L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later is a special feature on the civil unrest that took place in Los Angeles during April and May of 1992.
The riots kicked off after four police officers were acquitted by a jury on charges of beating African American Rodney King during his arrest, despite there being clear video footage of them brutally assaulting him over and over.
The riots started in South Central and spread across large swathes of the city and saw property burned, shops looted and people murdered.
A state of emergency was declared in the county and there were chaotic scenes as local shopkeepers were seen on the street defending their stores with guns and shooting at looters.
Local police were unable to control the situation and order was only restored when thousands of National Guardsmen and Marines were deployed.
The human toll was 55 people killed, 2,000 injured and over 11,000 arrested. It is estimated over 1 billion worth of damage was done during the riots.
The 2-hour feature is the work of Boyz N the Hood director John Singleton and takes a thoughtful look at the riots and how America has or hasn’t changed since.
Watch L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later at 9 PM on A&E.