First Round Finished in King Jury Selection
The first round of jury questioning in the trial of four police officers accused in the Rodney G. King beating wrapped up in Simi Valley Wednesday, and Judge Stanley M. Weisberg has asked a total of 141 potential jurors to return Friday morning for further evaluation.
Jury selection began Feb. 3, and attorneys on both sides of the case said they hope to have a jury chosen and the start of opening arguments in the year-old case by late next week.
Two area police radio dispatchers were excused Wednesday from the jury pool, including one woman employed with the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD dispatcher was dropped from the case after she said she was hurt by the large amount of public criticism that followed the March 3 beating.
She also said she was “shocked” after seeing a videotape of the police incident.
Sgt. Stacey Koon and Officers Theodore J. Briseno, Laurence M. Powell and Timothy E. Wind have pleaded innocent.
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