Masked Crime In LA Spikes In The Age Of COVID-19

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A new report has found that masked crimes in Los Angeles have risen drastically amid a climate in which face coverings have become the norm in public settings.

Numbers collected from Los Angeles Police Department records by USC's nonprofit Crosstown initiative found that between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, there were 1,164 crimes which occurred in which a suspect was masked.

During the same period in 2019, there were only 200 such crimes, per Crosstown. That marks an increase of 482 percent.

27% of the masked crimes were burglaries, and 22% were robberies or attempted robberies, Crosstown reports. 11% involved assault or assault with a deadly weapon.

The highest number of masked crimes occurred in June, with 205.

The neighborhood accounting for the highest number of masked crimes is Westlake, with 61. Hollywood, which saw no masked crimes during the same period in 2019, has had at least 27 so far this year, Crosstown found.

For the full report, click here.