Latino-vs.-black violence drives hate crimes in L.A. County to 5-year high

Hate crimes in Los Angeles County rose to their highest level in five years last year, led by attacks between Latinos and blacks, officials said Thursday.

The annual report by the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission showed hate crimes rose by 28%, to 763, with vandalism and assault leading the way, reports The Times' Teresa Watanabe.

In what commission Executive Director Robin Toma called an alarming trend, hate crimes based on race, religion and sexual orientation all rose, increasing against nearly all groups -- including blacks, gays, Jews, Mexicans, whites and Asians -- even as crime in general declined.

The largest number of racial hate crimes involved Latino suspects against black victims, followed by black suspects against Latino victims. Latinos also made up the largest number of suspects in hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Whites were the leading suspects in religion-based incidents. Overall, blacks made up nearly half the hate crime victims, totaling 310.

Read more about the report on hate crime in Los Angeles here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Photo: Robin S. Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, presents the commission's 2007 Hate Crimes report during a news conference in Los Angeles. Hate crimes in the county soared last year to their highest mark in five years even as overall crime dropped across the region. Credit: Los Angeles Times