Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 27, 1991 TAG: 9103270295
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and/ The Los Angeles Daily News
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Their attorneys had failed to have a grand jury indictment tossed out.
In soft voices, a sergeant and three of his officers answered "not guilty." The four face maximum penalties of four years to nearly eight years in prison if convicted.
Sgt. Stacey Koon, 40, and Officers Laurence Powell, 28; Timothy Wind, 30, and Theodore Briseno, 38, are charged with assault with a deadly weapon and unnecessarily beating a suspect under color of authority.
Koon and Powell are also charged with filing a false police report and Koon is accused of being an accessory in a cover-up.
In the case that prompted national outrage, motorist Rodney King is seen on videotape being beaten 56 times with batons, kicked and shot with a Taser electric stun gun during a nighttime traffic stop March 3. Doctors say King may suffer permanent damage from 11 skull fractures.
The videotape was made by a neighborhood resident, George Holliday, from his balcony. He was honored at a ceremony by Kenneth Hahn, a Los Angeles County supervisor. Called a hero, Holliday said, "Things like this need to be done."
King and his wife, Crystal, have filed a claim for $83 million against the city of Los Angeles for his injuries. If the city does not respond to the claim in 45 days, King can then file a lawsuit.
In other developments, a county grand jury has reconvened to hear evidence about how many officers watched the attack, and the FBI has run into trouble questioning police officers.
During the Superior Court arraignment, attorneys for the four charged police officers lost bids to have the indictment declared insufficient on grounds the charges were vague. They also failed to show the men were entitled to preliminary hearings.
The officers were ordered to appear in court Thursday. Judge Gary Klausner said a trial could probably begin the week of April 28.
Defense attorneys claimed prosecutors were rushing the case to trial because of publicity generated by the videotape.
Deputy District Attorney Terry White denied the allegation.
"This office has done a very thorough and professional job," he told the judge.
FBI agents seeking to question about 250 officers at the station where the indicted officers were assigned called off interviews with about two dozen officers when investigators were told they would not voluntarily cooperate, a lawyer said.
Cecil Marr, an attorney for the Police Protective League, which represents the 8,300-member city force, said the FBI is insisting on only voluntary interviews.
by CNB