officers - The Black Vault

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Yochelson said he· believed charge against 'Powell. · ·: ··
jurors were "looking for an excuse Jurors contacted by the 'Daily·
to acquit these officers," by finding News declined to comment Thurs- -
that King was not copperating and day. · . · · · .
. that it was all his fault. . . : · .John Barnett, attorney for Br:i- .
l After deliberating 32 hours over seno, declined to speculate on the
::;even days, the jury acquitted jury's reasons for the acquittals. ·
; LAPD Sgt. Stacey, Koon and off- . "ram grateful that. the jucy acdcets
Laurence P9well, Theodore quitted Mr. Briseno, and the reat
Briseno and Timothy Wind on 11 .sons are: unimportant to· me,'' Bar-·
rof 12 charges of assault and excess- nett said. .: · _ . . ·
'.ive force against them. - · Responding .to concerns raised\
The jury deadlocked 8-4 for ac- by some that the verdicts were the l
quittal on an excessive force count. inevitable outcome of a jury from
.against Powell, who wielded most mostly white; pro·-police Ventur~
' of the 56 baton blows against King County, he said: "~ don'~ think it's
. during the arrest. A mistrial was de- · app_ropriate _to say that yve won the
~ clared as to that count. · . cas~ when· it was sent to-Simi Vijl-
. Los Angeles District Attorney Ira ley. .
· Reiner said his office is considering "It's more appropriate to say ~e _
.1 whether to pursue a retrial on the would'have lost the q1se had it peen
. . ~(tried. in) ~~~ .A~g~l~s ~u~ty5~ i~;{d~~{si~~.~.::~;hi;~~.':Jo
. Barnett said, noting that the riots · you think the testimony of Mr.
' {lnderscored the defense position King would have made aQy differthat
an unbiased jury ~ould not be eitce? It's only another excuse.".
found in Los Angeles County. White said he was shocked by re-
' After ~he acquittals, a number of ports that jurors strongly believed
. attorneys and lega:J experts suggest- the testimony of Powell, Koon and
1, ed the .prosecution's critical mis- Bri5eno. .; _ . ·; · - . .
• take was made in not cal!ing King "It just .shows yo1,1 that aura of
to testify. But Yochelson defended credibility that ·(police officers)~
· the tactic. · · 'have when they walk.into the court-:
"Tl).e presentation of Mr .. King .. roni/' he said. ·. : ;· ·
· would have allowed the defense to . · . " .
make an issue of him,'' Yochelson · After reading the written que~':'
. said. "They could have kept him on -tionnaires prepared by potenti~l
· the stand for days and made an is- jtlrors in the case, White said~ prqs:.:.
sue of his criminal background. ecutors anticipated an uphill bat~e·
. · ''The focus o.f this case was prq-· for convictioit. .: .. .· ·
perly on the four defendant.s,"'' Yo- "It was clear::: ·these hidividu-
' .chelson said.
· · . als were very .pro-law enforce-··
· .."This jury ~me to ·an inc~edib.Jy .. ment,".White.,said. · A-··· : : • ..