That shocking, grainy video of his beating would be just the first of a long line of police brutality videos to go viral. Its been 20 years since the verdict was handed down in the Rodney King case that sparked infamous Los Angeles riots. 'This conflict of interest has always existed between the DA's office and the Police Department,' she said. For those who are too young to know the dangers of driving a truck in the vicinity of an unlawful protest, or the scene of looting, vandalism or rioting;we'r. A similar case on behalf of Denny and two of the three plaintiffs in the federal suit is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court. The trial began Aug. 19, almost 1-1/2 years after Williams and Watson were arrested in pre-dawn raids by local and federal officials. Copyright 2023. Outside the courthouse, about 50 sign-toting protesters marched demanding "Freedom for the LA4," the name given Watson, Williams and the two other black men charged with beating Denny. "That individual, whoever he is, is guilty of a crime, but he is not guilty of attempted murder.". But the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles riots exploded out of social issues that still have not been resolved. But Denny always maintained his innocence, and was exonerated in December 2017 after an investigation by the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office determined he had nothing to do with the crime. Worse than him of course. Watson was one of several men who attacked Denny after he was dragged from his truck at an intersection. You could be getting the best stories in your inbox twice a day. Verdicts in Denny riot trial - UPI Archives The U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 ruled that police departments have no specific duty to provide the public with adequate protective services. image of the fallen Denny, a white victim of black rage, signified for many the mayhem of the worst modem race riot in U.S. history. After the conviction was overturned, Cochran helped Pratt secure a settlement of over $4 million. The mob violently attacked the Prius and tried to pull the driver out, but he managed to eventually leave the scene. 'Damian Williams is extremely happy (and) he has every reason to be happy,' said Faal, who took a chance by not allowing the jury to find Williams guilty of a lesser offense on the attempted murder count. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. As a result, police service was lost at the center of the riots for hours, the court said. He bought a modest house for his mother and one for himself in the LA suburb of Rialto, and occasionally spoke with at-risk kids at the request of local police. The comptroller, by law, has the power to unilaterally settle pre-litigation. The driver did not appear to hit any protesters and was fortunate to escape the raging mob, but he was later taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department. 168 years ago, the Denny Party landed at Seattle's Alki Point That and issues such as racial profiling are as evident now in places such as Baltimore, Ferguson and other inner cities as they were in 1992 Los Angeles, says Armour, the USC professor and author of a book about what he calls the 1992 "uprising.". "What happened to Mr. Denny was terribly unfortunate. Johnnie Cochran's Case History Is Impressive - Bustle LA Riots, Reginald Denny beating trial (News Clip 1993) asked host Phil Donahue. Paul Sakuma, Nick Ut, Kevork Djansezian/AP Truth Over Propaganda (@Warrior4Reality) September 25, 2020. ", Actor Todd Bridges was charged with assault by firearm for the 1989 shooting of a drug dealer and was represented by Cochran during his 1990 trial. May 1 (UPI) -- Police in England said a pig spotted running loose on a village road was returned to its owner thanks to a loaf of bread. Hurly Burly 2020 (@Ljpearlson) September 25, 2020. "The evidence will show that they (the defendants) are being tried as scapegoats" for the deadly riots that followed the acquittal in state court of the police officers who beat Rodney King. In a preliminary ruling last year, Gee indicated that she would instruct the jury that every person in the class-action suits class some 57,000 individuals would have to be awarded some money. When 911 calls about the violence started coming in, police were not deployed immediately. The video showed that more than a dozen cops stood by, watching and commenting on the beating. Dramatic footage captured a driver in Los Angeles making his way through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who took control of the street, only to be attacked by the raging mob. On this day in 1992 Rodney King asked, 'Can't we all just get along?' Because I was wrongly labeled as a gang member, Rodriguez said in a statement, according to the Times, I couldn't even be outside helping my mom with the groceries at night.. However, after the defense showed the jury a video of the 1992 beating of Reginald Denny, they found Bryant not guilty. It dispelled his beliefs that about "the existence of equal justice for all and Lady Justice being blind." 2002 Interview: Reginald Denny Looks Back on the LA Riots, Get-Well CAPTION: REGINALD OLIVER DENNY (Photo ran in an earlier edition) CAPTION: Antoine Miller, who yanked open the door of Reginald Denny's truck, was one of four defendants in the beating. He quit after a few years. . In seeking the district attorney records, attorney Janet Maginnis argued that while the District Attorney's Office harshly prosecutes black defendants accused of violent crimes, it refuses to prosecute Los Angeles police officers, for example, charged with similar offenses. