LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – A white former transit  police officer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter yesterday in the videotaped shooting death of an unarmed black  man that triggered riots in Oakland, California last year.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined civic leaders in  Oakland and elsewhere in appealing for public restraint as  police braced for the possibility of renewed violence sparked  by the Los Angeles jury’s verdict.

The panel of four men and eight women deliberated for about  six hours over two days before reaching their decision, which  indicated they essentially believed defense arguments that the  shooting was a tragic accident rather than the intentional act  of a rogue cop.