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LAPD Chief Blames 'Ongoing Dispute' For Apparent Spike In Gang Violence

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A weekend outbreak of shootings in South Los Angeles was more likely the result of a long-standing, historic dispute between two rival gangs and not social media posts, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Wednesday.

Beck conceded to reporters at the Los Angeles Police Department's downtown headquarters that while there were four separate gang-related shootings in South L.A. in a short span of time over the weekend, they were related to "an ongoing dispute between two street gangs that have been historic rivals for decades."

The police chief downplayed rumors the string of violence was in any way connected to the Twitter hashtag '100Days100Nights', calling reports of persistent violence in the neighborhood linked to the trending topic one of "many, many urban myths".

"I would hope [#100Days100Nights] is one of those," said Beck. "We have not seen any increase in events we can directly tie to this, but we are looking closely at it."

Shootings such as the one that occurred in South Los Angeles in mid-July believed to have sparked last weekend's violence "certainly were not due to Facebook posts," Beck added.

One person was killed in the weekend shootings and nearly a dozen other people were injured. The LAPD declared a tactical alert in the area in response to the violent spree.

No arrests have been reported.

Local activists took to the streets earlier this week, to raise awareness about the spike in violent crime in their community, which some blamed on an alleged competition between gangs called "100 days of homicides."

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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