Rodney King Dead at 47

[Antrat]

Report: Rodney King Dead - The Daily Beast

According to TMZ, Rodney King, the man whose videotaped 1991 beating by members of the Los Angeles Police Department helped spark the LA riots, is dead.

[Yoda]

Not a surprise. This guy was a piece of trash who lived a life of alcohol abuse even after the incident.

[Biff Mayhem]

Not a surprise. This guy was a piece of trash who lived a life of alcohol abuse even after the incident.

This.

[DetroitCity313]

Not a surprise. This guy was a piece of trash who lived a life of alcohol abuse even after the incident.

I don't consider someone with a serious addiction a piece of trash. RIP Rodney King.

[jonjd]

I don't consider someone with a serious addiction a piece of trash. RIP Rodney King.

This.

[slim pickens]

Rodney King's fiancée is telling friends Rodney had been drinking all day Saturday ... and had smoked weed in the hours leading up to his death ... sources close to King tell TMZ.

According to our sources, King's fiancée, Cynthia Kelley, is telling friends King was at the house all day drinking, and he smoked marijuana at some point, before she went to went to bed at 2:00 AM.

We're told Kelley says she next saw King at around 5:00 AM when she was awoken by him screaming in the backyard. Our sources say Kelley found King naked, banging on the glass, and she called out to him, "What's wrong, Rodney?"

Kelley is telling friends she then went to grab her phone when she heard a big splash. She then went to the backyard and discovered him in the bottom of the pool and called police.

Rodney King Dead -- Drinking, Smoking Weed Before Drowning | TMZ.com

[shauntacular]

In other news -- Malice Green still dead for twenty years...

[Motor City Sonics]

Yes, Rodney was an *******. And yes he did not listen to the cops that had pulled him over. But there was a point where enough was enough. They could have stopped beating him. They could have cuffed him. They actually took their time and went and got an extension cord to beat him with. No he wasn't a swell guy, but those cops were wrong. It's a hard job that I could not do because I would lose it too easily dealing with idiots like Rodney King, but there was a point where the beating needed to stop - and at least one of the four cops actually did stop - the others were having too much fun.

[sagnam]

I don't consider someone with a serious addiction a piece of trash. RIP Rodney King.

Someone with a serious addiction can still be a piece of trash.

[hueytaxi]

I don't know if he was a piece of trash, but I do know his name keeps coming up in the news because of his actions since his name was a headliner. He was newsworthy because he remained controversial due to his addiction(s) and lack of resolving them. Now his name will fade as it should have long agol

[RedRamage]

Yes, Rodney was an *******. And yes he did not listen to the cops that had pulled him over. But there was a point where enough was enough. They could have stopped beating him. They could have cuffed him. They actually took their time and went and got an extension cord to beat him with. No he wasn't a swell guy, but those cops were wrong. It's a hard job that I could not do because I would lose it too easily dealing with idiots like Rodney King, but there was a point where the beating needed to stop - and at least one of the four cops actually did stop - the others were having too much fun.

This.

[ToledoTigerFan]

Can't we all just go swimming?

[Yoda]

Yeah, because people are just born with addictions to drugs and alcohol.

[DetroitCity313]

Yeah, because people are just born with addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Yeah, because I actually said that.

[DetroitCity313]

Someone with a serious addiction can still be a piece of trash.

What did he he do in his life to warrant that type of statement? He made mistakes and lived a tough life, largely because of his addiction. But to stoop to the point of calling him trash is way out of line.

[Motor City Sonics]

What did he he do in his life to warrant that type of statement? He made mistakes and lived a tough life, largely because of his addiction. But to stoop to the point of calling him trash is way out of line.

I won't call him trash, but he is the kind of guy who was just destined to die before 50.

[DetroitCity313]

I won't call him trash, but he is the kind of guy who was just destined to die before 50.

Yeah, a life of substance abuse will definitely do that to you. It always saddens me to see someone overtaken by addiction.

[hueytaxi]

Rodney King had a free lunch ticket following his "can't we all just get along?" statement. He could have joined other famous people calling for equality in all facets of life. Yes, his life saddens me slightly as "what a waste" and creates my wonder on what would it have taken to straighten his life out.

[Joe Gahona]

What did he he do in his life to warrant that type of statement? He made mistakes and lived a tough life, largely because of his addiction. But to stoop to the point of calling him trash is way out of line.

Didn't he assault women?

[Yoda]

What did he he do in his life to warrant that type of statement? He made mistakes and lived a tough life, largely because of his addiction. But to stoop to the point of calling him trash is way out of line.

Nobody made him over-consume to the point of addiction. He did it to himself. It isn't out of line at all.

What is trash to you? Robbing a store and shooting the owner must not be? Driving a car at 90 MPH with over twice the legal BAC must not be. All is forgiven, I guess.

[Yoda]

Yeah, a life of substance abuse will definitely do that to you. It always saddens me to see someone overtaken by addiction.

I'm not sad that he can no longer voluntarily or involuntarily attempt to murder other people.

