Feb. 29--Los Angeles County officials are investigating an apparent surge in hate crimes targeting Muslims late last year.
Eleven hate crimes were reported against Muslims and people mistakenly perceived as Muslim, such as Sikhs, in L.A. County in November and December 2015 -- 10 more than were reported during the same months in 2014, according to officials.
Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, said it's possible that the uptick began before November. However, the commission is still compiling data from law enforcement agencies for its annual report on hate crimes.
Most of the hate crimes reported in the last two months of 2015 occurred in December, after the San Bernardino terrorist attack by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, that killed 14 people. The shooters were supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group.
