On April 29, 1992, the streets of Los Angeles erupted in violence and disorder, as news of the shocking verdict in the Rodney King trial swept through South Central L.A. Now, on the 25th anniversary of the infamous L.A. riots, AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL (AHC) and ABC News' Lincoln Square Productions have joined forces to present L.A. RIOTS: AS WE WATCHED. Premiering Sunday, May 7 at 10/9c, the one-hour special transports viewers back to the early '90s to experience the growing tension, aggravation and sense of injustice that sparked one of the most violent displays of civil unrest in US history.
On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was pulled over for speeding by LAPD on Foothill Freeway in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. What should have been a routine traffic violation quickly spiraled out of control when King, along with his two passengers Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms, were brutally beaten by five officers with the LAPD. King was beaten by the officers within an inch of his life, and the entire attack was
CAUGHT ON CAMERA by a neighbor who gave the footage to KTLA, thus sparking a national outcry at the police misconduct.
Tensions simmered between the L.A. police department and members of the African American community over the next year before ultimately boiling over when the four police officers involved in King's attack - Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno - were acquitted.
Shortly after the news of the acquittal broke, rioters outraged by the court's decision flooded the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues in South Central L.A. to protest. From throwing rocks and debris at local police officers to looting store fronts to assaulting innocent passersby, full mayhem erupted in the streets of L.A., inciting a fury of violence so powerful that it went on for days.
From six days, the City of Angels burned in one of the most terrifying, destructive uprisings in US history. More than 50 people were killed during the riots, and the property damage exceed $1 billion in repairs to the city. The National Guard and other military personnel were called in on May 2, 1992, to contain and ultimately end the riots. On May 4, 1992, the LA Riots were officially over.
L.A. RIOTS: AS WE WATCHED is produced by Lincoln Square Productions, with Peri Muldofsky and David Perozzi as executive producers. For American Heroes Channel, Max Culhane is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America.
About
AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL American Heroes Channel (AHC) is television's home for high-quality history content. Embracing the totality of history through the incredible, brave and infamous characters that have fought for what they believe in and driven change,
AHC provides a rare glimpse into major events that shaped our world, and the great defenders of our freedom. After all, heroes make history. Currently in nearly 60 million U.S. homes,
AHC is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 pay-tv programmer reaching 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For more information, please visit AHCtv.com, facebook.com/AHCtelevision, or Twitter.com/AHC_TV.
About Lincoln Square Productions Lincoln Square Productions produces original content for broadcast, cable and digital distribution specializing in entertaining ways to tell fact based stories, including ABC's "What Would You Do?," ABC's award-winning true medicine series, ABC's "Madoff," the OSCAR Red Carpet Opening Ceremony,
ABC Family's "Next Step Realty," Investigation Discovery's "Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals," Travel Channel's "Watt's World," as well as documentary programming for a wide array of partners, including Discovery Communications and A & E Networks. Lincoln Square Productions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. The headquarters are located in New York City's Lincoln Square neighborhood.
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