- Was awarded $3.8 million because of excessive force when arrested in 1991.
- Rodney Glen King was a motorist who, while videotaped by a by-stander George Holliday, was beaten by Los Angeles police officers during an arrest on March 3, 1991. King was kicked and hit 56 times with police batons and electrically shocked using Taser guns. In addition to the three officers personally involved, 24 other law enforcement officers watched the beating. April 29, 1992, the officers were acquitted by a jury in a verdict that shocked much of the country. The verdict triggered massive rioting in Los Angeles which left hundreds of buildings severely damaged or destroyed and dozens dead. Then on August 4, a federal judge sentenced LAPD officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 30 months in prison for violating King's civil rights. The other officers were not convicted and there was no rioting.
- His police beating on March 3, 1991 took place outside the biker bar seen in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). They were actually filming the night of King's beating.
- Has been arrested several times for drug infractions, violence, and motoring offenses since his infamous 1991 videotaped police beating.
- He was found dead at the bottom of the swimming pool at his home in Rialto, CA, on June 17, 2012. His death was the result of accidental drowning, although alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and PCP found in his system were contributing factors.
- When the media referred to him as Rodney King, it was believed to be in error, as his friends and family usually referred to his as Glen (his middle name).
- Arrested in April 2003 for crashing his SUV while driving.
- Rodney King's younger cousin is actor Keith Powers of Sacramento, California. Keith portrayed Dr. Dre's younger brother Tyree in the 2016 feature film Straight Out of Compton.
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