Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA riots' Rodney King pleads guilty to reckless driving in deal, rather than DUI
Listen
• 1:06
Rodney King, the Los Angeles motorist whose beating by police was captured on videotape, smiles during a press conference in 1992.
(
Robert Sullivan/AFP/Getty Images
)
The man whose beating at the hands of LAPD cops 20 years ago triggered riots across Los Angeles is back in the news. Rodney King pleaded guilty on Monday to misdemeanor reckless driving near his home in Rialto.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies arrested King last summer after he’d allegedly driven drunk down a Moreno Valley street.
In a plea deal, the Riverside County district attorney's office agreed to drop two DUI counts in exchange for a guilty plea on the lesser reckless driving charge.
Twenty-one years ago this month, King led authorities on a high-speed chase that ended in his videotaped beating by four LAPD officers.
Support for LAist comes from
King was on parole at the time; he’d also been drinking.
The subsequent trial and acquittal of the officers sparked a week of rioting.
King’s been in and out of trouble, including multiple drunk driving arrests, ever since. He told CNN last year that he continues to battle his demons.
“Oh, I’ll always have an issue when it comes to alcohol," he told CNN's Don Lemon. "My dad was an alcoholic. The addiction part is in my blood. What I’ve learned to do is arrest my addiction, so I don’t get arrested."
The court sentenced King to 20 days of home detention and three years probation. He was also fined $500 and ordered to complete a sobriety education program.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist