As ‘he begged for mercy,’ Rodney King was beaten by police 30 years ago
Updated Mar 03, 2021;
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On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was driving on the Foothill Freeway in California with two friends after they had watched a basketball game and had been drinking.
King was speeding. Police officers tried to pull him over. A chase ensued, sometimes reaching as much as 117 mph. As the pursuit continued, other officers joined. Eventually King was cornered. He and his passengers were ordered out of the vehicle.
The passengers got out and did as they were told but were kicked and threatened, according to reports.
p.d. officers. for the first time since the beating, he went back to the scene to relive that hellish night. here now is that interview in the cnn documentary race and rage, the beating of rodney king. what do you think when you see it? stay alive. i knew that i had to survive this. like that, with my hands up. no threat. this was a lynching on video. we, the jury, in the above entitled action find the defendant i think the verdicts lit a match. the tinder was already in place, very dry. are you able to forgive those cops? have you let those demons go? did you hang onto the money or did you throw it away? can we can we all get along? can we get along? march 3rd, 1991, 25-year-old rodney king is thrust from obscurity to a national symbol of police brutality. the brutal beating that took place here along foothill boulevard in los angeles, california, would reverberate across the country. a city in flames. entire neighborhoods burned to the ground. now, two