People News

Rodney King, dead at 47

By April MacIntyre Jun 17, 2012, 21:16 GMT

Rodney King - the mototrist who was seen on videotape being beaten by police officers back in 1991 - has died. He was 47.

Rodney King - the mototrist who was seen on videotape being beaten by police officers back in 1991 - has died. He was 47.

King was found at the bottom of his swimming pool early Sunday and later pronounced dead.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots erupted when a jury acquitted the officers who beat King. The city was in turmoil for three days, as 55 people died and more than 2,000 were injured.

Rialto Police Capt. Randy De Anda reported to KNX-AM Newsradio that about 5:25 a.m. on Sunday, the police department received a 911 call from King's fiancee who reported that he was found in the bottom of his swimming pool.

"Rialto police officers responded to the location and removed him from inside of the pool and began CPR," De Anda said. "The Rialto Fire Department paramedics responded and transported Mr. King to the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead at 6:11 a.m.

Capt. De Anda said King had been by the pool throughout the early morning and had been talking to his fiancee, who was inside the home at the time, adding that Rialto police are conducting a drowning investigation.