Suspect Directed Riot Beatings, Investigators Say : Unrest: One of the men charged with the attack on trucker told mob at Florence and Normandie which people to assault, report indicates.

Damian Monroe (Football) Williams not only beat motorists but also directed some of the attacks that left more than a dozen people injured in the April 29 rioting at Florence and Normandie avenues, according to an investigation report.

A copy of the report, obtained Friday by The Times, also suggests that Williams and other defendants will face additional charges if more victims can be identified, and quotes Williams as telling police officers shortly after his arrest, “I’ll beat this case like I beat them all.”

The 18-page report, written by members of the federal-local task force investigating riot crimes, states that Williams, 19, picked out victims for the mob to attack, allowing some motorists to pass unharmed through the intersection but targeting others for violence.

In one case, a Puerto Rican woman named Alicia Maldonado was attacked after someone in the crowd, whom police suspect was Williams, allegedly yelled: “She is not a sister.”

In a related development, The Times obtained a copy of a statement by another suspect, Antoine Eugene (Twan) Miller, in which he admits to being present during the attacks but denies hitting truck driver Reginald O. Denny or any of the other motorists.

“I wanted to steal the truck or anything that was inside the truck since the driver had been yanked out,” Miller told police in a signed statement dated May 12, the day he was arrested. “I never hit anybody out there, but I did throw some rocks at cars that were driving by.”

Miller’s lawyer, J. Patrick Maginnis, said his client’s statement reinforces his contention that he never struck Denny or participated in the beating. Miller, who is said to be despondent over the charges filed against him, was placed under medical observation Friday, Maginnis said.

The investigation report states that one witness interviewed by police said he was “70% to 80% positive” that he saw Williams orchestrating attacks on motorists and also noted that he has been “intimidated and threatened” for cooperating in the investigation. The witness identified Williams from a set of photographs shown by police officers.

Videotapes of the attacks supplied by news organizations and citizens show Williams “somewhat directing traffic” by stopping some cars and letting others go, according to the report. Williams’ lawyers acknowledged that the tapes show their client directing traffic at the intersection, but they contend he was trying to protect motorists by guiding them to safety, not setting them up to be attacked.

The report’s conclusions are drawn from five videotapes as well as from interviews with witnesses, and its findings offer the first detailed look at evidence in the cases against the suspects charged with participating in the attacks. The report also makes it clear that investigators believe some of the suspects now in custody are responsible for more than just the crimes with which they are charged.

The Florence and Normandie beatings, which erupted in the opening hours of the Los Angeles riots, have so far resulted in five arrests. In addition to Williams, and Miller, Henry Keith (Kiki) Watson and Anthony Lamar Brown all are charged in the attack on Denny, who was pulled from his sand and gravel truck and beaten senseless while millions of viewers watched on live television.

The four men are charged in 12 other beatings, though not each defendant is charged in every attack. And prosecutors say all these attacks were captured on videotape. Investigators say the four are members of the Eight-Tray Gangster Crips or are affiliated with that well-known South Los Angeles street gang. All remain in jail, although supporters of Williams have raised enough money to post his bail. However, a special hearing must be held to determine whether the property used to secure his bail was acquired legally.

Supporters of the men deny that they are gang members.

A fifth suspect, Gary A. Williams, also is in custody for his role in the attack on Denny. Investigators say he robbed the truck driver once he was unconscious. Gary Williams is not charged with beating Denny or any of the other motorists.

In addition to the charges already filed, the report obtained Friday indicates that investigators believe Williams, Watson and Miller are responsible for at least six more assaults. They have not been charged in those attacks because the victims have not yet been identified, investigators said.

If those victims come forward, Williams could be charged with at least four more attacks, and Watson and Miller could be charged with at least one more each.

The report was part of the material given to Municipal Court Judge William R. Chidsey Jr., who set the bail amounts for all five defendants. Williams’ lawyers complained that Chidsey should not have been given the document because it alleges that their clients were involved in crimes for which no charges have been filed.

“Did I feel that was fair?,” asked Dennis Palmieri, Williams’ lawyer. “Of course not.”

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, disagreed. “The judge made it very clear at the hearing that he was making his decision about bail based on the additional charges that were filed not on any other allegations,” she said.

In addition to its description of the attacks at Florence and Normandie, the report briefly details the actions of two of the suspects after they were arrested.

According to the report, Miller waived his rights and admitted to Detective Gary Lowder that he received a purse stolen from Maria Vaca, one of the motorists attacked at the intersection. The purse contained $5, according to Miller.

Williams, on the other hand, angrily denied any role in the attacks and told one officer that he was not at the intersection when they occurred.

A police officer riding with him after he was arrested May 12 said Williams pointed to the intersection of Florence and Normandie and said: “This is where the riots started. I wasn’t here. I saw it on TV. This was just an Eight-Tray Gangster Crip gang thing. The people here should not get in trouble for what they did ‘cause those . . . cops didn’t get in trouble for beating up Rodney King.”

As he was brought into the South Bureau homicide division of the LAPD, officers had difficulty controlling Williams, the report states.

Williams reportedly yelled at two officers: “I’ll beat your ass. Eight-Tray Gangster Crips, cuzz.”