1992 L.A. Riots

The 1992 Los Angeles riots, or the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising (also known as Sa-i-gu in Korean) were a series of civil unrest that occurred in Los Angeles County in April and May of 1992. The uprising began in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after a trial jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for usage of excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King, which had been videotaped and widely viewed in TV broadcasts. Following the announcement of the verdict, thousands of people rioted over a six-day period throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Widespread looting, assault, arson, and murder occurred during the riots, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion. With local police overwhelmed in controlling the situation, Governor of California Pete Wilson sent in the California Army National Guard, and President George H. W. Bush deployed the 7th Infantry Division and the 1st Marine Division. Consequently, order and peace were restored throughout L.A. County, but 63 people were killed, 2,383 people were injured, with more than 12,000 arrests. LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates, who had already announced his resignation by the time of the riots, was attributed with much of the blame. wrote: