LA murders, gun violence drop in early days of 2022
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva discuses spike in crime, addresses arrest of suspects
Within two weeks two women were killed in unprovoked attacks by homeless men in Los Angeles. Sheriff Alex Villanueva joined FOX 11 News to talk about the lengthy criminal past of one of the suspects as well as the spike in crime within the county.
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday that the number of homicides and shooting victims in the city slowed during the first three weeks of 2022 compared to last year.
"While the numbers are still stabilizing, I can report that in the first three weeks we have seen somewhat of a slowing down of the number of shots fired, number of shooting victims and the number of homicides compared to the same period last year."
Twenty-six people have been murdered so far this year, compared to 33 at this point in 2021.
MORE CRIME NEWS: Smash-and-grab under investigation at Newport Beach jewelry store
Moore noted, however, that the "level of violence is still well above the numbers we saw in 2020. So we are by no means out of the woods in regards to this."
While homicides and gun violence slowed, robberies increased 14% in the first few weeks of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, Moore said.
MORE CRIME NEWS: Woman attacked by unhoused man in Santa Monica
Moore said the Los Angeles Police Department is focusing its resources first on violent crime, and the department is working to educate the public to "lock it, hide it, keep it," to prevent being victims of property crimes.
Los Angeles, as well as cities across the U.S., saw spikes in select categories of crime in 2021, including an 11.8% increase in homicides, a 3.9% increase in violent crime and a 4.2% increase in property crimes.
The number of people shot rose by 9%.
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