Rodney King (born April 2, 1965) is an American citizen whose videotaped beating by police officers led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The March 3, 1991 footage showed Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers repeatedly striking King after a traffic stop with their batons while other officers stood by watching, without taking any actions to stop the brutality. The beating left King with skull fractures and brain and kidney damage.

Captured on video by a nearby resident, much of the footage was aired by news agencies around the world, causing public outrage that raised tensions between the black community and the LAPD and increased anger over police brutality and social inequalities in Los Angeles. Four officers were indicted as a result of the beating, but a subsequent trial led to three acquittals and a mistrial in the predominantly white suburb of Simi Valley. The verdicts set off three days of riots in African-American neighborhoods.

Rodney King pleaded guilty on February 28, 2012 to misdemeanor reckless driving in connection with his arrest in Moreno Valley in 2011 on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Rodney King was found dead at his California home on June 17, 2012.