A good reason to have an SUV

[Fritz]

Rodney King Breaks Pelvis in 100 MPH Car Crash

Tuesday, April 15, 2003



RIALTO, Calif. — Rodney King, whose videotaped beating led to the deadly 1992 riots in Los Angeles, was hospitalized with a broken pelvis after he lost control of his SUV while weaving through traffic at 100 mph and crashed into a house, police said.

King, 39, was spotted Sunday by a police officer who said King was speeding and weaving through traffic in his 2003 Ford Expedition when he slammed into a utility pole, a chain-link fence and then the home, police said. No one in the home was injured.

King was in fair condition Monday afternoon, hospital spokesman Jorge Valencia said. His condition was not available Tuesday as hospital officials did not answer phone calls.

Police said they suspect that King was intoxicated, and a blood sample was drawn to determine his blood-alcohol level. Test results have not yet been released.

King was not arrested, but a report detailing the crash circumstances will be submitted to prosecutors, police Lt. Kathy Thompson said.

King, who is black, was chased by police through the San Fernando Valley in 1991 and was captured on videotape being beaten by four white officers.

After the officers' acquittal, riots broke out and lasted for four days, leaving 55 dead and more than 2,000 injured. The mayhem caused $1 billion in property damage.

King received a $3.8 million settlement from the city of Los Angeles in 1994.

He was convicted of spouse abuse in 1999 in San Bernardino County and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years probation.

King pleaded no contest to three counts of being under the influence of PCP and a count of indecent exposure in October 2001. A judge gave King a year in a drug treatment center even though a prosecutor argued King should spend a year in county jail.

Rialto, where King lives, is 53 miles east of Los Angeles.

A shitbox little Saturn would have been crushed on the poll.

[Ksyrup]

"Can't we all just obey the traffic rules?"

[KWhit]

He's a hell of a guy.

[Craptacular]

King was not arrested

WTF?!?!?! He was observed weaving through traffic at 100 mph, crashed into a pole and a house, they suspect he was intoxicated, and they didn't arrest him?!?!?! He should have been arrested and then taken to the hospital under police watch.

[Draft Dodger]

"He should have been arrested and then taken to the hospital under police watch"...

...and then given the beating he deserved.

[Fritz]

Originally posted by Craptacular
He should have been arrested and then taken to the hospital under police watch.

I think the police are a little afraid of Mr. King.

[sabotai]

You'd think he'd learn his lesson the first time. Sounds like someone needs to get beaten down again.

[ctmason]

I'd think a shitbox Saturn with a driver who wasn't intoxicated might have made it through all of this, hell...might've avoided all of it......

[andy m]

anyone familiar with Peter Cook?

--

Morris: You were arrested, with a gun, in the vicinity of Eric Clapton's apartment in L.A.

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: Not arrested. I was, erm, taking part in the racial violence in Los Angeles after the Rodney King incident.

Morris: Which side were you on?

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: I was trying to mediate, between the police and Rodders. I got to know him very well - a very nice chap. We were having a Big Mac together, and the police blundered in to finish off a job that - y'know - they hadn't completed. So I tried to mediate, by saying, 'There he is, officer!" - to try and calm things down, because, you know, one hates to see Los Angeles go up in flames unless one's got a camera running.

Morris: That was reported in one of the Sunday papers at the time, as: 'The Dark Soul Of Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling'. That night was a trail of wanton destruction, which many ascribed to your near-death experience leaving you bereft of any hope.

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: I like to think I mowed down as many whites as I did blacks. I mean, the Koreans did very badly out of the whole deal.

Morris: Do you feel any pride now?

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: I feel nothing but pride. That's all I do feel. An empty pride. A hopeless vanity. A dreadful arrogance. A stupefyingly futile conceit. But at least it's something to hang on to.

Morris: And the fact that you got away...

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: With murder, yes. Let's not mince words.

Morris: ...and had to pay a menial fine...

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: Well, I don't know what you call a 'menial fine'. I had to do community work. I had to go and teach Tatum O'Neal to play tennis.

Morris: Is there anything left for you to do, once you've finished with the eels?

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling: I've still got to work on her backhand.