Baldwin Hills : Increase in Crime Reported

The Baldwin Hills-Ladera Heights area experienced a 11.7% increase in crime during the first 11 months of this year, with a sharp jump in armed robberies and vehicle burglaries in the last month.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols the unincorporated area, said 840 serious crimes were reported through November, up from 752 in the same period last year.

The largest increases occurred in cases of rape, up 66.6%; robbery, up 44.7%; larceny and theft, up 32.4%, and vehicle theft, up 17.5%.

In November, the area, which also includes Windsor Hills and View Park, had a 40.8% increase in crime over October levels. The number of armed robberies jumped from four in October to 13 in November, while vehicle burglaries nearly quadrupled, from seven to 27.

Capt. Ray Sanchez, head of the marina sheriff’s station, said there was “no rhyme or reason” for the surge of crime in November, although he speculated that a former prisoner may have been released and was hitting that particular area. Most of the robberies occurred in Ladera Heights.

Sanchez said the person or people involved in the November incidents had either been arrested or had moved on to other areas because “whatever happened in November is not occurring in December.”

The number of arrests in the area increased nearly 17% in the first 11 months of this year.