March 02, 2005
Glendale News Press
Published March 3, 2005
Police find, arrest man a day after fire
Antranik Khajarian is suspected of starting Tuesday blaze that caused his
94-year-old grandmother’s death.
By Jackson Bell, News-Press and Leader
NORTHWEST GLENDALE — The grandson of a 94-year-old Glendale woman found
dead inside a torched hillside home has been arrested on suspicion of murder
and starting the blaze, police said Wednesday.
After receiving tips, Glendale Police tracked down Antranik Banos Khajarian,
37, about midnight Tuesday and booked him on suspicion of murder and arson
after detectives interviewed him at the police station, Sgt. Tom Lorenz
said. Khajarian is being held without bail at Glendale City Jail, and his
arraignment is scheduled for Friday at Glendale Superior Court.
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“The investigation is ongoing to determine what precipitated the action,”
Lorenz said. “We will probably release more information when the case is
presented to the D.A.’s office for prosecution.”
The woman was severely burnt in the early morning Tuesday blaze in the 200
block of Wonderview Drive, said Investigator Brenda Shafer, spokeswoman for
the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. But the cause of death is still
under investigation, she said.
Even though police have identified the woman as Khajarian’s grandmother,
Shafer said the coroner’s office is treating her as a “Jane Doe” because her
body had not been examined as of Wednesday. Police also would not confirm
her identity.
Lorenz would not say where they found Khajarian but did say broadcast media
groups that got his information out to the public helped lead to the arrest.
One of the reasons investigators suspected the fire to be arson was because
of its intense heat, Lorenz said.
An officer patrolling the area first noticed the burning house, which the
woman and Khajarian shared, about 3 a.m. Tuesday and tried to rescue the
woman before firefighters arrived. But the flames forced him out of the
one-story house, Lorenz said. The officer was rushed to a local hospital for
treatment of smoke inhalation but was not injured.
Neighbors said Tuesday that they heard a woman’s screams coming from the
house during the blaze.
Glendale firefighters from five stations responded to the blaze and knocked
it down in 10 minutes, Fire Capt. Bill Lynch said. The total damage to the
house was estimated to be $100,000, Lynch said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Glendale Police Department at
(818) 548-3987. Anonymous tips can be made by calling the Crime Stoppers
hotline at (818) 507-7867.