Spike in murders over weekend but overall decline continues

In the wake of a spate of violence over the Halloween weekend, when at least 17 people were killed in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles Police Department Chief William J. Bratton said additional officers have been deployed to South L.A.

LAPD commanders said a combination of unrelated gang and drug activity may have been behind some of the attacks. Despite the uptick, violent crime in Los Angeles is down 5.2% and homicides are down 8.8%, compared with the same time last year, Bratton said. The chief told the Los Angeles Police Commission this week that gang-related crimes have declined about 11%, and gang-related killings are down 25%. Bratton said the department was also gearing up for a push on gang crime after the beginning of the year.

--Richard Winton