shown over and over 011 television: It
the city. . . im~ediately became one o! th: mo~t
After hearing seven weeks of de- vis1ble use qf force by pollee m th1s
;taiied .testi1llony and studying the 81- country's his~ory and pu~ the issue of.
!Second amateur videotape of the beat- police brutality on the natiOnal agenda.
'ing the jury concluded that the police- Immediately after the :verdict, an
-m.e~. all of . whom are white, had not unusually impassioned Mayor Tom
·b.roken any laws when they clubbed Bradley of Los Angeles appeared ~n
, and kicked the mostly prone motorist, televlsiqn to appeal for ca_lm in a c1ty
~Rodney G. King. ·. wher.e the videotape has come to sym-
Title:
IDS ANGELES POLICEMEN
ACQUITTED Il'I TAPED BEATING
Character. 44A-
C~: 80-33B
SUbmitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
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SEARCHED \ · INDEXED /
SERIALIZED."./
fiLED'~;:;;>
MAY 0 5 1992
FBI - LOS ANGELES ,
I . IJ--
)t was deadlocked .on one of the 1~ bolize complaints about police brutal-"
;charges, and t~e prosecution said it ity, racism _and street violence. . . 'The foui men 'Were'ambng.two dozen-------
>rilight seek a new-trial on that charge, Commumty leaders expressed out- officers who were present shortly after
jwhich affected only one defendant. · rage that what had s~e~_ed on. the midnight on March 3, 1991, when Mr .
• :,-rte beating last 'spring, with its videotape to ~e a clear-c:ut msta~ce .of King was stopped after a 15-minute
~J.~.~ and its 56 baton swings, ·was .~!Ice _b.r_u_!a_!!ty !!.~~~~-~!P?~ 1 ~he~ high-speed chase, beaten, hogtied,
- The absence of blacks on the jury, thrown into an ambulance and sent to a
picked from mostl~ white. Ventura hospital with multiple cuts and fra?­
Country near Los Angeles-· after a,
1
tures. Mr. King was never charged m
change of venue to avoid pre-trial pub-! connection with the traffic stop.
liCity, was used to enforce their allega- The charges against the pol~cemen
Uons of racism. · included assault with a deadly weapon,
' The prosecutor, Deputy District At- excessive use of force as a police offitorney
Terry White, said the verdict cer, filing a false report ~nd acting as
"sends out a .message that whatever an accessory after the fact.
you saw on. that tape was reasonable Jurors said they were deadlocked on
conduct.'~-·- _ ---~ . . __ · . a 'charge against Officer Powell of us~
. A Quick Qeclslon - - \ ~f-~~~~ssiv; f~~~~.- Mr.-·Whlte said ~his
Jurors 'saia it had taken only a day to office would seek a new trial on that
-reach their acquittals on the main· charge but prosecutors said later that
charge~ against.Sgt. Stacey C. Koon, 41 they would reassess their plans. A
years old; Officers Laurence M. Pow- hearfng was set for May 15:
ell, 29, and The~ore J. Briseno, 39; and Jurors refused to be interviewed by
:former Officer Timothy E. Wind, 31 .. repot;ters, is~ui~g ~ brief statel?ent
The three officers have been suspend- that gave no md1cat1on _of the ~as1s on
ed without pay since the beating. Mr. which they reac~ed the1r verd1cts.
· · · · ' As a court off1cer read out 10 sepa-
."':'md! ~ rook1e Wlthout ~enur~~ was Irate verdictS of not guilty, the defend-
:91sm1ssed .from.. t11e Pollee Depart- . ants sat motionless and expressionless,
•m~nt. :.,..._.-__-!~ ,~· .~.-.....\. · ~as they h_ave throughout most of the
: trial. Then they rose and embraced
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