From the Archives: Darkness falls in Watts during riots

The riots, sparked by the arrest of a black motorist for drunk driving, lasted for six days. After the violence, 34 people, 25 of them black, were dead and more than 1,000 were injured.

Bob Hipolito, the guardsman on the left, later told The Times, “I was at the tail end of our infantry company, and that guy (Times photographer John Malmin) came up with an entourage of officers. He snapped a picture, and it flashed. Flashes weren’t what they wanted to have for fear they’d be shot at.

“Hipolito continued: “I saw that picture years ago, and thought, ‘Gee, it looks familiar.’ And then I saw the photographer’s obituary that said where it was taken. So I asked my wife if that looks like me, and she said, ‘Yeah, that’s your posture.’ It was taken on Friday the 13th, probably at 11:30 or 12 at night.

“This iconic image by staff photographer John Malmin was published as Page One lead art in the Aug. 14, 1965, Los Angeles Times. Malmin died in 2003 at the age of 89. Here is a link to his Los Angeles Times obituary: John Malmin, 89; Former Times Photojournalist.

This image above is looking east from Compton Avenue.

This post was originally published on Aug. 12, 2010 and updated on Oct. 14, 2014.