Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Rodney King recovering after slamming his vehicle into house (Associated Press, April 15, 2003)
Rodney King, whose videotaped beating led to the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, remains in a hospital after he lost control of his car and crashed into a house over the weekend, police said.

King, 39, of Rialto was spotted Sunday by a Rialto police officer, who said King was weaving through traffic in his 2003 Ford Expedition and traveling about 100 mph when he slammed into a utility pole, a chain-link fence and then the home, police said. No one in the home was injured.

Police said they suspect that King was intoxicated at the time of the accident, and a blood sample was drawn to determine his blood-alcohol level. Test results have not yet been released.

King was not arrested, but a report detailing the crash circumstances will be submitted to the district attorney's office, Rialto police Lt. Kathy Thompson said.

King later received a $3.8 million settlement from the city of Los Angeles in 1994.

He was convicted of spouse abuse in 1999 in San Bernardino County and received 90 days in jail and four years on probation. Claremont police arrested King for being under the influence of PCP in August 2001, and a month later, Pomona police arrested him for being under the influence of PCP and indecent exposure after visitors at Ganesha Park complained about a man jumping on an ice chest.

King pleaded no contest to three counts of being under the influence of PCP and a count of indecent exposure in October 2001. A judge gave King a year in a drug treatment center even though a prosecutor argued King should spend a year in county jail.

It seems like his $3 million lottery win has been spent on bigger cars and more drugs. It's the will of God that Rodney King hasn't killed someone with his irresponsibility and reckless behavior. I have no doubt that police all over the country have misused their power and have even brutalized innocent people at times. We’ve all seen cops on a power trip. But the videotaped segment of King getting beat overshadowed what a menace he really is.

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