Former LAPD sergeant involved in Rodney King beating pleads not guilty to DUI
A former Los Angeles police sergeant who served a prison sentence in the beating of Rodney King pleaded not guilty Tuesday to drunk driving charges, officials said.
Stacey Koon, 67, faces one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is due back in court in October.
The charges stem from a traffic collision Koon was involved in on May 1 in Castaic, the district attorney’s office said. Police arrived and arrested him. No one was injured.
Koon was one of several LAPD officers who dealt more than 50 blows to King while he was handcuffed on the ground. When the officers were acquitted in 1992, riots broke out across Los Angeles.
Koon was acquitted in state court but was one of two officers convicted of federal civil rights violations. He served 30 months in prison.
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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