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. NEW YORK TIMES
(Mount Clipping ln Space Below)
NEW YORK, NY
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~Prosecutor Will AsD Edmon: THURS~, 5/14/92
· Retrial of an Officer /
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In Los Angeles Case i
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By SETH MYDANS
Spoc•alto Tho New York T1mos
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Los ANGELES, May 13- District '/ Threeorthemen-;"--al:restea in-pre-~
Attorney Ira Reiner said today that he dawn raids, will be charged Thursday
would seek a retrial of one of the four with attempted murder, aggravated
police officers acquitted in the video- mayhem, torture and second-degree
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taped beating of Rodney G. King. Mr. robbery, with a "special allegation"
that the crimes were committed with
Reiner said he would press for a trial in intent to promote criminal gang activian
urban setting, instead of the mostly ty, he said. Under California laws, a
' white suburban county where the first special allegation allows increased ,
I trial was held. penalties for felony convictions. ·
The district attorney said he would
ask a judge on Friday to approve a new
All three men, Damian W~lliams, 19:
years old, Henry Watson, 27, and An-
1 trial for the officer, Laurence M. Pow- ) toine rYiill~r. 20, fa_ce life in prison.
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on the charge of using excessive · ; Mr. ~e~her said the fourth man,
force as a police officer. It was that 1l G~ry Williams, 34, would be charged
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h h d dl k d h . h second-degree robbery and would
c ar~e t at . ea oc e t e JUry t at iface a maximum of seven years in
acquitted Officer Powell and three co- I prison.
defendants on April 29 of assault and
related charges.
Federal Charges Filed
In addition, United States Attorney 1
Second Trial Likely
Lourdes Baird said a Federal com- !
"Generally, the vast majority of the . plaint was filed today against the first
time, when we go into court to seek a i three men for willful interference with '
retrial, the judge grants it," said Sandi . interstate commerce, which could I
Gibbons, a spokeswoman for Mr. Rei- ·bring a maximum sentence of 20 years '
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ner. in prison and a $250,000 fine. She said
other Federal charges might be added
The acquittals touched off two days later, most likely involving violations ,
of rioting in which 58 people were
killed. No charges have yet been filed
of civil rights and riot-related charges. i
A Federal grand jury is also reviewin
the deaths, but on Monday the police ing evidence against the four police I
arrested four people who they said had
been involved in an assault on a truck
officers to determine whether they will
face civil-rights charges in the beating
driver, Reginald Denny, that was vid· of Mr. King. .
eotaped by news crews on the first day Ms. Baird said that hearing could
of rioting. · , take some time because it includes a
· review of about 15,000 pages of tran-
If Mr. Powell is tried again, it would · f h · · 1 · 1
likely result in parallel trials involving " scnpt rom t e ongma tna · I
. She acknowledged that the Federal
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the two videotaped beatings, which j case could have moved forward more 1
have become focal points for racial quickly if investigations had begun im_:J
tensions. The officers who beat Mr. ·--"-=-- - · , , ~'- cc:~J
mediately after the incident, as they
King, a black motorist, are white;-The -I have in the Denny beating case. But I
men who beat Mr. Denny, a white truck 1 said it !s standard procedure for 1
'driver, are black. · ' Federal prosecutors to let local agen· 1
' In the first case, city officials ex- I cies proceC'd first.
pressed concern today that another In cases involving the riots, she said,
acquittal could result in more violence, a joint Federal-local task force of about
and they expressed hope that an urban 100 investigators had been for.lfled to
jury would convict Mr. Powell. _p~rs~ ~~r~s:. _ -· _ ___
In the second case, Mr. Reiner said
today that he would file multiple
I charges against the men who were
\seen in news broadcasts beating Mr.
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FRONT PAGE
Title: PROSECUTOR WILL ASK
RETRIAL OF AN OFFICER
IN LOS ANGELES CASE
Character:
or
Classification:
Submitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
Indexing:
SEARCHED INDEXED . /
SERIAliZED ~FILED'~
/,JG d 1992
FBI - LOS ANGELES / 11. V
1----------.._-_ _. FBI/OOJ
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