He is still in prison today serving out a 46-year sentence. The leader of the mob that nearly murdered Reginald Denny was called Damien Williams. sentenced to 46 years in Damian "Football" Williams, probably the best-known of the assailants, was a 19-year-old with a criminal record including arrests for auto theft and robbery but no convictions. No, we didnt start the riots, Williams said. The defense began pleading on September 20, making a case for unpremeditated assault, with Faal challenging the video evidence and portraying Williams as a victim of poverty and racism. His friends recalled him as being generous to children and devoted to caring for an older brother who had been beaten in a robbery. another spat on him; a Dec. 7, 1992: A teenager seen on video smashing a brick into the head of trucker Reginald Denny at the start of the violence is convicted of assault and other charges. this route was Denny, who Antoine ended up being shot to death himself in 2004 at 31-years-old during an altercation outside of a nightclub, per the Los Angeles Times. His skull was fractured in 91 places and pushed into his brain. Outnumbered, the police left the scene reportedly to get equipment to help handle the crowd. He left the 110 Harbor Freeway and took a familiar shortcut along Florence Avenue to get to his destination. Menu. The prosecution rested on September 17, 1993. He spent 17 months in jail and was placed on 27 months probation after pleading guilty to grand theft, receiving stolen property and assault in the Denny case. The most notorious attacker, 19-year-old Damian "Football" Williams, hurled a cinder block at the head of Reginald Denny, causing a near-fatal seizure. several hours after But he wanted to make a name for himself, in South Central Los Angeles. The only reason he probably did not die that day was because four South [2][12] During his recovery, he received over 27,000 get-well cards from supportive members of the community. [20] Miller was shot and killed at age 31 in a Hollywood nightclub in February 2004. 48-year-old drug dealer, in July 2000. Riots: 15 Years After Rodney King: Key Figures: Reginald Denny", "When LA Erupted In Anger: A Look Back At The Rodney King Riots", "The L.A. murieltimelineviewkingverdictsbeatingarrest, murieldoesyourlifemattersodoesmine - Copy, MurielCloseupoftruckandbeatingscene - Copy, Damian Football Williams Speaks with Billie Jordan Exclusively for 25th Anniversary of 1992 L.A. Maxine Waters visited Damien Williams' mother to offer her support. There was some kind of altercation between two groups, Thrasher said. Damien Williams was sentenced to ten years for attacking Reginald and four others the same day. Shut Up! Id been with my mother all my life and my mother had worked with white people as a nurse- some of the most nice and compassionate people. Browse 61 reginald denny beating stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Williams was sent to prison on a single felony charge of mayhem, but when his accomplices got off, Waters joined in the celebration. You gonna always lose, because theres always somebody more powerful and more stronger than you. If Speaker Pelosi doesnt act against this dangerous rhetoric, I will bring action this week. He was described as having friends in gangs, but not being a member of any gangs himself. football star, was part of *Damian Monroe Football Williams never intended to make history, or revolt. All rights reserved. He said, I heard you wanted to leave the gang, I said, yea I want to go so I can play sports and everything- I want to leave this lifestyle alone. And he told me, Its too late., I was in so deep, and I was around individuals that I had a great deal of respect for, I had to conceal what I was really feeling because I didnt want to show signs of weakness. [2] Watson was given credit for time served and was sentenced to three years' probation for the assaults of Denny and truck driver Larry Tarvin. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really One of There is no more complete source for urban news than the Electronic Urban Report. What Im going to say, what happened on that day was unjustified. of a white truck driver But when you dont know better, you dont know how to do better. But, we must understand that I must speak to the person about how I feel and what I think now. 2003, he received a life sentence for murdering Grover Tinner, a He was sentenced to 46 years in prison in 2003. escalated into violence, Damian 'Football' Williams is known for American Experience (1987) and Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 (2017). only four misdemeanors and He was a member of the Crips. After Rodney King. He only served four of those years but ended up in prison again for being part of the murder of a drug dealer in 2000. Gates himself arrested Damian Williams, while other officers arrested Henry Watson and Antoine Miller. Williams bashed Denny's head with a cinderblock, while another rioter, Henry Keith Watson stood on his neck and another spat on him; a motorcyclist even shot at the truck's gas tank, but fortunately missed. After unsuccessfully suing the City of Los Angeles, Denny moved to Arizona, where he worked as an independent boat mechanic and has mostly avoided media contact. Henry Watson stood on Denny's neck to hold him down as a group of men surrounded him and Anthony Brown kicked him in the abdomen. Maxine Waters flew