Glendale officers recover 5 stolen vehicles, make 8 arrests: Police

The Glendale Police Department announced on Tuesday that officers located five stolen vehicles and arrested eight people between Feb. 23 and March 31.

Two people, 36-year-old Gabriyel Kechechyan of Los Angeles and 35-year-old Noriar Kantzabedian of Burbank, were arrested just before midnight on Feb. 23 when officers found them in a stolen car in the 1400 block of Raymond Avenue, police said in a press release.

When officers found the stolen car, they spotted “a glass pipe with burnt residue in plain sight inside of the vehicle,” and when searching the car, they discovered methamphetamine, police said. They also found Kechechyan had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

Both were arrested: Kechechyan for vehicle theft, possession of a controlled substance and the warrant, and Kantzabedian for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful paraphernalia.

Kechechyan is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, while Kantzabedian was cited and released, jail records show.

At about 6 p.m. on March 8, another stolen car was located on West Los Feliz Road near the 5 Freeway, police said. Los Angeles resident Donte Potts, 18, was arrested for grand theft auto, police added.

Potts was cited and released, though he was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on March 28 on felony charges, and he is being held at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 bail, jail records show.

Just before 5 a.m. on March 21, an officer found the third stolen vehicle in a parking lot near the intersection of Flower Street and Western Avenue, police said.

Police arrested three people who were standing near the car and tried to flee when police arrived: 33-year-old Dana Fragoza of Los Angeles, 39-year-old transient Lisa Carpenter and 29-year-old Jorge Perez-Estrada of Los Angeles, police said.

In the car, police said they found packages belonging to four different people, a meth pipe, meth and a catalytic converter, among other items.

The three were arrested and booked on “numerous charges including vehicle theft, grand theft, possession, and identity theft,” police said.

Fragoza is being held without bail, though the facility and agency in custody is not available, while Carpenter was cited and released, jail records show. Perez-Estrada did not appear in a search of jail records.

The fourth stolen vehicle was spotted near the intersection of Colorado Street and Pacific Avenue just after 1 p.m. on March 29, police said.

The car, which was spotted without a front license plate, was driven by 33-year-old Hayk Vardanyan of North Hollywood, who admitted that there was meth and heroin in the car, which was confirmed by a K9 unit that found paraphernalia, police said.

“Vardanyan was subsequently arrested and booked for vehicle theft, possessing narcotics, and possessing a controlled substance,” the release added.

He was cited and released later that day, jail records show.

The fifth vehicle, a stolen motorcycle, was located in the 2900 block of Colorado Boulevard just before 7:30 p.m. March 31, police said.

Police witnessed 41-year-old Adam Narito of Los Angeles approach the motorcycle, and he was arrested for “vehicle theft, possessing metal knuckles, and controlled substance paraphernalia,” police said.

He was cited and released the next day, jail records show.