I was living in Lynwood Ca. during the Rodney King riots. On the first day of the riots I was watering my front lawn watching my neighbors unload presumably stolen goods from their vehicles, as two blocks away the strip mall was being looted and burned. A young man (mid twenties) was riding towards me on a bicycle. A van full of young men of an ethnicity different than the cyclist passed me going the other diretion down the street. There was comotion in the van and they turned around, sped up, and hit the back tire of the bicycle with the bumper of the van. The van was going about 30-35 mph. The cyclist flew off the bike tumbling on the sidewalk. His hands, arms, and face were dripping blood. He looked at me and said, "what the f*&k is going on?" as the van passengers started to exit. I dropped the hose and ran approx. 20 feet to the door of the house where right inside was my Rem. 20 gauge. I chambered a round and leveled it at the assailant nearest the cyclist. Time stood still. everything went silent and all I could see was the barrel, the assailant, and the cyclist. Very slowly the men got in the van. Once in the van they sped away. The cyclist thanked me and asked how to get out of the neighborhood. I told him and he carried the bike stumbling down the street.
During the riots I saw people turn into animals and have been weary of many people ever since.
During the riots I saw people turn into animals and have been weary of many people ever since.