Homicide Rate Rises Sharply in 9 Months

The homicide rate in Los Angeles rose sharply in the first nine months of the year, with 762 murders reported, 101 more than in the same period of 1989 and 200 more than in 1988, police records showed Wednesday.

Statistics accumulated through September by the Los Angeles Police Department also showed increases in the number of rapes, with 1,533 reported, up 4% over the same period of last year. Robberies were up 20%, to 26,634, and aggravated assaults were up 4% to 34,280 by Sept. 30.

Police said 73 of the homicides were reported in September alone. The overall homicide figure is 15% higher than for the first nine months of 1989 and 36% higher than for the same time frame in 1988. The September figures show the continuation of a trend reported in August by local law enforcement officials.