Suits by Riot Victim Denny, Others Dismissed
A judge dismissed lawsuits filed by truck driver Reginald O. Denny and other victims of the 1992 riots who charged that police abandoned South-Central Los Angeles at the height of the violence.
The victims failed to show “discriminatory intent” by the city and the Los Angeles Police Department when officers withdrew from the area of Florence and Normandy avenues, according to the decision released Monday.
U.S. District Judge W. Matthew Byrne Jr. ruled that the LAPD’s use of officers during the riots was “rationally related to a legitimate government purpose.”
The four suits claimed violation of the right to equal protection and accused officers of leaving because it was a predominantly minority area.
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