caption death_date death_place birth_place name birth_date alt spouse image article_title birth_name death_cause
king in april 2012 17 june 2012 rialto , california , u.s. sacramento , california , u.s. rodney king 2 april 1965 220px danetta -- 2012 ; his death -rrb- lyles -lrb- 1985 -- 1988 -rrb- -lrb- 2010 rodneykingapr2012.jpg rodney king
 rodney glen king iii cardiac arrest
rodney king

rodney glen king iii -lrb- april 2 , 1965 -- june 17 , 2012 -rrb- was an american taxi driver who became nationally known after being beaten by los angeles police department officers following a high-speed car chase on march 3 , 1991 .
a local witness , george holliday , videotaped much of it from his balcony , and sent the footage to local news station ktla .
the footage shows four officers surrounding king , several of them striking him repeatedly , while other officers stood by .
part of the footage was aired around the world , inflaming outrage in cities where racial tensions were high , and raising public concern about police treatment of minorities .
four officers were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force .
three were acquitted of all charges .
the jury acquitted the fourth of assault with a deadly weapon , but failed to reach a verdict on the use of excessive force .
the jury deadlocked at 8 -- 4 in favor of acquittal at the state level .
the acquittals are generally considered to have triggered the 1992 los angeles riots , in which 53 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured , ending only when the california national guard was called in .
the acquittals also led to the federal government 's obtaining grand jury indictments for violations of king 's civil rights .
the trial of the four in a federal district court ended on april 16 , 1993 , with two of the officers being found guilty and subsequently imprisoned .
the other two were acquitted again .
