A former Los Angeles police sergeant who went to prison for his role in the beating of black motorist Rodney King has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Prosecutors on Thursday confirmed that Stacey Koon, 67, faces two misdemeanor counts for allegedly crashing his truck into a parked pickup truck on May 1 in the Castaic area northwest of Los Angeles.

Koon wasn’t injured. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.

Koon and three other LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force in a 1991 videotaped beating of King that made international headlines. Their acquittal on state charges led to rioting in 1992 that killed dozens of people.


Koon and Officer Laurence Powell later went to prison on federal civil rights charges. Koon was released in 1995.