LOS ANGELES : Parole Officials Believe King Was Driver in Crash

Investigators with the state Department of Corrections have tentatively concluded that Rodney G. King was driving early Saturday morning when the vehicle he was in crashed, leading to his arrest for drunk driving, officials said Monday.

“We’re fairly satisfied that he was at the wheel,” said Jerome Di Maggio, regional parole administrator for the department. King told his parole officer that one of his cousins was driving the car, but investigators now doubt that story.

Di Maggio said investigators had interviewed witnesses and were nearly finished with their inquiry. If corrections officials determine that King--who is on parole for a robbery conviction--was driving drunk, that would be a violation of his parole. Under the terms of his parole, King is not supposed to drink alcohol at all.

He has been arrested three other times since Los Angeles police officers beat and arrested him on March 3, 1991.

“We’ve got a pattern now, and we’re a little bit concerned,” Di Maggio said. King could be ordered to enter a treatment program or be sent back to prison if officials find a violation, Di Maggio added. He also could face a criminal misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.