Long Beach : Gang-Related Crime Figures Up Significantly From 1990

There were 53 gang-related killings in Long Beach last year, an increase of 15% over 1990, according to the local Police Department.

In a presentation to the City Council this week, the department also reported that there were 341 gang-related shooting incidents, up 22% from 1990. Of those shootings, 81 were attributed to warring factions of Latino and Southeast Asian gangs. Through November of 1991, there were 574 violent crime incidents involving gangs, a 35% increase over 1990.

The increases reflect an overall rise in gang violence throughout Los Angeles County, which recorded 725 gang-related killings through November of 1991, a 22% increase over 1990.

Police say there are 70 street gangs in Long Beach with a total of about 11,500 members. About half the gangs are said to be criminally active, with 11 of those groups predominantly involved in drug trafficking, drive-by shootings and homicides.