--- title: Rodney King Beating at 25: What Happened in Los Angeles description: The brutal beating of King by four policeman took place on Mar. 3, 1991 canonical: https://time.com/4245175/rodney-king-la-riots-anniversary/ author: Chelsea Matiash article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-03T12:30:19.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:49:33.800Z article:section: History og:title: What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago og:description: 81 seconds of video shaped modern history og:url: https://time.com/4245175/rodney-king-la-riots-anniversary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt83f07b95090742ea/69887ffacd1bba03136ffaae/j-other-people-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Rodney King og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago twitter:description: 81 seconds of video shaped modern history twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt83f07b95090742ea/69887ffacd1bba03136ffaae/j-other-people-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Beating that Changed America: What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=f6bc4d0b-cfe0-4543-b2e0-c801f687cc97&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=f6bc4d0b-cfe0-4543-b2e0-c801f687cc97&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago [Watch (HLS stream): What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ssy2ELo6.m3u8) (1:42)  _Published 2016-03-02. What Happened to Rodney King 25 Years Ago_ by [Chelsea Matiash](https://time.com/author/chelsea-matiash/) and [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) Mar 3, 2016 12:30 PM UTC by [Chelsea Matiash](https://time.com/author/chelsea-matiash/) and [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) Mar 3, 2016 12:30 PM UTC It was 25 years ago, on March 3, 1991, that four white Los Angeles police officers brutally beat Rodney King, an unarmed black man. In 81 seconds of video footage captured on a bystander’s camcorder, police were seen kicking and clubbing King 56 times. When the accused officers were tried a year later, a jury [found them not guilty](http://time.com/vault/issue/1992-05-11/page/32/) despite the taped evidence. In a TIME/CNN [survey](http://time.com/vault/issue/1992-05-11/page/27/) conducted shortly after the verdict, 57% of those polled (including 45% of black respondents) felt the outcome was the result of racism. Those feelings helped fuel the worst rioting in the U.S. since the 1960s. A quarter century later, here’s a look back at what has become a landmark moment in the nation’s ongoing debate about race, law enforcement and equality. **_Read the 1991 cover story about Rodney King and police brutality, here in the TIME Vault:_** [Law and Disorder](http://time.com/vault/issue/1991-04-01/page/1/) **_And read the 1992 cover story about the riots that followed:_** [The Fire This Time](http://time.com/vault/issue/1992-05-11/page/1/) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ]. This is how it started. On March 3rd, 1991, an unarmed man named Rodney King was stopped by Los Angeles police and beaten. He was clubbed 56 times. He suffered 11 skull fractures. An 81- second video of the beating taken by a bystander was released to the public. Thanks to that footage, the beating quickly drew national attention. These are the three police officers and one sergeant who were arrested that month for assault. They were tried the following year. Despite the taped evidence, The police were not found guilty of any criminal charges. After the verdict, LA erupted. It would prove to be the nation's worst rioting since 1965. The city saw more than 5, 000 fires, dozens dead. Federal forces and the National Guard were called in. The riots caused hundreds of millions of dollars of property damage. The psychological cost was far more difficult to assess. Meanwhile, Rodney King was still best known as a suffering figure on a grainy video. After days of riots, however, he finally spoke. His message would come to symbolize a deep problem in American society. These were his iconic words. Can we can we all get along? Can we can we get along? His remarks helped to end the violence. But the debate his case sparked would continue to play out across the nation. 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