<P> Hey, forget the flashlight, it's not worth it . It ain't worth it . It's not worth it . Forget the flashlight . Not worth it . Let's go . </P> <P> Moulin made the call for reporting officers to retreat from the 71st and Normandie area entirely at approximately 5: 50 pm . They were sent to an RTD bus depot at 54th and Arlington and told to await further instructions . The command post formed at this location was set up at approximately 6: 00 pm, but had no cell phones or computers other than those in squad cars . It had insufficient numbers of telephone lines and handheld police radios to assess and respond to the situation . Finally, the site had no televisions, which meant that as live broadcasts of unrest began, command post officers could not see any of the coverage . </P> <P> Emboldened by the retreat of officers at 71st and Normandie, many proceeded one block south to the intersection of Florence and Normandie . Just after 6 pm, a group of young men broke the padlock and windows to Tom's Liquor, allowing a group of more than 100 people to raid the store and loot it . Concurrently, the growing crowd in the street began attacking motorists of Caucasian and Asian appearance by throwing debris at their cars or pulling them from their vehicles when they stopped . As Goldman continued to film the scene on his camcorder, the Los Angeles News Service team of Marika Gerrard and Robert Tur arrived in a news helicopter, broadcasting from the air . The LANS feed appeared live on numerous Los Angeles television venues . At approximately 6: 15 pm, as reports of vandalism, looting, and physical attacks continued to come in, Moulin elected to "take the information", but not to respond with personnel to restore order or rescue people in the area . Moulin was relieved by a captain, ordered only to assess the Florence and Normandie area, and, again, not to attempt to deploy officers there . Meanwhile, Tur continued to cover the events in progress live at the intersection . From overhead, Tur described the police presence at the scene around 6: 30 pm as "none". </P> <P> At 6: 43 pm, truck driver Larry Tarvin, driving down Florence, stopped at a red light at Normandie in a large white delivery truck . He was pulled from the truck by a group of men including Henry Watson, who proceeded to kick and beat him, before striking him unconscious with a fire extinguisher taken from his own vehicle . He lay unconscious for more than a minute as his truck was looted, before getting up and staggering back to his vehicle . With the help of an unknown African - American named Rodney, Tarvin drove his truck out of further harm's way . Just before he did so, another truck, driven by Reginald Denny, entered the intersection . </P>

Erupted on august 3 1965 as the result of a routine arrest of a drunk driver