The riots began with the violent arrest of Rodney King March 3, 1991, in a high-speed pursuit King drove through several red lights and stop signs; he pulled over in the Lake View Terrace.
King had a record for drunk driving but the officers involved testified that they believed him to be under the influence of the narcotic PCP, in a later blood test he was tested negative for PCP. A civilian named George Holliday recorded the whole arrest, the defendants also alleged that he resisted arrest and continued to resist even after being tasered, tackled, and struck with batons, although the video does not appear to corroborate many of these allegations. He is also alleged to have attempted to grab the weapon of