Gates Makes Arrest In Assault -- 3 Held In Beating Of Truck Driver

LOS ANGELES - Police and FBI arrested three men today in the dramatic televised beating of a truck driver that became a searing symbol of urban rioting. Police Chief Daryl Gates personally took part in one of the arrests.

Damian "Football" Williams, 19, was asleep in his home when Gates, accompanied by FBI agents and his SWAT team, arrived to arrest him for allegedly hurling a brick that struck Reginald Denny on April 29 during the riots.

"I wanted very much to personally arrest him. I did it all by myself," said Gates, "with the aid of about 200 police officers and the FBI. He said, `Chief Gates, you're going.' And I said, `Yes, Football, but you're going first.' " Gates will retire next month.

FBI and police special-weapons-team officers raided six sites in the South Central area about 2:30 a.m. today.

Besides Williams, those arrested were Henry Watson, 27, and Antoine Miller, 20. They were booked for investigation of state charges of attempted murder, mayhem, robbery and torture and federal charges of interfering with a vehicle engaged in interstate commerce, said Lt. Bruce Hagerty.

A fourth man was arrested on a parole-violation charge, but officials said it had not been determined whether he took part in the beating.

Denny, 36, was severely injured when he was pulled from his truck and beaten by rioters. Yesterday he issued a statement from his hospital bed where he continues to recover from severe head injuries.

"I know a lot of you want to know what I think of what happened," Denny said. "Quite frankly, I have no opinion on what happened and really have no idea of what happened.

In a related development, former CIA and FBI chief William Webster was picked by the Police Commission yesterday to lead an investigation of the riots, the worst in the United States this century.

Webster said his investigation of the riots will focus not only on the police response - the slowness of which has been blamed for Denny's beating - but on whether the mayor and media bear responsibility for the outbreak of violence.