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Although he didn't win the civil suit, Cochran described it as the case that affected him the most, according to Jet. No idea what was going on, just suddenly brake lights. ', Faal said because of errors in the trial, including removal of a juror for alleged incompetence, 'even the misdemeanor convictions will be thrown out on appeal'. Cochran represented Reginald Denny, a white truck driver who was assaulted by Black citizens during the LA riots following the Rodney King verdict, and Abner Louima, a Haitian man brutalized and sexually assaulted by multiple NYPD officers. From left, Sgt. 'We are confident that any further actionwill eliminate any further spector of guilt,' Jackson said. WORLDS COLLIDE AT FLORENCE AND NORMANDIE - The Washington Post Advertisement. He now lives in Arizona. Pete Wilson ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to report to the city. The L.A. Riots: 15 Years After Rodney King - TIME In all, approximately $1 billion worth of property was destroyed. Can we get along?". Light-skinned motorists both white and Latino were targeted; some were pulled out of their cars and beaten. However, the judge said his action did not preclude them from trying to prove discrimination later. Another contributing factor: The same month as Rodney King's beating, a Korean store owner in South Los Angeles shot and killed a 15-year-old African-American girl named Latasha Harlins, who was accused of trying to steal orange juice. Reginald Denny. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk ordered jurors to resume deliberations Tuesday on that charge and a robbery charge against Watson. The eight-month long O.J. Reginald Denny. In one of the most disturbing images from the Los Angeles riots, six black assailants dragged Reginald Denny, a 33-year-old truck driver, out of his truck in South Los Angeles and bashed his head in with a brick. Unfortunately, they got divorced four years later, and Reginald Denny is now living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. In 26 of the neighborhoods, a 10 p.m. curfew was included. The jury acquitted Henry Keith Watson, 29, of attempted murder, but found him guilty of misdemeanor assault in the near fatal beating of Denny. He told the jurors that they could "easily identify" the defendants because "each was distinctively dressed, even if you can't see his face.". But Denny was saved by four people, who risked their own lives by driving into. 'There's no question that we won this case,' said Faal. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! If you have discrimination based on policy, it doesnt matter who the victim is, Rice said. He said . But this launched his infatuation with model aviation, and his new hobby grew into Reginald Denny Industries . The acquittals were announced around 3 p.m.; less than three hours later, the unrest began. They looked right through us.". We've received your submission. In it, he said, The settlement creates opportunities for gang members to obtain basic job skills that can turn their lives around, and does so without giving any direct payments to gang members.. The settlement was not permanent, as it was retaken a few decades later. Severed hand at side of Michigan highway was a rubber fake. L.A. has a new answer, Epic snowpack upends rhythms of life for many species in Sierra Nevada range, Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims. A year earlier, in March 1991, King who was on parole for robbery had led police on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles; later, he was charged with driving under the influence. Published by Idaho State Journal on Oct. 1, 2021. 25 Years After LA Riots, Reflections On The Rescuers Who Saved Reginald On April 29, 1992, 39-year-old construction worker Reginald Denny was driving through Los Angeles, unaware of the angry uprising brewing in the streets in response to the verdict in the Rodney King case. The 9th U.S. While ABC edited it out, he was the subject of a felony traffic stop, where a suspect is instructed to put his hands above his head and walk backward to officers. The speed limit is 55 m.p.h. April 29, 1992, millions of Africans Americans sat by their televisions . 'We are elated.'. Car barely escapes raging mob attack in LA, but the driver is the one Five jurors were removed for illness, personal reasons or incompetence. All rights reserved. Though LAPD Chief Darryl Gates announced early in the afternoon of April 29 that his officers had the situation under control, it would later be reported that the city was not adequately prepared for the riots. hide caption. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . I am in total agreement (with the verdicts). That what we thought was open and shut was really 'a reasonable expression of police control' toward a black motorist.". Williams smiled broadly and hugged his attorney, Edi Faal, after the acquittal on the aggravated mayhem charge. Footage of the dramatic scene was shared online by ABC News: Aerial footage shows car driving through a crowd of protesters in Hollywood, before being chased down and attacked by people in another vehicle.