May 22, 2008 US/Pacific

Man Arrested In NoHo Double Murder

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. A man was in custody on Thursday for allegedly
killing two other men in North Hollywood, police said.

Avetis Vartanyan, 24, was booked on suspicion of murder, according to
the Los Angeles Police Department. Police were looking for other
suspects in connection with the case.

The violence began around 7 p.m. Tuesday at Oxnard Street and Whitsett
Avenue in the parking lot of a shopping plaza, LAPD Officer Karen
Smith said.

Police sent to the scene found Artak Karamyan, 28, wounded. A short
time later, police found Paylak Harutyunyan, 29, wounded near Vanowen
Street and Coldwater Canyon Boulevard. Both men died.

Vartanyan was detained — with the help of a police dog — a short
time after the shooting while trying to leave the area, police
said. Vartanyan was placed under arrest Wednesday and was being held
without bail, according to the sheriff’s department Web site.

Police recovered a pistol that they suspect Vartanyan had hidden in
the yard of a home, along with a second handgun found in an abandoned
vehicle at the crime scene, authorities said.

Detectives believe the shootings were the result of a dispute among a group
of men.
© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress