In the 1980's a severe real estate market drop occurred, causing criminals to be able to afford houses in neighborhood, and filling in the local neighborhoods with guns, and drugs. When Ronald Reagan was president pushed Los Angeles severely to be open toward Orientals. His plan worked, on paper it seemed like a great way to improve the economy, and improve international relations. In real life however, the Blacks hated the Orientals, and the Orientals who stayed in Los Angeles were tormented, harassed, beaten, and sometime killed.
Rodney King himself was a large six feet three inches, with a muscular 250 pounds. King had recently been in jail where he had lifted, and was very strong at the time of the beating. King's father was an alcoholic who died at age 42. King dropped out of high school as a senior, and his teachers said he could barely read. King started his career life working for his father when he helped his dad clean out buildings in order to prepare them for construction, and continued this profession for life. At the time of the beating King was working at Dodgers Stadium. King's police record before the beating was nice a loaded with two counts of battery and assault, assault with a deadly weapon, multiple DUI's, indecent exposure, and possession of PCP, a drug that makes a person feel like they are invincible. .
On March 3, 1991 Rodney King, Freddie Helms, and Bryant Allen, consumed numerous forty ounce of Olde English 800. King and his friends decided to "go look for some girls," which King's blood alcohol level at the time was two times the legal limit. At about 12:44 pm King was spotted by officers traveling 80 MPH, on a 35 MPH zone. The chase went a total of 7.8 miles on city streets and freeways, King went a top speed of 115 MPH, ran red lights, and the only reason he stopped the vehicle was because a car was blocking his path. When the car stopped King and his friends were ordered out of car, and onto the ground, with their hands on their heads, by the mini army, of about 15 police cars.
