Then and now: Scenes from the 1992 L.A. riots

April 29 marks the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Photographer Kirk McKoy was there and recently revisited several sites to document changes over the years. More photos

November 15, 2012, 9:41 a.m.

Before: A looter wheels a shopping cart full of diapers past a burning market during the riots on April 30, 1992. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
After: The same spot on April. 16, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Before: LAPD officers respond to the scene where two people were shot at the corner of 8th Street and Kingsley Drive on April 30, 1992. One died. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
After: April 16, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Before: A young boy helps his father loot the Big 5 Sporting Goods store at Western Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard on April 30, 1992. (J. Albert Diaz / Los Angeles Times)
After: April 16, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Before: Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies keep watch on a group of people arrested after a store on Martin Luther King Boulevard was looted on April 30, 1992. (Steve Dykes / Los Angeles Times)
After: April 16, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Before: A shopping mall goes up in flames at La Brea Avenue and Pico Boulevard, where someone spray-painted a statement about violence on April 29, 1992. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
After: April 16, 2012. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Comments (24)

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Paulieeed at 6:02 PM May 01, 2013

This happened shortly after I moved to L.A. from London. I can't believe I'm still here. We watched LA burn from atop of Park LaBrea, it looked like a war zone. I remember barely making it back to Westwood in time before the curfew began. I also remember the National Guard soldiers stationed near Ralphs on Fairfax, it was surreal!

JamieNova at 11:41 PM April 29, 2013

Pictures are nice but, many promises were made to the African-American community after the riots. Is the economic situation better or worse? On January 1, 1994, Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law. Hows that working out for everybody?

JamieNova at 8:57 PM April 29, 2013

I was in San Diego and remember walking by a tv monitor and thought another war had broken out in some 3rd world country. Come to find out, it was LA. The Mob mentality was very scary. Where I grew up in NY, cops beat on white people too. So, it was kind of hard to understand the "race" angle, or how anything could justify attacking their own community, let alone neighborhood business owners. Great example of why firearms and large ammo clips are a necessity for citizens to protect themselves and their property. The scariest part was seeing live video of Reginald Denny being dragged from the cab of his truck and beaten unconscious, and scum attacking the fire and paramedics.

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