across the country to incite riots in Minneapolis. The leader of the mob that nearly murdered Reginald Denny was called Damien Williams. He spoke to "Let It Fall: LA 1982-1999," an ABC News documentary. On August 12, 1993, a jury of five Whites, three Blacks, three Latinos, and one Asian was chosen. [I would not have been a part of it.] Mad Max is truly patheticthe kid KILLED someone and you are cheering them on? She has done it many times before and it is conduct unbefitting a congresswoman. [2][12][13] Green, also a truck driver,[14] boarded Denny's truck and drove him to the Daniel Freeman Hospital in Inglewood. named Reginald Denny. I havent spoken to nobody about this incident- about what occurred. Damian Williams was arrested by Los Angeles police chief As a result of the injuries he suffered during the attacks, Denny had to undergo years of rehabilitative therapy, and his speech and ability to walk were permanently damaged. 2000 murder of an L.A. drug dealer, and in 2003 was sentenced to 46 years was oblivious to what was Damien Williams was released a few years later and went on to murder somebody else. However, he was charged with robbery after emptying Reginald's pockets and stealing his wallet as he lay in the street unconscious and bleeding. Police said the shooting occurred after an argument between Williams and Tinner. The doctors who treated Denny testified, describing his wounds and their efforts to repair them. Henry Keith Watson, and finally make peace. You have entered an incorrect email address! rioter, Henry Keith Watson I had become more engaged into that gang life and getting put on a gang and joining a gang and doing the things that gang members do. afternoon of April 29, 1992, he had simply loaded up his 18-wheeler and We have many "It's slow for him, but he's getting better.". As his rig crossed Florence, a group of rioters enraged over the Rodney King As a boy, Williams would sit on his porch and watch the happenings on 71st Street, between Florence and Raymond avenues. She performed a victory dance over this innocent mans battered body. serious charges against him [2][12], In 1997, Damian Williams was released from prison early for good behavior, but in 2003, he was sentenced to 46 years to life in prison for the 2000 murder of drug dealer Grover Tinner. And that's what I want the people to know. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Damian Williams, 20, was sentenced to the maximum term by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk, who said the viciousness of the attack showed no 'spark of human compassion.' And its not a game. He never fully recovered from his riot related physical injuries, he reports in a 2002 NBC video-interview. against him of attempted murder, assault and aggravated mayhem and was convicted instead of only four misdemeanors and simple mayhem. [2] He became friends with the four persons that saved him, and Green was hired by Denny's employer Transit Mixed. She has done it many times before. In the late scapegoating the two), excruciating images the vicious attack of a white truck driver named But she did not denounce the attack. Williams was found "She embraced Damian Williams, the infamous thug who hurled a chunk of concrete at white truck driver Reginald Denny and performed a victory dance over the bloodied innocent bystander." Henry Keith Watson was 27 years old, married with kids, and had a job when he stomped on Reginald's face, neck, and head repeatedly. There are so many examples of her violent rhetoric, but did you know that during the LA riots she readily embraced the thug who hurled a concrete block at the head of an innocent truck driver, Reginald Denny. The possibility of riot is now news, its speculation design to sway a jury. Williams, aka I really started recognizing the different things that was going on in our community. If I were the Judge, I would issue a Bench Warrant to Maxine Waters for Contempt of Court for making public comments which were designed to poison the Jury in this case. But everybody is not the same. So I could shed a new light on myself and know that who I was when I was 18- Im not that person now. In the decade leading up to the 1992 Riots, Williamssat on his porch and watched the happenings between Florence and Raymond, on 71st street. Waters did not learn a thing from the experience. He ultimately spent a total of six years of that time in prison, and was released in 1997. I think there was a turning point when I got probably about 10. It was three hours after the Rodney King verdict, in which a Simi Valley jury found four white Los Angeles police officers not-guilty for the brutal, video captured, beating of Rodney King, a black man. Because of media representative Bob Turs news helicopter video footage, recorded from the air above the scene, Williams was the most significant character arrested. The four officers were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force, per History. Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) April 19, 2021. Damian 'Football' Williams is currently on year 13, serving a 46-year-sentence in Calipatria, a California State Prison. I want the world to know that that individual in 1992 no longer exists, he said.. [20], Antoine Eugene Miller (May 5, 1972 February 8, 2004) was a 19-year-old who lived with Damian Williams' family. I seen that- how the gang violence was rising, the police was doing a lot of patrolling in our community, a lot of people had started using drugs, a lot of people --days using alcohol and things that were very unbeneficial, in my eyes at that particular time: People coming into my community with a new car, new clothes, things of that nature, I had become very curious and I wanted to know what it was. Like the Rodney King case, a video captured the beating . Mike Thrasher. Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in. Yep, thatsthe Democratic Partys new expert on race relations. Rioters jumped onto the rig, pulled Denny from the cab of his truck and began to inflict a horrific beating, all recorded from above by a news chopper. [30] Watson was re-arrested and sentenced to three years for a narcotics conviction and, after his release, owned and operated a limousine service in Los Angeles. Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies. All Rights Reserved. To be honest, if I would have knew what that incident- how it would affect my life- my name would have never been mentioned, in that situation. "I want love and healing to come back to the community," Williams. Chanting-protestors surrounded officers on the scene, and when an officer threw someone over a fence and then assaulted a man trying to help, the crowd grew angrier. It all happened on videotape, a helicopter caught it, and it happened in Maxine Waters city. I could have stayed on the front porch and continue to grow the way my mother intended for me to grow, but I made a bad decision, I came off the porch and I went in the streets and I got caught up. had not intended to kill intesection of Florence and Even though Im not a Christian, but born again from within. It was time for people to hear the new me. [11], Williams faced the most serious charges of the four, and was eventually convicted of four misdemeanors and simple mayhem. [5] Timothy Goldman, a local resident who was filming on the ground at the corner of Florence and Normandie Avenues, captured a part of the scene. Damien and Antoine were to two youngest men involved in the vicious beating. Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. I grew up in a household with a very religious mother, who I love dearly. Little Richards Influence On White Rock Legends Chronicled in Kandi Burruss Hustles Up KFC Ad Based on Scene from RHOA Ringside Update/ Davis vs Garcia: The Epilogue. The defendants' supporters contend that the so-called L.A. 4 are victims of a criminal courts system that treats black suspects more harshly than whites. Because of that image. Normandie had already Because a lot of us have a lot of anger that we're not willing to confront. He had a 3-month-old baby boy at the time of the attack. Damien Williams (born April 3, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. Damian Williams, 20, was charged with throwing a brick at white truck driver Reginald Denny at the flash point of the Los Angeles riots. [2] Watson later apologized to Denny during an appearance on the Phil Donahue Show,[27] where the pair shook hands. [19], Henry Keith Watson was a 27-year-old former US Marine and an ex-convict who had served time for armed robbery. According to the Los Angeles Times, Damien, a football player, also had a reputation for "gangbanging." He had a 3-month-old baby boy at the time of the attack. unconscious. It was a hate crime if there ever was one. for parole until he serves 47 years. him through intermediaries but they were unsuccessful; Denny largely avoids Maxine went on to enrich herself over the incident. Damien Williams was 19 years old when he was caught on video hurling a brick at Reginald Denny's head as the truck driver lay in the street. Damian Monroe "Football" Williams never intended to make history. during the 1992 Los Angeles And its coming again. [17] He was an 18-year-old[17] former high-school football star nicknamed "Football". Riots Damian 'Football' Williams Reflects On His Life And Role In The Rebellion", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Attack_on_Reginald_Denny&oldid=1151241469, Racially motivated violence against European Americans, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 19:51. Williams, 27, could face the death penalty for the July 18 shooting. Williams was convicted of mayhem and misdemeanor assault and was Good thing Regnal Denny wasnt a relative of mine. Officials said his murder may have been gang related. Williams, a former high-school one of the riots' most It was Damien who attracted the most media attention as the person who not only threw a brick at Reginal's head but followed it up with a dance and a gang sign. and aggravated mayhem and A brick would have been a perfect tool to do it. I consent to the use of following cookies: Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. On March 3, 1991, before everyone had cell phones and the ability to record any moment, a man named George Holliday happened to catch four white police officers kicking and beating King a Black man with their batons as he lay on the ground. in prison. Denny had to undergo years of rehabilitative therapy, but his speech and My mother provided for me very well and attended the best Christian school that was in Los Angeles, Marcus Garvey I was deep into sports, playing football and baseball and at the same time I was doing a lot of boxing at a local gym in my community.
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