The LA Riot was a tragic event that caused many deaths, brought down many businesses, and created a mess in Koreatown. 

The riot was known to be triggered by the beating and death of Rodney King, an African American, by four officers and an unfair jury due to ethnic inequality.

This went on to media and spread everywhere throughout the nation.

However, there were also other incidents that happened which triggered the riot in Los Angeles.

One major event that took place shortly after Rodney King's beating was the Latasha Harlins event.

On March 16, 1991, two weeks after Rodney King's beating, Latasha Harlins, a 15 year old African American girl, decided to purchase an item at a Korean American owned grocery store in South Los Angeles.

At the cash register, Soon Ja Du grabbed Harlins and Harlins punched Du. As she turned to leave after putting the product, which she didn't end up buying, down on the counter, Du shot Harlins in the head and immediately killed her.

Despite the video and evidence of murder, Du only gets convicted of involuntary manslaughter and is charged with only five years of probations, 400 hours of community service and a $500 fine. This was due to "self-defense" of herself even though Harlins clearly left the product on the countertop and turned her back to leave.

This event slowly disappeared in the memory of tragic events and now people are forgetting who Latasha Harlins was and that this tragic event even happened. 

This incident exacerbated the already existing tension between African Americans and Asian Americans. Due to this incident, it catalyzed what became of the 1992 LA riots and led to many Korean-owned businesses being burned and attacked. 

Similar to this incident, many more incidents catalyzed the LA riots--the riots did not happen due to one African American man and four police officers. There was ongoing tension between races and after racial discrimination and prejudice kept building on top of one another, it lead to the violence of the 1992 LA riots.

Although Rodney King's event was what was seen to be the trigger for the cause of LA riots, history and memories don't recall what other incidents triggered the LA riots. 

"Keep Ya Head Up" by Tupac dedicates Harlins in this song and with his other track, frequently mentions the incident of the unfair death of Harlins.