49 Facts About Rodney King

Rodney Glen King was an American man who was a victim of police brutality.

Rodney King described how he had knelt, spread his hands out, then slowly tried to move so as not to make any "stupid moves", before he was hit across the face by a billy club, and shocked with a stun gun.

Rodney King said he was scared for his life when the officers drew their guns on him.

Rodney King was born in Sacramento, California, in 1965, the son of Ronald and Odessa Rodney King.

On November 3,1989, Rodney King robbed a store in Monterey Park, California.

Rodney King threatened the Korean store owner with an iron bar.

Rodney King then hit the store owner with a pole before fleeing the scene.

Rodney King stole two hundred dollars in cash during the robbery.

Rodney King was convicted and sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Rodney King was released on December 27,1990, after serving one year in prison.

Rodney King later remarried and had a daughter with Crystal Waters.

Rodney King left the freeway near the Hansen Dam Recreation Area and the pursuit continued through residential streets at speeds ranging from 55 to 80 miles per hour, and through at least one red light.

When he emerged, Rodney King was reported to have giggled, to have patted the ground and waved to the police helicopter overhead.

Rodney King grabbed his buttocks, which Officer Melanie Singer took to mean Rodney King was reaching for a weapon, though he was later found to be unarmed.

Rodney King drew her pistol and pointed it at King, ordering him to lie on the ground.

The four officers claim Rodney King resisted attempts to restrain him when he stood up to remove Officers Powell and Briseno from his back.

The officers would testify later that they believed Rodney King was under the influence of phencyclidine, although Rodney King's toxicology tested negative for the drug.

Rodney King is placed in handcuffs and cord cuffs, restraining his arms and legs.

Rodney King is dragged on his abdomen to the side of the road to await the arrival of emergency medical rescue.

Rodney King went to KTLA, a local television station, with his recording.

Rodney King was taken to Pacifica Hospital after his arrest, where he was found to have suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations.

Pacifica Hospital nurses reported that the officers who accompanied Rodney King openly joked and bragged about the number of times they had hit Rodney King.

Rodney King later sued the city for damages, and a jury awarded him $3.8 million, as well as $1.7 million in attorney's fees.

The city did not pursue charges against Rodney King for driving while intoxicated and evading arrest.

The first two seconds of videotape, contrary to the claims made by the accused officers, show Rodney King attempting to flee past Laurence Powell.

The men who beat Rodney King do not deserve to wear the uniform of the LAPD.

On March 9 of the 1993 trial, Rodney King took the witness stand and described to the jury the events as he remembered them.

Rodney King strongly criticized King, who, he said, provoked the officers' initial actions.

Rodney King refused and sued the city, and was awarded $3.8 million.

Rodney King invested a portion of his settlement in a record label, Straight Alta-Pazz Records, hoping to employ minority employees, but it went out of business.

Rodney King was subject to further arrests and convictions for driving violations after the 1991 incident, as he struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction.

In May 1991, Rodney King was arrested on suspicion of having tried to run down an undercover vice officer in Hollywood, but no charges were filed.

Rodney King was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, fined, and entered a rehabilitation program, after which he was placed on probation.

In July 1995, Rodney King was arrested by Alhambra police after hitting Crystal with his car and knocking her to the ground during a fight.

Rodney King had previously been arrested twice on suspicion of abusing her.

Rodney King was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run.

Rodney King failed to yield to police officers and slammed his vehicle into a house, breaking his pelvis.

On November 29,2007, while riding home on his bicycle, Rodney King was shot in the face, arms, and back with pellets from a shotgun.

Rodney King reported that the attackers were a man and a woman who demanded his bicycle and shot King when he rode away.

In May 2008, Rodney King checked into the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California, where he filmed as a cast member of Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew, which premiered in October 2008.

Rodney King appeared on Sober House, a Celebrity Rehab spin-off focusing on a sober living environment.

Rodney King's appearance was aired in the third-season episode "Triggers".

Rodney King won a celebrity boxing match against Chester, Pennsylvania, police officer Simon Aouad on September 11,2009, at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport in Essington.

On September 9,2010, it was confirmed that Rodney King was going to marry Cynthia Kelley, who had been a juror in the civil suit he brought against the City of Los Angeles.

On March 3,2011, the 20th anniversary of the beating, the LAPD stopped Rodney King for driving erratically and issued him a citation for driving with an expired license.

Rodney King died 28 years to the day after his father, Ronald Rodney King, was found dead in his bathtub in 1984.

Still pulseless, Rodney King was then transferred to an advanced life support ambulance where paramedics attempted to revive him.

Rodney King is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Rodney King started a nonprofit, the Rodney King Foundation, on behalf of King.