The riots broke out when a 21-year-old African-American man was stopped by police for drunk driving. The man's arrest was prevented by his mother, who came to the scene. There was a physical confrontation during which the drunk man was hit in the face with a baton. A crowd of onlookers gathered and a rumor spread that a policeman had hit a pregnant woman at the scene with a baton. Riots broke out and lasted for six days. Almost 14 thousand members of the California Army National Guard helped suppress them. The riots resulted in 34 deaths and over $40 million in property damage. It was the city's largest riot until the 1992 riot over the arrest of Rodney King.
