CHP Cites Rodney King for Traffic Infraction

Rodney King, who gained notoriety for his adventures behind the wheel, was pulled over again Sunday, this time by the California Highway Patrol in northern San Diego County.

A CHP spokeswoman confirmed that King was stopped on Interstate 15, where he was cited for an undisclosed traffic infraction and released.

The officer, who was reluctant to discuss the incident until the agency’s public information officer returned to work today, would not elaborate on the violation, except to confirm that it was not drunk driving.

King, 31, became a household name in 1991 after a bystander with a video camera filmed police as they pulled him over, ordered him from his car and severely beat him. The subsequent not guilty verdicts for four officers at their first trial touched off the worst civil disturbance in modern Los Angeles history. King later won a $3.8-million civil settlement for the beating.

The improvement in his financial station, however, has not been mirrored by his driving record. In 1994, he was placed on three years probation after pleading no contest to drunk driving. And 16 days ago, he was convicted of misdemeanor hit-and-run stemming from a 1995 fight with his estranged wife.