Lowest murder rate since 1970

With less than two weeks left in the year, Los Angeles is on track to record its lowest homicide rate since 1970. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

That year, 394 people were killed in the city as the war in Vietnam raged on and the Beatles called it quits.

As of Dec. 15, 379 people had been killed in Los Angeles this year, with about 200 of those incidents gang-related. The overall homicide rate is down 17 percent from last year.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has seen similar declines, registering a 25 percent drop in homicides this year over last. Police attribute the decline to a variety of factors, including more focused policing - and chance.