In the 20 years since he was brutally beaten by LAPD officers, Rodney King has experienced tons of hardships. From financial issues, to battling addiction, the 47-year-old has done it all, and even after his stint on Celebrity Rehab and being busted for a DUI last year, he admits to still drinking. “I still sip, I don’t get drunk,” he told The Associated Press.
King’s dependency on alcohol is the very thing that started off the night in which he was attacked by LAPD officers back in March of 1991.The Sacramento native was fearful of getting pulled over while driving drunk, which led to his attempt to elude cops before being viciously beaten while a witness taped the assault. Today, after winning a $3.8 million settlement—most of which was squandered away due to bad investments—he has finally found peace. “America’s been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all,” he said. Still a well-known public figure, King makes money from celebrity appearances, and is promoting his memoir The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption “This part of my life is the easy part now.”
Just as his story gave birth to the Los Angeles riots, an uprising sparked by opposition to police brutality and racial profiling, King can relate to the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. While his incident was not fatal, in an interview with TMZ, King said that wants to see a positive end result in the story which has captivated the world. “I’m hoping he gets justice for his family … ’cause he’s no longer here, so for his family.”
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Photos: AP
