29th April 1992: Los Angeles riots begin following the acquittal of four police officers charged with the beating of Rodney King

About this episode

The episode discusses the Los Angeles riots that began following the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King.

The jury in the trial of four police officers charged in the beating of Rodney King acquitted the defendants, prompting protests that soon escalated into violence. The riots led to the deaths of 63 people, the injury of over two thousand, and more than $1 billion of ...

People in this episode

Host: Scott Allsop

Topics covered

• Los Angeles riots
• Rodney King
• police brutality
• civil unrest
• 1992 events

Keywords

• Los Angeles riots
• Rodney King
• police officers
• acquittal
• violence
• protests
• civil unrest

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: jury, police officers

Places: Los Angeles

More episodes of HistoryPod

• 12th June 1987: Ronald Reagan calls on Mikhail Gorbachev to ‘Tear down this wall!’ · June 12, 2026
• 11th June 1837: Broad Street Riot takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, between Irish immigrants and existing American citizens · June 11, 2026
• 10th June 1605: False Dmitry I enters Moscow and is recognised as tsar following the death of Boris Godunov · June 10, 2026
• 9th June 1815: ‘Final Act’ of the Congress of Vienna signed, nine days before Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo · June 9, 2026
• 8th June 793: Viking raiders attack Lindisfarne in Northumbria · June 8, 2026
• 7th June 1788: Day of the Tiles breaks out in the French city of Grenoble, serving as an early precursor to the French Revolution · June 7, 2026