FOUR ARMENIANS KILLED AT SAN FERNANDO VALLEY RESTAURANT

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 5, 2010 – 17:49 AMT 12:49 GMT

All of the victims were men, said Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese,
commanding officer of operations at the Valley bureau. He said three
of the men were pronounced dead at the restaurant, another later died
at a local hospital. Two others were also wounded and are expected
to survive. "This is also not a random act of violence, this was an
intentional act," Deputy Chief stressed.

The Los Angeles Police Department have released the identities of the
four men killed as Hayk Yegnanyan, 25, Sarkis Karadjian, 26, Harut
Baburyan, 28, and Vardan Tofalyan, 31. Coroner and police officials
are trying to determine where the men live, said Officer Sara Faden.

The Hot Spot Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive,
was packed with customers when a man walked in and opened fire around
4:40 p.m., according to police officials.

Investigators were also trying to determine the exact number of
shooters and whether the gunman walked into the restaurant or was
inside the restaurant shortly before the gunfire broke out. They
snapped photographs outside the restaurant, including the sidewalk
and parked cars, as well as inside. Riverside Drive was closed off
between Colfax and Irvine avenues.

Law enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because of
the ongoing investigation, said they believed the shooting might have
involved Armenian gangs.

But they also said they have no evidence that the victims were involved
in gangs, noting that the case was in its early stages. The shootings
come after a series of killings in the last two weeks that have
diminished gains made this year in reducing the city’s homicide rate.

Police investigators said the four men were inside the Hot Spot cafe’,
a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive, when a gunman or gunmen
opened fire before fleeing. Apart from the four men shot and killed,
two others were injured but were expected to survive.