Initial incident

At approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, 1996, Officer James Knight of the St. Petersburg Police Department and his partner executed a traffic stop

Traffic stop

A traffic stop, commonly called Being pulled over, is a temporary detention of a driver of a vehicle by police to investigate a possible crime or civil infraction. In constitutional law in the United States, a traffic stop is considered to be a subset of the Terry stop; the standard set by the...

 on a suspected stolen vehicle, which turned out not to be stolen. The driver of this vehicle, Tyron Lewis, an 18-year-old black male, pulled over to the side of the road. Officer Knight alleges he ordered Lewis to exit the vehicle, an order he alleges was not obeyed. Officer Knight alleges, he moved to the front of the vehicle and ordered Lewis to exit the vehicle. He alleges Lewis's vehicle rolled towards Knight at slow speed, which Knight contends pushed him towards active traffic lanes on 16th Street South. Knight drew his weapon and then fired at least three shots. Lewis was critically injured and taken to Bayfront Medical Center

Bayfront Medical Center

Bayfront Medical Center is a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bayfront Medical Center is Pinellas County's only trauma center and St. Petersburg's longest-standing hospital....

 where he later died.

Conflicting stories and rioting

During the investigation immediately following this event, a large crowd had gathered and became agitated due to the police department not sharing information and a number of witness

Witness

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...

es describing events. The situation quickly got out of hand and the crowd began throwing rocks, bottles, and other items at police officers. Police officers received reinforcement

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of increasing the rate or probability of a behavior in the form of a "response" by the delivery or emergence of a stimulus Reinforcement is a term in operant conditioning and behavior analysis for the process of...

s from other local agencies and off-duty St. Petersburg Police officers. As officers and Sheriff deputies shot tear gas into the crowd and dispersed the initial crowd at 16th Street and 18th Avenue South, a number of individuals continued riot

Riot

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...

ing through the area of St. Petersburg known as Midtown.

Different media versions

Media outlets published different versions of the initial incident. The media outlets in and around the St. Petersburg area included the information that the car Lewis was driving was suspected of being stolen. Media outlets outside the area only mentioned that Lewis was pulled over for speeding. Additionally, many published articles did not mention that Lewis had cocaine in the car, both cocaine and marijuana in his system and a warrant for his arrest.

Gymnasium naming

The People's Democratic Uhuru Movement

Uhuru Movement

The Uhuru Movement is a political organizations centered around the principles of "African Internationalism," which adheres to liberation of Africans in both the continent of Africa and in the African diaspora, as well building economic and sustainable development in these communities. 'Uhuru' is...

 has a gym named "Uhuru Black Gym of Our Own." City leaders moved the gym to an abandoned building on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S., renovated the building and renamed it to "All People's TyRon Lewis Community Gym." This move sparked controversy with many police officers.

Aftermath

At least 20 people were arrested and 28 arson fires

Arson

Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...

 were confirmed as groups of youths ran back and forth throughout the night, throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at officers in riot gear, businesses and passing cars. At least 11 people were injured, including a police officer

Police officer

A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...

 who was shot and a newspaper photographer who was beaten, as hundreds of people swarmed through the streets after the shooting on Oct 24th. Stores were looted

Looting

Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...

 and thick smoke clouded the predominantly black neighborhood just south of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida

After the rioting, Officer James Knight and his partner Sandra Minor, were put on paid leave while investigation into their actions took place. Within a few weeks, the two officers were cleared of all charges by a grand jury, igniting further rioting.

Presentation in culture

In 2009, the independent movie Loren Cass

Loren Cass

Loren Cass is a feature-length motion picture, directed by 21-year-old independent filmmaker Chris Fuller, about adolescents coming to terms with their lives in St. Petersburg, Florida after the 1996 riots there. The film took ten years to complete....

was released in the United States.

External links

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• Riot erupts in St. Petersburg, Florida, after white cop shoots and kills black motorist, Jet, Nov 11, 1996
• Officers primed to quell uprising, Ten years after the riots, police are better equipped and trained. By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN Published October 22, 2006, St. Petersburg Times