Major players in the 1992 Los Angeles riot

LOS ANGELES – DARYL GATES

Gates had been Los Angeles' chief of police for 14 years when the rioting erupted and was pressured to retire shortly afterward. Until then, he had been nationally respected for pioneering such innovations in policing as the special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programs that partner police with schools. But he was also a polarizing force in the city's black community over perceived racism and remarks like one he made that blacks were more likely to die when placed in police chokeholds because their arteries did not reopen as quickly as those of "normal people." Gates, who blamed his command staff for letting the riot get out of control, died of cancer in 2010. He was 83.

REGINALD DENNY

Denny, the white truck driver who drove into the epicenter of rage and was pulled by several black men from his cab and nearly beaten to death, underwent numerous operations to repair his shattered head, put an eye back into its socket and reset his jaw. After the beating, he publicly forgave his attackers and even met with one of them on Phil Donahue's television show. Since then, he has remained steadfastly out of the limelight, living quietly in Arizona, and declining interview requests. He did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press on the riot's 20th anniversary.

GEORGE HOLLIDAY

Holliday, a plumber, was awakened by a traffic stop outside his San Fernando Valley home on the night of March 3, 1991. He went outside to film it with his new video camera, catching four officers beating and kicking black motorist Rodney King. The video's subsequent broadcast led to worldwide outrage and criminal charges against the officers. When they were acquitted the following year, the riot broke out. Holliday declined to discuss the 20th anniversary of the riot. A friend, Roby Massarotto, told The Associated Press he is busy working on a documentary about the making of his famous video.

RODNEY KING

King's videotaped beating on the night of March 3, 1991, triggered the riot a year later when the officers who beat him were acquitted of all charges. During the ensuing violence, he went on national TV to plead with people, "Can we all get along?" In the years since he has been arrested numerous times, mainly for alcohol-related crimes, and has made several attempts at rehabilitation, including an appearance on television's "Celebrity Rehab." He received a $3.8 million settlement from the city but recently told The Associated Press much of that money was lost to bad investments. He's currently on a tour promoting his just-published memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption."

HENRY KEITH "KEEKEE" WATSON

Watson was one of several men videotaped attacking white truck driver Reginald Denny at the beginning of the riot. He was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to time served for the 17 months he spent in jail before his case was resolved. Watson, who later apologized to Denny, is a successful businessman who operates his own limousine business in Los Angeles. He has two daughters in college and recently returned to his childhood home, near the site where Denny was attacked, to care for his elderly mother.

DAMIAN "FOOTBALL" WILLIAMS

Williams was the attacker seen on videotape smashing Denny in the back of the head with a brick. He was convicted of mayhem, assault and other charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Released after four years, he was convicted of the 2000 murder of a Los Angeles drug dealer and sentenced to 46 years to life in prison, where he remains.

ANTOINE MILLER

Miller was convicted of robbing Denny during the beating and sentenced to 27 months of probation. He was shot to death in a Hollywood nightclub in 2005.

GARY WILLIAMS

Williams, who was videotaped going through Denny's pockets as he lay on the ground, pleaded guilty to beating and attempting to rob the truck driver. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

SOON JA DU

Du is the Korean grocer whose killing of a 15-year-old black girl, Latasha Harlins, in a dispute over a bottle of orange juice, raised tensions in the black community when it came just two weeks after King's beating. Tensions escalated even more when she was convicted of manslaughter but sentenced only to probation and community service. Many in LA's black community still say that played almost as big a role in triggering the riot as King's beating. Du, who still lives in Los Angeles, did not respond to a phone message for comment.

BOBBY GREEN

Green was one of the riot's greatest heroes. The black truck driver was watching the violence unfold on television at his Los Angeles home when he saw Denny being attacked and quickly headed to the scene. He helped push Denny back into his truck's cab and then drove him to the hospital, saving his life. Later, despite threats and insults from the community, he went on to testify against Denny's attackers. He and his family have since moved to a suburb east of Los Angeles and he did not respond to messages for comment. On the 10th anniversary of the riot, he told the Los Angeles Times: "I can tell my kids that color is on the outside, not the inside. To me, I turned justice around and showed them that all black people ain't the same as you think."

STACEY KOON:

Koon was the police sergeant in charge when Rodney King was beaten. A 14-year veteran of the LAPD who had been commended repeatedly for his work, he has always maintained that King's arrest was handled properly. In his book, "Presumed Guilty: The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair," Koon blamed the riot on the news media and city officials. Acquitted of criminal charges, he was later convicted of violating King's civil rights and sentenced to 30 months in prison. Koon, 61, retired after the King beating and lives in an LA suburb.

LAURENCE POWELL

Powell is the officer seen on the video hitting King more than 40 times. Acquitted of criminal charges, he was convicted of violating King's civil rights and sentenced to 30 months in prison. Powell, who lives in the San Diego area, has said he will no longer discuss the incident.

TIMOTHY WIND

Wind, a highly regarded rookie cop until the King beating, is seen on the videotape striking King with his baton. Acquitted of all charges, he was still fired by the LAPD and struggled in subsequent years to find work. He eventually enrolled in law school and has moved to the Midwest.

THEODORE BRISENO

Briseno, who stomped on King's back during the beating (he claimed to keep him on the ground so the beating would stop), broke ranks with his fellow officers and sharply criticized their actions. A fellow police officer quoted him as saying immediately after King's arrest that the situation had been mishandled by Koon, the sergeant in charge. During his criminal trial he testified that Powell, who struck King the most, was out of control and that the beating was excessive. Acquitted of all charges, he struggled to find work afterward, at one point taking a job as a security guard. He has moved to the Midwest.