Overreaction?...

Beating by LAPD Officer Airs on TV: The case is seen as a test for Bratton as parallels are drawn to the Rodney King incident of 1991, per the LA Times.

The televised beating of a suspected car thief Wednesday by a flashlight-wielding Los Angeles Police Department officer was described by a top department official as "Rodney King-esque," drawing comparisons with the 1991 beating of an African American man by LAPD officers that led to catastrophic riots a year later. Television news crews in helicopters recorded the early morning car chase that ended in Compton shortly before 6 a.m. when about half a dozen LAPD officers ran after an African American man who bolted from a stolen Toyota Camry.

Okay, so you steal a car (allegedly), lead police on a 30 minute car chase, ditch the car and make a run for it... and you think that maybe the cops chasing you won't be a little ticked? Yes I know that the excessive use of force is unwarranted, and there should certainly be an investigation into the actions of the police officers in this case, but to compare a ten second beating with that of Rodney King's is ludicrous.