Valley Sun, CA
July 8 2004

Aviani Burglary Suspects in Jail

By Jake Armstrong

Three men suspected of burglarizing a La Cañada Flintridge jewelry
store are in jail as authorities search for a Glendale businessman
suspected of leading an alleged jewelry-store theft ring believed to
have taken millions of dollars worth of jewelry in recent months,
authorities said.

Almost a month after a May 12 burglary at La Cañada’s Aviani
Jewelers, at 2147 Foothill Blvd., detectives from the Sheriff’s and
Los Angeles Police departments tracked leads to an undisclosed
location in Van Nuys where a surveillance operation resulted in the
arrests of six men, Sheriff’s Detective Richard Lutz said. Three of
those men – Armen Tagvoryan, Arsak Grigoryan and Ashot Avoyan – are
suspected of entering through the roof of the La Cañada jewelry store
and removing a safe laden with $400,000 in jewelry. That safe was
recovered when the store’s owner, arriving for work, flagged down a
passing deputy when he noticed the safe being carted away from his
business on the back of a tow truck.

Further investigation identified 46-year-old Ara Karapetian, owner of
Mirage Clothing and Armenia Express Money Transfer in Glendale, as
the suspected leader of an alleged crime ring that has stolen $5
million in jewels from jewelry stores. The alleged ring is suspected
of burglaries at 30 stores, said Sheriff’s Capt. Tim Peters of the
Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. The alleged theft ring,
consisting largely of Russian-Armenians, had been targeting jewelry
stores owned by Lebanese-Armenians, Lutz said.

A $2 million warrant has been issued for Karapetian’s arrest, Lutz
said. Several search warrants have been served on Karapetian’s home
and businesses, Lutz said, adding that the suspect refuses to turn
himself in.

Tagvoryan, 23, and Grigoryan, 36, are being held without bail and
were to appear in Los Angeles Municipal Court Wednesday. Avoyan, 42,
is being held without bail at North County Correctional Facility and
is to appear Monday in Los Angeles Municipal Court. All three
suspects face burglary charges.

Authorities believe the suspects entered the La Cañada store through
the roof sometime after 5:30 p.m. May 11, and allegedly stole $7,000
worth of jewelry from the store’s display cases before carting the
safe out the front door.

Had Avedis Babayan gotten tangled in traffic on his way to Aviani
Jewelers, he might not have seen the tow truck leaving the jewelry
store’s parking lot with his safe.

In an interview Tuesday, Babayan said he recognized a logo painted on
the side of the safe and began to follow the tow truck, which was
pulling away from the jewelry store. Babayan said he stopped his car
in front of the tow truck, got out of his car and flagged down a
passing deputy.

“That was it,” he said. “The whole sheriff’s department was on top of
it. That makes me feel good.”

Babayan said he has lost $20,000 in sales since the burglary, but is
relieved by the arrests of the suspects. He commended the
investigators’ efforts.

“It is a relief. The damage has stopped,” he said. “Recovery is
secondary.”