Stacey Koon
| Stacey Koon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 23, 1950 Lynwood, California, U.S. |
| Awards |
|
| Police career | |
| Department | Los Angeles Police Department |
| Country | United States |
| Years of service |
United States Air Force: 1971–1974 Los Angeles Police Department: 1976–1992 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an Officer: 1976 Police Officer 3: 1978 Sergeant I: 1982 |
| Other work | Convicted in connection to the Rodney King beating |
LAPD Medal of Valor
100+ commendations
Stacey Cornell Koon (born November 23, 1950) is a former sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department who became nationally notorious in the wake of the Rodney King incident.
On March 3, 1991, in Los Angeles, a high-speed chase was initiated by California Highway Patrol officer Melanie Singer after motorist Rodney King was observed behind the wheel of a 1988 white Hyundai Excel allegedly traveling at a high speed. The chase ended on the right shoulder of Foothill Boulevard. Koon and four other officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseño and Rolando Solano) attempted to arrest King. The officers stated that King resisted arrest and Officers Powell, Wind and Briseño had to use force to subdue him. The incident was videotaped by a nearby resident, George Holliday, who gave it to local TV station KTLA. The station aired parts of the video and CNN aired it the next day. The police officers were tried for the use of excessive force in state court in Simi Valley in 1992 and acquitted on April 29 that year. Later the same day the 1992 Los Angeles riots erupted, which went on to claim the lives of fifty-three people. In 1993, the four officers were tried in a federal court in Los Angeles; Koon and Powell were convicted of violating King's civil rights and sentenced to 30 months in prison.
In his 1992 book, Presumed Guilty: The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair, Koon defended his actions and blamed the riots on the media and community leaders. He appeared as a guest on A Closer Look with Faith Daniels on October 24, 1992.
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