Rodney King, whose beating by the Los Angeles Police Department exposed the problematic relationship between authorities and minorities in L.A., had drugs and alochol in his system when he drowned at his Rialto home in June, the Los Angeles Times reported.

King was in a "state of drug- and alcohol-induced delirium" when he entered the pool, according to the San Bernadino County Coroner's office. The toxicology report found cocaine, PCP, marijuana and alcohol in his system, which helps to explain how King, an avid swimmer, could have drowned in his own backyard. The drugs, coupled with a heart condition, caused a cardiac arrhythmia.

King's struggles with drugs and alcohol were well-documented and he appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab" while battling his alcohol addiction last year.

The acquittal of the LAPD officers who beat him served as a flash point for the racially-charged L.A. riots in 1992.

 

Read the story at the Los Angeles Times. 

Follow Neon Tommy's coverage of Rodney King.

Reach Executive Producer Dawn Megli here.