Police credit a 2-month-old truce between the Crips and Bloods with drastically reducing the number of gang-related deaths in South Central Los Angeles, a deputy chief has reported.
Deputy Chief Matthew Hunt, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department's South Bureau, said Tuesday that the numbers of gang-related homicides and drive-by shootings have dropped since the city's two deadliest gangs agreed to make peace after the April riots.Police reported two gang-related homicides in South Los Angeles last month, compared with 16 in May 1991, Hunt told the Police Commission.
"There's no question the amount of violent crime has decreased," Hunt said. "People in the community say they haven't heard a shot fired in weeks. They are elated."
Hunt said he did not have statistics for other crimes but said robberies had increased over the past few weeks and drug sales remain "very active." He said it was not clear whether gangs had anything to do with the crime increase.
The deputy chief did not have gang homicide statistics for other parts of the city. However, he noted the South Bureau has had the highest gang-related murder rate in Los Angeles for several years.
The gangs declared the truce after the three days of fiery riots, which claimed nearly 60 lives and resulted in $775 million in property damage.
Police initially reacted to the truce with skepticism predicting the hatreds formed during the four-decade war between Crips and Bloods would prove stronger than peace.
But Hunt said Tuesday he was optimistic the truce would hold.
"Strict police enforcement has been a factor" in the drop in homicides, Hunt said, "but unless people want to stop it themselves, the police can't do anything."
Hunt cautioned the truce would stick only if social services - and especially jobs - are provided to the gang members.
"If the social conditions remain the same, we're going to have the same problems we had during the unrest," he said.
While violence between the gangs has nearly ceased, gang members have clashed with police on several occasions at gang unity parties. One event left 30 officers injured after partygoers hurled rocks, bottles and pipes at them.