Rodney King’s Wife Files Petition for Divorce

Rodney G. King’s wife filed for divorce Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences with the man arrested twice on suspicion of abusing her.

Crystal King legally separated from her husband July 15, a day after he was arrested on charges of knocking her to the ground with his car during an argument.

That was the latest in a series of brushes with the law since King’s videotaped beating in 1991, which led to state and federal trials, prison terms for two of four police officers who were tried, a riot and a $3.8-million civil judgment for King.

In the aftermath of the beating, King was arrested in May, 1991, on suspicion of trying to run down an undercover vice officer in Hollywood, but no charges were filed. About a year later, King was arrested after his wife said he had injured her in a fight, but she declined to file a complaint. Several weeks after that, King was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Again, no charges were filed.

On Aug. 21, 1993, King crashed a car into a block wall in Downtown Los Angeles. Convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, he was fined, ordered to perform community service and placed on probation. Last May, he was charged with drunk driving in Pennsylvania after refusing to take a blood-alcohol test.