Rodney King Timeline: Life After the Los Angeles Riots

A timeline of events in King's life beginning with the beating incident.

ByABC News
June 17, 2012, 2:01 PM

June 17, 2012— -- Rodney King, the man who was at the center of the Los Angeles police brutality case that later sparked the Los Angeles riots. died on June 17, 2012. He was 47.

Earlier this year, King reflected on the 20th anniversary of the LA riots that made him famous.

"I've learned from all of my mistakes. I am a work in process. I'm constantly working on myself, knowing what my limits are and feeling comfortable with me," King said.

Here is a timeline of events in King's life beginning with the beating incident:

March 3, 1991 - King leads California High Patrol officers on a high-speed chase. Once stopped, King is pulled from the car and several cops beat him with their batons.

March 4, 1991 - Footage of the beating airs on television news programs worldwide. The next day, four officers are charged with assault and the use of excessive force.

March 26, 1991 - The officers enter a plea of "not guilty."

April 29, 1992 - More than a year later, the trial concludes and a white jury acquits the officers. A group gathers at the intersection of Florence and Normandie avenues in Los Angeles. Police retreat from the scene. A white truck driver, Reginald Denny, stops at a traffic light at the intersection. He is dragged from his vehicle and beaten by a group of black gang members. News helicopters hovering overhead film the scene and it is broadcast live. Arsonists torch buildings and looting begins.

PHOTOS: Los Angeles Riots: 20 Years Later

April 30, 1992 - Open gun battles occur as shop owners defend themselves from the looters. LA Mayor Tom Bradley declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew. The National Guard is deployed.

May 1, 1992 - King goes on television and famously asks, "Can we get along?" That night President George H.W. Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office and outlines the federal response to the riots.

May 2, 1992 - Thousands of soldiers and Marines are deployed to disperse the crowds. LA begins to quiet down.

May 4, 1992 - Mayor Bradley lifts the curfew. Random incidents of violence continue, but the worst of the riots is over.

May 9, 1992 - Federal troops stand down.

Aug. 4, 1992 - Federal grand jury indicts officers involved in King's beating -- Stacey Koon, Theodore Briseno, Timothy Wind and Laurence Powell -- on civil rights violation charges.

April 16, 1993 - Federal grand jury convicts Koon and Powell. Briseno and Wind were found not guilty.

Aug. 4, 1993 - Koon and Powell sentenced to 30 months in prison.

April 19, 1994 - King was awarded $3.8 million in damages stemming from a civil lawsuit from the City of Los Angeles. King told The Associated Press recently that he lost the majority of the money to bad investments.

Aug. 29, 2001 - King was arrested on drug charges in Claremont, Calif. Police said King was arrested at about 7:30 a.m., when he told a hotel clerk his car had been stolen. The clerk called police to report the alleged theft, but also told them King was acting strangely. "Mr. King wasn't violent at the location, but he did display some objective symptoms of PCP intoxication," Claremont police Lt. Gary Jenkins said.

June 2008 - King participated in the reality show, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."

July 12, 2011 - King was arrested by the Moreno Valley, Calif., Police Department on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police pulled King over after seeing him commit several alleged traffic violations. He was booked into jail for investigation of DUI.

April 2012 - King's memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption," hits store shelves.

April 24, 2012 - King told TMZ that he hopes the family of Trayvon Martin, the black Florida high school student who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, will get justice. He also talked about being forever linked to the 1991 beating that was captured on tape and the Los Angeles riots.

June 17, 2012 - King was found dead at his home in Southern California. He was 47.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.