Rodney King Arrested for Alleged Threats

RIALTO, Calif. – Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police led to deadly riots in 1992, was arrested after he allegedly threatened his daughter and ex-girlfriend, police said.

King, 40, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of making criminal threats. He was being held on $25,000 bail.

He was accused of threatening to kill his 23-year-old daughter, Candace, and her mother, Carmen Simpson, after the two got in a fight with King’s current girlfriend, Dawn Jean. All three women live in King’s home.
The daughter, who called police, said King was armed with a handgun, but it turned out to be a toy, according to authorities.

King’s videotaped beating after he was stopped for speeding shocked the nation when it was shown repeatedly on television newscasts. After the four white police officers charged in the beating were acquitted of most charges, Los
Angeles erupted in riots that left 55 people dead and caused $1 billion in property damage.

King sued the city for the beating, eventually settling for $3.8 million.

Since the beating, he has had a string of run-ins with the law. He walks with a limp since a 2003 accident in which he lost control of his car, crashed into a house at 100 mph and shattered his pelvis.