LOS ANGELES, MAY 9 -- When outnumbered police officers retreated in confusion from Florence and Normandie avenues April 29, they did not realize that the skirmish they were conceding to angry street gangs was the opening battle of what would become modern America's most deadly urban riot.
"We thought we were beating a tactical retreat and would return in force," said an officer in the first unit ordered to leave the flashpoint. "We didn't know we were abandoning the community."
Police never regrouped to take control of the vital and violent intersection, an action that Police Chief Daryl F. Gates concedes was a serious mistake. Quickly, the carnage escalated and spread. By the time it ended, at least 53 people had died, at least 2,300 had been injured, more than 16,000 were under arrest and thousands of buildings had been burned and looted.