Hate crimes in Los Angeles County have risen to their highest level in five years, led by attacks between Latinos and blacks

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. 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.