"LA riots" redirects here. For other uses, see Los Angeles riots.
1992 Los Angeles riots
Aftermath of the riots
Date
April 29 – May 4, 1992 (6 days); 32 years ago
Location
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Caused by
Four policemen acquitted of assaulting and beating Rodney King
Killing of Latasha Harlins
Racial tension in Los Angeles
Methods
Widespread rioting
looting
assault
arson
protests
vandalism
shootouts
Resulted in
Riots suppressed
Many homes and businesses damaged, looted, or destroyed
Resignation of chief Daryl Gates
Parties
Rioters and looters
Crips
Bloods
Mexican Mafia
MS-13
18th Street Gang
United States
7th Infantry Division
1st Marine Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation
United States Marshal Service
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
United States Border Patrol
SRT
BORTAC
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Drug Enforcement Administration
State of California
California Army National Guard
California Air National Guard
144th Fighter Wing
144th Security Police Squadron
146th Airlift Wing
California Highway Patrol
Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Long Beach Police Department
Compton Police Department
Inglewood Police Department
Pasadena Police Department
South Gate Police Department
South Pasadena Department
Armed civilians, notably from Korean American communities, defending property from rioters and looters
Casualties
Death(s)
63[1]
Injuries
2,383
Arrested
12,111[2][3]
Damage
$1 billion
The 1992 Los Angeles riots (also called the Rodney King riots or the 1992 Los Angeles uprising[4][5]) were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after a jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) charged with using excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King. The incident had been videotaped by George Holliday, who was a bystander to the incident, and was heavily broadcast in various news and media outlets.
The rioting took place in several areas in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as thousands of people rioted over six days following the verdict's announcement. Widespread looting, assault, and arson occurred during the riots, which local police forces had difficulty controlling. The situation in the Los Angeles area was resolved after the California National Guard, United States military, and several federal law enforcement agencies deployed more than 10,000 of their armed first responders to assist in ending the violence and unrest.[6]
When the riots had ended, 63 people had been killed,[7] 2,383 had been injured, more than 12,000 had been arrested, and estimates of property damage were over $1 billion, making it the most destructive period of local unrest in U.S. history. Koreatown, situated just to the north of South Central LA, was disproportionately damaged. Much of the blame for the extensive nature of the violence was attributed to LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates, who had already announced his resignation by the time of the riots, for failure to de-escalate the situation and overall mismanagement.[8][9]
^"Los Angeles Riots: Remember the 63 people who died". April 26, 2012.
^Harris, Paul (1999). Black Rage Confronts the Law. NYU Press. p. 186. ISBN 9780814735923. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
^Rayner, Richard (1998). The Granta Book of Reportage. Granta Books. p. 424. ISBN 9781862071933. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
^Danver, Steven L., ed. (2011). "Los Angeles Uprising (1992)". Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History: An Encyclopedia, Volume 3. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 1095–1100. ISBN 978-1-59884-222-7.
^Cite error: The named reference Bergesen & Herman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Trump invoking Insurrection Act could undo years of police reform, experts warn". NBC News. June 4, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^Miranda, Carolina A. (April 28, 2017). "Of the 63 people killed during '92 riots, 23 deaths remain unsolved – artist Jeff Beall is mapping where they fell". Los Angeles Times.
^Cannon, Lou; Lee, Gary (May 2, 1992). "Much Of Blame Is Laid On Chief Gates". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
^Mydans, Seth (October 22, 1992). "Failures of City Blamed for Riot In Los Angeles". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
and 21 Related for: 1992 Los Angeles riots information
The 1992LosAngelesriots (also called the Rodney King riots or the 1992LosAngeles uprising) were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred...
riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of LosAngeles from...
lists examples of the ongoing influence on popular culture of the 1992LosAngelesriots. (Chronological, then alphabetical by title) In the film Terminator...
driver who was pulled from his truck and severely beaten during the 1992LosAngelesriots. His attackers, a group of black men who came to be known as the...
Sheriff's Department also assist. The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots on June 3–8, 1943 in LosAngeles, California, United States, involving American...
to the Korean American business owners and residents during the 1992LosAngelesriots who armed themselves and took to the rooftops of local businesses...
one charge for the fourth. Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992LosAngelesriots started, sparked by outrage among racial minorities over the trial's...
extremely light, and a failed appeal reportedly contributed to the 1992LosAngelesriots, especially the targeting of Koreatown. The killing of Harlins came...
events in history, such as the Black Dahlia murder, the Watts riots, the 1992LosAngelesriots, the North Hollywood shootout, the murder trial of O. J. Simpson...
the 1992 Los Angelesriots began, which resulted in 63 deaths. In 1993, the four officers were tried in a federal court in LosAngeles; Koon and Powell...
quelling the Rodney King riots in LosAngeles County, California. It was part of the 3,500 federal military force sent to LosAngeles. The Marine Corps contingent...
neighborhood of Watts. The truce was reached just days before the 1992LosAngelesriots and, although not universally adhered to, was a major factor in...
Attorney and black community leaders in LosAngeles, and has been cited by some as a catalyst for the 1992LosAngelesriots. Karlin was born in Caracas, Venezuela...
History portal 1992LosAngelesriots List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States Johnson, Dirk (May 19, 1992). "After the Riots; Mob Violence...
British actor Reginald Oliver Denny, truck driver beaten during the 1992LosAngelesriots Reginald Denning This disambiguation page lists articles about people...
entrepreneurs opened small businesses, and were hard hit by the 1992LosAngelesriots. More recently, L.A.'s Koreatown has been perceived to have experienced...
noteworthy reporting included the attack on Reginald Denny during the 1992LosAngelesriots and finding the crash site of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight...
officers involved in the King beating were acquitted, leading to the 1992LosAngelesriots. The following are, verbatim, some of the commission's findings:...
Global Information
