Murrieta Sees Increase in Hate Crimes, FBI Report Shows

Five hate crimes were reported during 2011 in Murrieta, up from one in 2010, according to a December report released by the FBI.

The statistics, published Dec. 10, 2012 by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program in Hate Crime Statistics, 2011, provide data about the offenses, victims, offenders and locations of the incidents reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation.

Hate crimes are categorized by bias motivation for reporting purposes. These include offenses targeting a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.

Of the five reported in Murrieta, three were classified as anti-black, one anti-Jewish and one anti-Hispanic, according to a more detailed breakdown provided by the FBI at the request of Patch.

The following incidents include information from the FBI report as well as information obtained from the Murrieta Police Department through a Public Records Act request.

—On January 8, 2011, an anti-Jewish hate crime was reported at Via Temprano and Whitewood Road. The lone victim was reportedly assaulted with a vehicle but did not suffer injuries.

—On Feb. 27, 2011, an anti-black vandalism hate crime was reported near Jackson Avenue and California Oaks Road. Per the FBI report, there were five victims in the incident that included breaking and entering/ residential burglary.

—On March 17, 2011, there were two victims of an anti-black act of vandalism reported in a parking lot or garage at Timberwood Avenue and Windy Cove Street. 

—On April 9, 2011, one person was reportedly the victim of an anti-black hate crime involving vandalism said to take place in a parking lot or garage near Jackson Avenue and California Oaks Road.

—On Dec. 28, 2011, the only anti-Hispanic offense was reported as an assault at a bar or nightclub. It involved three suspects.

There was one arrest made out of the five incidents. The other four were no longer being investigated because police had no leads.

Nationwide, four murders and seven forcible rapes were reported as hate crimes.

Fifty-nine percent of the 5,731 known offenders across the country were white; 20.9 percent were black. The race was unknown for 10.8 percent, and other races accounted for the remaining known offenders.

Figures for 2012 were not yet available, as the annual FBI report is typically released near the end of each calendar year for the previous year.