NORTH HOLLYWOOD—On Sunday, October 17, a young man and his friends were shot at by an unidentified man at a popular taco stand on the 7200 block of Lankershim Boulevard. Vartan Avatyan, 18, was fatally wounded and died after arriving at a local hospital in critical condition, police records state. The shooting was committed around 12:40 a.m. in the parking lot of the eatery. The attacker reportedly walked directly toward Avatyan and shot him without any immediate cause.
As of now, no correlation between the victims and the shooter have been made. “The young men were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time,” stated Detective Townsend of the LAPD. The male Hispanic shooter is believed to have escaped in a small blue compact car.
Police investigators are requesting that anyone with evidence or information regarding the suspect or shooting contact LAPD North Hollywood Homicide Detectives at 818-623-4075 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 818-623-4075 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Calls may also be made to 877-LAPD-24-7. Anonymous callers can provide information to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-222-8477 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Tipsters may text 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) by cell phone. Police request that text messages begin with the letters “LAPD.” Information may also be supplied online at LAPDOnline.org by clicking on “web tips” and following the prompts.