[Motor City Sonics]

Rodney King had a free lunch ticket following his "can't we all just get along?" statement. He could have joined other famous people calling for equality in all facets of life. Yes, his life saddens me slightly as "what a waste" and creates my wonder on what would it have taken to straighten his life out.

I agree with this.

[NeedMoreLike84]

The whole thing was a mess. He was a terrible person. The cops were terrible people The decision was terrible. The reaction was terrible.

[FloridaTigers]

Yeah, because people are just born with addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Well, people could be predisposed to it. I mean, it's been proven to have a genetic connection.

[Yoda]

Well, people could be predisposed to it. I mean, it's been proven to have a genetic connection.

Humans, by nature, are predisposed to a lot of things. We also learn that some of these things we shouldn't do. Some people choose to do them anyhow. I don't buy the philosophy that addicts don't have a choice.

[Joe Gahona]

What is trash to you? Robbing a store and shooting the owner must not be? Driving a car at 90 MPH with over twice the legal BAC must not be. All is forgiven, I guess.

Perhaps he was predisposed to rob stores, drive 90mph down side streets, and beat women.

[Yoda]

Perhaps he was predisposed to rob stores, drive 90mph down side streets, and beat women.

Naw man it's a disease!

[John_Brian_K]

The whole thing was a mess. He was a terrible person. The cops were terrible people The decision was terrible. The reaction was terrible.

This...for the most part.

The Arrest Record of Rodney King


King's Trouble with the Law Prior to His Beating

July 27, 1987: According to a complaint filed by his wife, King beat her while she was sleeping, then dragged her outside the house and beat her again. King was charged with battery and pleaded "no contest." He was placed on probation and ordered to obtain counseling. He never got the counseling.
November 3, 1989: King, brandishing a tire iron, ordered a convenience store clerk to empty the cash register. The clerk grabbed the tire iron, causing King to fall backwards and knock over a pie rack. King swung the rack at the clerk and fled the store with $200. King was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree robbery, and intent to commit great bodily injury. In a plea agreement, King pleaded guilty to the robbery charge and the other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was paroled on December 27, 1990.


The Arrest of Rodney King on March 3, 1991
March 3, 1991: After being seen speeding on the 210 freeway by CHP officers, King led them on a chase at speeds estimated at up to 110 to 115 mph. When finally stopped, King refused requests to get into the prone position and appeared to charge one of the officers. He was beaten and arrested. King was charged with felony evading. Charges were later dropped.
King's 3/3/91 Arrest Record

King's Trouble with the Law After March 3, 1991
May 11, 1991: King was pulled over for having an excessively tinted windshield. Although King was driving without a license and his car registration had expired, King was not charged.
May 28, 1991: King picked up a transvestite prostitute in Hollywood who happened to be under surveillance by LAPD officers. King and the prostitute were observed in an alley engaging in sexual activity. When the prostitute spotted the officers, King sped away, nearly hitting one of them. King later explained that he thought the vice officers were robbers trying to kill him. No charges were filed.

June 26, 1992: King's second wife reported to police that King had hit her and she feared for her life. King was handcuffed and taken to a police station, but his wife then decided against pressing charges.

July 16, 1992: King was arrested at 1:40 A.M. for driving while intoxicated. No charges were filed.

August 21, 1993: King crashed into a wall near a downtown Los Angeles nightclub. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.19. King was charged with violating his parole and sent for sixty day to an alcohol treatment center. He was also convicted on the DUI charge and ordered to perform twenty days of community service.

May 21, 1995: King was arrested for DUI while on a trip to Pennsylvania. King failed field sobriety tests, but refused to submit to a blood test. He was tried and acquitted.

July 14, 1995: King got into an argument with his wife while he was driving, pulled off the freeway and ordered her out of the car. When she started to get out, King sped off, leaving her on the highway with a bruised arm. King was charged with assault with a deadly weapon (his car), reckless driving, spousal abuse, and hit-and-run. King was tried on all four charges, but found guilty only of hit-and-run driving.

March 3, 1999: King allegedly injured the sixteen-year-old girl that he had fathered out of wedlock when he was seventeen, as well as the girl's mother. King was arrested for injuring the woman, the girl, and for vandalizing property. King claimed that the incident was simply "a family misunderstanding."

September 29, 2001: King was arrested for indecent exposure and use of the hallucinogenic drug PCP.

[shabba4detroit]

You mean that motorist Rodney King has drowned? Will newspeople begin to refer to him as bad swimmer Rodney King?

[sagnam]

You mean that motorist Rodney King has drowned? Will newspeople begin to refer to him as bad swimmer Rodney King?

Listening to 97.1 today?

[Biff Mayhem]

Can't we all just go swimming?

Lest this be overlooked, I chuckled when I read it!

[John_Brian_K]

I don't consider someone with a serious addiction a piece of trash. RIP Rodney King.

You have 3 groups IMO.

