The 1992 Los Angeles riots occurred.
The 1992 Los Angeles riots , also known as the Rodney King riots , the South Central riots , the 1992 Los Angeles civil disturbance , the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest , and the Los Angeles uprising , were a series of riots , lootings , arsons , and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County , California in April and May 1992 . The unrest began in South Central Los Angeles on April 29 after a trial jury acquitted four officers of the Los Angeles Police Department of the use of excessive force in the videotaped arrest and beating of Rodney King . In total , 58 people were killed during the riots , more than 2,000 people were injured , and more than 11,000 were arrested .