Man Insults King Jury; Mistrial Denied

A request for a mistrial in Rodney G. King’s civil lawsuit against the city was denied Wednesday after jurors complained of being confronted in a restaurant by a man who identified them as “Rodney King jurors” and said they were “wasting taxpayers’ money.”

King’s attorney, Milton Grimes, said he made the motion for a mistrial because he was concerned about how the incident would affect the jurors, who were promised anonymity in the highly publicized case.

“They know that a civil disorder or riot erupted and was related to a verdict in this case,” Grimes said. “They also know the city spent over $1 billion because of the public’s displeasure with a verdict.”

U.S. District Judge John G. Davies, who questioned each juror individually about the incident, turned down the request but did order additional security for the jurors during their lunch breaks. The judge admonished them to ignore the incident.

In testimony Wednesday, a doctor said that King’s facial injuries were caused by an unbroken fall to the asphalt and not by blows from a police baton.

Dr. Dallas Long, a Newport Beach emergency room physician, told jurors that the fall was visible in the widely seen videotape of King’s beating by Los Angeles police officers. Long said his findings were based on his observations of X-rays and on written reports by other doctors.

Under cross-examination, King’s attorney’s attacked Long’s qualifications.

The trial is being held to determine compensatory damages owed to King by the city and punitive damages that could be levied against individuals, including the four police officers originally charged with his beating. The city tried to settle for $1.25 million; King’s lawyers wanted $9.6 million.