The upstanding members of society....real upstanding..not this 'I make a lot of money so I am exempt from law or moral code' type 'upstanding', but real honest to goodness upstanding citizens who contribute to society to make it a better place then when they found it. They pay their taxes, they volunteer, they have never murdered anyone or thought about murdering anyone, they have never raped anyone or touched little boys. They generally try to be 'good people'. And 'good people' does not necessarily mean they go to church or frolick through the tulips holding hands.

Then you have this middle ground of people....people who may go out for a night of drinking and get behind the wheel buzzed, or the people who do not give a crap about society, but do not do anything to hurt society...they basically keep to themselves. This grouping probably represents about the same % as the first grouping...basically good people who do dumb things, but not dumb like 'OMG I just beat the hell out of my wife' dumb or 'OMG I just robbed a bank' dumb, but 'Damn I just ran a red light' dumb or 'I just flirted with this waiterss and my wife is home with the kids' dumb...etc etc

Then you have this other group of people in society who are a drain on the resources of the rest of society. They go out and steal, rob, beat, bruise, kill, rape, plunder etc etc. As a society it is the duty of the rest of us to try and help these people. How much is enough? How far do we go to 'rehabilitate' someone who has nothing but a history of criminal behavior? How often will we turn the table and try to make the criminal the victim because of one isolated incident that is the exception rather than the rule? I would also like to add that 'white colar' crimes that ruin good peoples lives would be in this group....they would not be in the first group because they live in a mansion and donate 5% of their 100 million dollar salary to charity.

[Motor City Sonics]

This...for the most part.

The Arrest Record of Rodney King


King's Trouble with the Law Prior to His Beating

July 27, 1987: According to a complaint filed by his wife, King beat her while she was sleeping, then dragged her outside the house and beat her again. King was charged with battery and pleaded "no contest." He was placed on probation and ordered to obtain counseling. He never got the counseling.
November 3, 1989: King, brandishing a tire iron, ordered a convenience store clerk to empty the cash register. The clerk grabbed the tire iron, causing King to fall backwards and knock over a pie rack. King swung the rack at the clerk and fled the store with $200. King was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree robbery, and intent to commit great bodily injury. In a plea agreement, King pleaded guilty to the robbery charge and the other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was paroled on December 27, 1990.


The Arrest of Rodney King on March 3, 1991
March 3, 1991: After being seen speeding on the 210 freeway by CHP officers, King led them on a chase at speeds estimated at up to 110 to 115 mph. When finally stopped, King refused requests to get into the prone position and appeared to charge one of the officers. He was beaten and arrested. King was charged with felony evading. Charges were later dropped.
King's 3/3/91 Arrest Record

King's Trouble with the Law After March 3, 1991
May 11, 1991: King was pulled over for having an excessively tinted windshield. Although King was driving without a license and his car registration had expired, King was not charged.
May 28, 1991: King picked up a transvestite prostitute in Hollywood who happened to be under surveillance by LAPD officers. King and the prostitute were observed in an alley engaging in sexual activity. When the prostitute spotted the officers, King sped away, nearly hitting one of them. King later explained that he thought the vice officers were robbers trying to kill him. No charges were filed.

June 26, 1992: King's second wife reported to police that King had hit her and she feared for her life. King was handcuffed and taken to a police station, but his wife then decided against pressing charges.

July 16, 1992: King was arrested at 1:40 A.M. for driving while intoxicated. No charges were filed.

August 21, 1993: King crashed into a wall near a downtown Los Angeles nightclub. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.19. King was charged with violating his parole and sent for sixty day to an alcohol treatment center. He was also convicted on the DUI charge and ordered to perform twenty days of community service.

May 21, 1995: King was arrested for DUI while on a trip to Pennsylvania. King failed field sobriety tests, but refused to submit to a blood test. He was tried and acquitted.

July 14, 1995: King got into an argument with his wife while he was driving, pulled off the freeway and ordered her out of the car. When she started to get out, King sped off, leaving her on the highway with a bruised arm. King was charged with assault with a deadly weapon (his car), reckless driving, spousal abuse, and hit-and-run. King was tried on all four charges, but found guilty only of hit-and-run driving.

March 3, 1999: King allegedly injured the sixteen-year-old girl that he had fathered out of wedlock when he was seventeen, as well as the girl's mother. King was arrested for injuring the woman, the girl, and for vandalizing property. King claimed that the incident was simply "a family misunderstanding."

September 29, 2001: King was arrested for indecent exposure and use of the hallucinogenic drug PCP.

So he's had 10 1/2 solid years since then.

September 29, 2001: King was arrested for indecent exposure and use of the hallucinogenic drug PCP.

You know, angel dust, Sherman Hemsley, Love Boat, Ashy Larry.

[belcherboy]

I really liked him on "Celebrity Rehab" a year or so ago. He seemed pretty genuine in his recovery.

He did have a ROUGH past to say the least, and deserves criticism for it. It is too bad that he couldn't overcome his addictions. I think he could have made a great role model for some people, if he could have stayed clean and under control.

[Biff Mayhem]

So he's had 10 1/2 solid years since then.

No not really. That's just when that website stopped getting updated.