The truck driver whose beating became one of the images of the riots has filed a claim against the city, saying the police failed to protect him.
The claim filed Tuesday by Reginald Denny, 36, of suburban Covina is a first step toward a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, said his lawyer, Eric Ferrer.Denny was pulled from his rig and beaten as he drove in South-Central Los Angeles on April 29.
The assault took place in the early hours of the rioting that followed the acquittal on nearly all charges of four white police officers accused of beating Rodney King, a black motorist, in March 1991. Both the King beating and the beating of Denny were captured on videotape and the images widely televised.
Denny is still recovering from the assault injuries.
His claim faults the LAPD for not moving quickly to quell violence in South-Central Los Angeles and accuses the department of allocating its resources in a racially discriminatory way.
"People in South-Central have always complained about the response time of police," Ferrer said."