The Los Angeles plumber who recorded police officers beating Rodney King in 1991 passed away from COVID-19 Sunday, according to NBC News.
George Holliday had been in the hospital for more than a month, according to NBC News. He was not vaccinated and was put on a ventilator after contracting pneumonia, the outlet reported.
George Holliday, a Los Angeles plumber who shot grainy video of four white police officers beating Black motorist Rodney King in 1991, has died of complications of COVID-19. A year later, the city erupted in violence when the officers were acquitted. https://t.co/ysj1chckJi
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 21, 2021
King was pulled over March 3, 1991, for allegedly driving while drunk and leading police on a high-speed chase when police hit him more than 50 times. He suffered skull fractures, broken bones, and brain damage from the assault. (RELATED: Traffic Stop Video Shows Police Officers Pepper-Spraying Army Officer In Uniform)
The stop outside Holliday’s home woke him up in the middle of the night. He was able to capture the incident on his video camera.
The jury later acquitted all the officers involved in the brutal assault April 29, 1992, reported NBC News. Riots and protests ensued throughout Los Angeles, killing more than 60 people.
King sued Los Angeles in 1994 and was awarded $3.8 million.
Holliday attempted to sell the video camera he used to film the incident last year for $225,000 but it was unclear if it ever sold, NBC News reported.