Violent crime in L.A. jumps for third straight year as police deal with gang, homeless issues
A woman comforts the wife of a man who died in a shooting that left four dead and 12 others wounded at a home
on 2900 block of South Rimpau Boulevard in West Adams. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Violent crime increased in Los Angeles for the third straight year as police tried to stem a rash of homicides and gang-related shootings while dealing with a growing homeless population.
With more than 290 people killed in the city this year, homicides also rose for the third year in a row. Still, the city remains far safer than a decade ago, when 480 people were killed and there were 46% more robberies than this year.
According to statistics from the Los Angeles Police Department, robberies were up by 13%, aggravated assaults were up by 10% and rapes were down by 4% through Dec. 17, compared with the same period last year. Homicides were up by 5%.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...208f9-79425165
