Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Rodney King Detained on Suspicion of DUI

Rodney King Detained on Suspicion of DUI


Rodney King
Rodney King (Getty Images)

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. -- Police in Moreno Valley say they have detained Rodney King on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Police officials say officers pulled King over Tuesday afternoon on Frederick Street near the Moreno Valley town center.

King, who lives in Rialto, was taken into custody and is currently being evaluated for possible intoxication.

The 46-year old had not been arrested.

In 1991, King became an international symbol of police brutality after being beaten by four LAPD officers after a police chase through the San Fernando Valley.

The beating was captured on videotape and was first aired on KTLA.

The video caused outrage across Los Angeles.

Four officers involved in the incident were tried and acquitted, sparking the Los Angeles riots of 1992 which lasted four days and left 55 people dead.

Two of them were later charged with violating King's federal civil rights and served time in prison.

King has not been a stranger to law enforcement in the years since the incident.

In May 1991, he was arrested on suspicion of trying to run over a vice officer who allegedly found him with a transvestite prostitute in Hollywood, but no charges were filed.

In 1992, King was arrested for DUI, but no charges were filed.

In 1993, King entered an alcohol rehabilitation program and was placed on probation after crashing his vehicle into a block wall in downtown Los Angeles with a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit.

He was arrested for DUI again in May 1995 in Pennsylvania. He was tried and acquitted.

In July 1995, he was arrested by Alhambra police, who alleged that he hit his wife with his car, knocking her to the ground.

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

In, September 2001 King was arrested in Claremont and charged with being under the influence of the psychedelic drug PCP.

He was also arrested in 2005 after he allegedly threatening his daughter and ex-girlfriend.

Then in 2007, King told authorities he was sprayed with pellets from a shotgun while riding his bicycle near the border of San Bernardino and Rialto.

Rialto police, who were the first to respond, said King was intoxicated when they arrived and that it was difficult to decipher what had happened.

No suspects were ever found.

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