West Covina : Homicide Rate Up 36.4%
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The series of crimes dubbed the mall murders helped push the homicide rate up 36.4% in West Covina last year, but the overall rate for major crimes decreased slightly.
According to an annual police report, there were 15 homicides, up from 11 in 1990. Five people were killed in the San Gabriel Valley in the mall murders during the summer of 1991 and two of the victims were killed in West Covina.
Some other serious crimes also increased. There were 39 rapes, compared with 18 in 1990, and 337 robberies, a 22% increase.
But for the first time in three years, major crimes, overall, decreased by 2.6%. Aggravated assaults went from 428 in 1990 to 401 last year. Burglaries dropped from 1,277 in 1990 to 1,178.
Stepped up efforts by the Street Crime Apprehension Team and school resource officers helped in reducing gang-related crimes. Last year, there were 190 incidents, compared to 228 in 1990.
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