• Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Staff
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
Header image

MyNewsLA.comLogo

Breaking news for greater Los Angeles and Orange County

Menu

Skip to content
  • Crime
  • Government
  • Business
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Hollywood
  • Life
  • OC
  • Fierce Winds Batter Southland Mountains, Valleys; Red Flag Warnings In Effect
  • Suspected DUI Driver Arrested Following Deadly Huntington Beach Crash
  • Celebration of Life Held for Lasorda at Dodger Stadium
  • Lanes Closed Following Four-Vehicle Crash on Harbor Freeway
  • Orange County Reports 110 More COVID-19 Deaths

Home » Crime » This Article

Ancient Video Camera That Taped Rodney King Beating Up For Auction – $225,000-Plus!

Posted by Contributing Editor on July 24, 2020 in Crime | Leave a response
Share this article:
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail
los angeles police arm patch
LAPD patch. Photo by MyNewsLA.com

The Sony video camera used to record the March 3, 1991, beating of Rodney King by four Los Angeles police officers will be auctioned next Thursday, with bidding set to start at $225,000, it was announced Friday.

According to Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the camera comes with a notarized letter of authenticity by consignor George Holliday, who used it record the beating from the balcony of his Lake View Terrace apartment. The grainy footage he shot that night is considered the first-ever viral video and made the then-31-year-old plumber a pioneer of citizen journalism.

“I hope this video camera inspires people to use their power to record events that they find troubling. Don’t be afraid to use it,” Holliday said in a statement released by the auction house.

The Sony Video8 Handycam CCD-F77 is identified with the serial number 63299 and includes original accessories of the Sony AC power adapter AC-V16 with the serial number H163476, and the AA battery case EBP-55.

The batteries have been removed to protect the camera, which is no longer functional. The videotape of the beating is not included.

The foam cover of the camera microphone is almost completely deteriorated, which is the condition in which the FBI returned the camera to Holliday circa 2015, according to the auction house, which says the camcorder remains in “very good” condition otherwise.

Holiday recorded the King beating just after midnight, and later that day contacted KTLA, which was the first to air the footage that would be seen around the world.

King, who had been drinking and was on probation for a robbery conviction, was instructed to pull over for speeding on a Los Angeles freeway and eventually stopped his car in front of Holliday’s apartment building, where Los Angeles police officers took charge of the traffic stop.

The noise woke Holliday, who came outside and videotaped four white officers repeatedly beating and kicking the Black motorist, who suffered skull fractures, broken bones and teeth, and permanent brain damage, while other officers looked on.

Like this story? Don’t miss any breaking news from MyNewsLA.com. Sign up here for your free newsletter.

 

When the four officers were acquitted a year later of excessive use of force by a jury in Ventura County, five days of rioting ensued in Los Angeles, resulting in 54 deaths, some 2,400 injuries, scores of destroyed buildings and other property damage, and more than 12,000 arrests.

Additional information on the camera can be found at natedsanders.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=58296.

Ancient Video Camera That Taped Rodney King Beating Up For Auction – $225,000-Plus! was last modified: July 24th, 2020 by Contributing Editor

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!

Follow us:
Facebooktwitterrss
Posted in Crime | Tagged auction, beating, camera, film, Goes, king, Rodney, used, video

Advertisement

Get The Latest News by Email!

Sign up here for our free newsletters. We’ll send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon.

 
FORECAST FOR LOS ANGELES
59°
Partly Cloudy
Feels like: 59°F
Wind: 3mph NNE
Humidity: 34%
Pressure: 29.93"Hg
UV index: 0
WedThuFri
77/52°F
72/50°F
61/45°F
Weather forecast Los Angeles, California ▸

Most Popular Today

  • Dead Mom Tragedy In Head-on Crash Near Moreno Valley: Her Three Buckled-In Kids OK 6,600 views
  • Allergic Reactions to COVID-19 Shots Not Expected to Affect Riverside County 3,200 views
  • Bad News For Wife, Lover In Bloody Slashing Murder Of Hairdresser Hubby: Judge Won’t Dismiss Sentencing Enhancements 2,000 views
  • Rape Victim Unconscious, But She’s Dead! Suspect Nabbed, Unclear When Victim Died In Pomona 1,600 views
  • Winds Topple Big Rig That Lands Atop SUV Near San Jacinto 1,600 views

©2021 CalNews Inc.

Menu

  • About
  • Staff
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service