Report: Intimate partner simple assault no. 1 crime against females in L.A.

LOS ANGELES - Simple assault at the hands of an intimate partner was the most frequently reported crime against female victims in Los Angeles over the past four years, according to an analysis of police data by a nonprofit news organization based out of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

The 9,503 reports of such cases in 2018 comprise about 10% of all crimes against females during that period, according to the Los Angeles Police Department data compiled by Crosstown.

California law defines an intimate partner as a co-habitant, current or former partner or co-parent, and intimate partner simple assault falls under the broader category of domestic violence, which includes such crimes as stalking, rape and murder.

Intimate partner simple assault was the second-most reported crime against females from 2010 to 2014, according to Crosstown, which reported those numbers mirror a rise in violence against women nationwide.

"There needs to be more discussions about the cultural and traditional practices that lead to intimate partner violence and the cycle of violence that many women go through," Denise Benitez, a Los Angeles-based licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in domestic violence, told Crosstown.

CNS contributed to this report.