March 3rd, 1991—April 17th, 1993

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 follows the stories of many real-life Los Angeles residents during the L.A. Uprising in 1992. While there were many underlying and systemic socio-economic issues that contributed to the uprising, the event began as a direct response to the acquittal of four police officers that beat Rodney G. King, a Black man, the year prior. This is a timeline of the events surrounding the King case and the uprising that followed.

MARCH 3rd, 1991: Los Angeles Police Officers beat, subdue, and arrest Rodney G. King. George Holliday captures the beating on videotape.

MARCH 4th, 1991: Holliday sells video of King beating to KTLA. Video is distributed to CNN and other stations. Viewers around the globe witness the beating.

MARCH 7th, 1991: King is released after the district attorney’s office announces there is not enough evidence to file criminal charges.

MARCH 16th, 1991: A store security camera records the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, an African American girl, by Korean American grocer Soon Ja Du in a South Los Angeles grocery.

MARCH 26th, 1991: The four police officers charged in the King beating plead not guilty and Du is arraigned on one count of murder.

MARCH 28th, 1991: Records show that $11.3 million was paid by the city of Los Angeles in 1990 to resolve police abuse cases. This, combined with Police Chief Daryl F. Gates calling the King beating an “aberration,” starts calls for his resignation.

MAY 7th, 1991: Gates takes disciplinary action against the four criminally charged officers, firing probationary officer Timothy Wind and suspends the other three without pay.

MAY 10th, 1991: A Grand Jury decides not to indict any of the 17 officers who were present at the King beating but did not participate.

JULY 23rd, 1911: State appeals court orders the trial of the four LAPD officers to be moved out of L.A. County due to publicity and political fallout.

AUGUST 3rd, 1991: A sheriff’s deputy fatally shoots 19-year-old Latino Arturo (Smokey) Jimenez in Ramona Gardens housing project in East L.A., touching off civil disturbance involving 300 residents.

OCTOBER 11th, 1991: Du is found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, and is later sentenced to five years probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine.

NOVEMBER 29th, 1991: LAPD officers fatally shoot Henry Peco, a 28-year-old Black man, starting a standoff with over 100 residents of the Imperial Court housing project in Watts.

MARCH 3rd, 1992: Twelve jurors are selected for the trial of the four LAPD officers involved in the King beating. None are African American.

APRIL 3rd, 1992: Officer Briseno testifies that King never posed a threat to LAPD officers.

APRIL 16th, 1992: Willie L. Williams is named to succeed Gates.

APRIL 29th, 1992: Jury returns “not guilty” verdicts on all charges of the LAPD officers in the King beating except one count of excessive force from Officer Powell. A mistrial is declared on that count alone. Over 2,000 people gather for a peaceful protest at First AME Church in South Los Angeles. Violence begins to spread. Police dispatchers begin to relay reports of head wounds, vandalism, and burglary in an ever-widening radius. Reginald Denny is yanked from his truck cab and beaten unconscious at Florence and Normandie. Mayor Tom Bradley declares a local emergency; Governor Pete Wilson calls out the National Guard.

APRIL 30th, 1992: Three new fires per minute are reported. Bradley imposed a curfew for the entire city, restricting the sale of gasoline and banning the sale of ammunition. The Justice Department announced it will resume investigation into possible civil rights violations in the King beating.

MAY 2nd, 1992: 30,000 people march through Koreatown in support of beleaguered merchants, calling for peace between the Korean American and Black communities. President George Bush Sr. declares Los Angeles a disaster area.

MAY 3rd, 1992: L.A. Times reports 58 deaths; 2,383 injuries; over 7,000 fire responses; 12,111 arrests; and 3,100 damaged businesses.

APRIL 17th, 1993: Officers Briseno and Wind are acquitted. Officer Powell and Sgt. Stacey Koon are found guilty of violating King’s civil rights.

A portion of this timeline was printed in the original program from Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, compiled by Mara Isaacs, and has been edited for length and clarity.