A video of a video spread last week, showing a man crashing into a wedding in Glendale and then taking off with a gift box containing about $60,000 in cash and checks, police were able to identify and arrest two men for theft.
Armean Shirehjini was arrested Thursday at his home in Sherman Oaks, who lives in Los Angeles, according to Glendale police detectives. Shirehjini was suspected of stealing gift boxes, and on the night of the wedding, Avetisyan was identified as the so-called holiday driver.
Theft was held at midnight on August 31 at the Renaissance Ballroom in Glendale. Video surveillance of the venue showed a well-dressed man casually moving through the wedding reception while guests were on the dance floor. He seemed relaxed and even opened the door for several guests.
The suspicious thief was an uninvited guest whom he had largely missed until the bridesmaid saw him grab the donation box from the banquet hall and rushed out through the side door.
“The music stopped then and everyone knew that,” bride Nadeen Farahat told KTLA-TV. “It’s an unforgettable and happy day and you have a great time. You don’t think about these things. It’s the last thing anyone thinks of.”
The groom George Farahat told Times that the man was clearly visible in the surveillance recording, bringing the gift box to a black Mercedes-Benz SUV and waiting in an alley outside the banquet hall. Other videos have clear photos during the wedding reception, which helps police identify and track suspects within five days after the wedding.
Police said the main suspect Shirehjini was found possessing a pistol during his arrest last week. Several guns and various drugs were also seized, according to a report by Glendale Police, “detectives are still processing a lot of evidence and will continue to work over the weekend.”
Glendale Police Sgt. Jose Barajas told ABC-7 that detectives could also recover 26 checks and about $10,000 in cash. (A total of cash, gift cards and checks were stolen based on newlyweds’ estimates.)
It is unclear why the couple was targeted or whether the thief had committed similar wedding crimes before.
Anyone with additional information related to this investigation is urged to contact the Glendale Police Department’s burglary at (818) 548-3127.
