WEST HOLLYWOOD—Artyom Gasprayan, 32, the suspect connected to a series of crimes within the past 26 days, including an armed robbery and shooting that occurred on the 1000 block of West Hollywood’s North Kings Road on December 29, 2015, has been injured after a officer-involved shooting.
The shooting occurred on Monday, January 4, 2016, after a police chase that ultimately ended in a crash on the northbound 5 Freeway in Sun Valley, according to reports. Police were chasing the suspect, who was going southbound on the northbound lanes of the freeway before he crashed with a car that had a family inside, where children were hurt ABC7 reported.
The freeway was temporarily shut down as officers were investigating the scene where Gasparyan apparently shot near Glen Oaks Boulevard. No officers were hurt during the shooting. The suspect has been transported to a local hospital and his condition is currently unknown.
Los Angeles Police Department Police Chief Charlie Beck confirmed that the suspect was in fact Artyom Gasparyan and released the following statement during a news conference, “He is a very dangerous man. I’ve had well over 100 detectives and several hundred line officers assigned specifically to capture him over the past week.”
Officials identified Artyom Gasparyan as a possible suspect in the West Hollywood incident and in a series of recent crimes that have occurred throughout the cities of Los Angeles, Burbank, and Carson. The West Hollywood Sherriff’s station mentioned that a 2011-2014 silver Volkswagen Jetta had been used in several of the crimes committed by Gasparyan.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, crimes committed by Gasparyan include robbery, carjacking, attempted murder, and murder, which began on December 6, 2015 in the northeast area of Los Angeles. The most recent incident was a carjacking that took place in Carson on Friday, January 1.
Gasparyan has been identified as committing a number of these crimes with Daniel Ramirez, who was taken into custody in Long Beach after a standoff with police on Saturday, January 2. Ramirez shot two individuals, stabbed another, and then shot himself in the head at a Long Beach home in 3300 block of Daisy Avenue. He succumbed to his injuries Saturday evening after he was transported to a local hospital.
On December 9, Gasparyan opened fire on a 67-year-old man in the driveway of a home in the 1700 block of North Catalina Street, Burbank police confirmed. ABC7 reported that he then shot a 33-year-old gardner a few houses down. Both victims are expected to survive injuries they sustained.
On December 30, Gasparyan was allegedly involved in the shooting death of a 37-year-old man near Van Nuys Boulevard and Plummer Street.
Gasparyan was described by authorities as a 32-year-old Armenian male with black hair, brown eyes, standing at 5 feet and 7 inches tall and weighing approximately 170 pounds. A recent West Hollywood Sheriff’s Department special bulletin community alert warned the public that Gasparyan was armed with a handgun and considered dangerous.
Anyone with additional information should call Robbery-Homicide Detective at (213) 486-6890. After hours, please call 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) on most keypads with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters may also go to www.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips.”
