The Trial This Time

U.S. prosecutors add some muscle to Rodney King's civil rights case

THE LAST TRIAL OF FOUR LOS ANGELES POLICEMEN unleashed the worst riots in modern American history. The jury's acquittal of all but one for the beating of black motorist Rodney King seemed so at odds with a highly publicized home video that the city exploded in protest. This time, as pretrial maneuvering ended for the long-awaited civil rights version of the same case, scheduled to begin this week, federal attorneys have tightened their arguments. The prosecution will call civilian eyewitnesses, who have told a grand jury that King did not attack his tormentors, as well as an L.A.P.D. use-of-force expert who...

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