Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
July 29 2004

Gang leader gets 10 years

Gunman who pleaded no contest to shooting will also have to pay $23K
for crimes. Streets safer since his arrest, police say.

By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press

PASADENA – Glendale Police officers were pleased Wednesday to see a
Los Angeles Superior Court judge order Arman Sharopetrosian to pay
about $23,000 in restitution for a gang-related shooting.

But even more than that, the officers say they value the fact that
Sharopetrosian, 26, is serving a 10-year sentence in state prison,
because the rate of shootings in Glendale has gone down since the
reputed gang boss began serving time.

And, a prominent local Armenian gang is now without one of its top
members who was allegedly involved in at least three major
gang-related shooting incidents in the 1000 block of Linden Avenue in
Glendale in 2002, Glendale Police Det. Robert Breckenridge said
Wednesday.

“After Arman was arrested in January 2003, then everything died down
in regards to shootings [on Linden Avenue],” Breckenridge said. “I
don’t believe we have had any in that block since. We know there have
been fewer since then. And since then, we have arrested and convicted
a half-dozen guys who admitted in court to being [in a gang] and all
tied to Arman’s group.”

On May 21, 2002, 27 shots were fired on Linden Avenue, and three
handguns and an automatic machine pistol were later recovered. On May
25, 2002, three shots were fired, and on June 2, 2002, 12 shots were
fired.

“All of those shots we believe were between rival groups, and a gang
leader was at those locations, and we believe it was Arman and his
group,” Breckenridge said.

Sharopetrosian was not convicted in connection with those shootings.

Sharopetrosian pleaded no contest and was convicted last week in
Pasadena to 10 years in state prison for shooting at an occupied
vehicle, having a gun, and assault with a deadly weapon for an
alleged car-to-car shooting in the 1000 block of West Glenoaks
Boulevard in August 2001.

Sharopetrosian was also found guilty of failing to file taxes in
2000, officials said. A judge determined that his activities were
done to benefit a local Armenian gang.

None of the shootings that Sharopetrosian was found guilty of or is
believed to be involved with resulted in any killings, only injuries,
Breckenridge said.

“It’s very major to us because [Sharopetrosian’s arrest] is setting
the tone we want in the community,” Breckenridge said. “The tone [is]
that these individuals who are gang members and are feared by others
are being sentenced to prison terms, and that police are actively
pursuing them and catching them.”

Sharopetrosian was arrested in January 2003 on suspicion of credit
card fraud. He had a prior arrest for a car-to-car shooting in August
2001, officials said.

Sharopetrosian’s brother, Michael Sharopetrosian, 31, was arrested
earlier this year on suspicion of money laundering, tax evasion and
credit-card fraud, activities police suspect were tied to his brother
and gang activities, Sgt. Ian Grimes said Wednesday.

“He is a crook that is well-known in the community,” Grimes said
Wednesday. “We want people to know that people who are involved with
these types of activities will be caught and that we are aggressively
pursuing them.”

In July 2002, Glendale Police arrested Emil Airapetian on suspicion
of dropping a loaded firearm during a foot pursuit in Glendale.
Airapetian was later convicted and is now in state prison.
Sharopetrosian was with Airapetian the night he was arrested,
officials said.