Police Arrest Owners of Pacoima Salvage Yard

Two men arrested at a Pacoima auto parts yard on suspicion of possession of stolen property were identified as the owners of the business, Los Angeles police said Thursday.

Vyacheslav Gorin, 31, and Lonya Palatnik, 35, both of West Hollywood, were arrested Wednesday afternoon at All-In-One Auto Dismantlers in the 12200 block of Montague Street, police said. Detective Mike Miller said investigators suspect that stolen cars were sold to the owners who then “chopped” them into parts to be sold.

The arrests came after detectives on a routine inspection found what they called a “chop shop” where stolen cars are stripped and the pieces sold as parts. Gorin and Palatnik were booked at the Foothill Division Jail but were later released on $5,000 bail each, police said.

Miller said a task force of auto theft investigators Wednesday began what will be a routine program of spot-checking salvage yards for stolen cars and parts. All-In-One was the third yard checked that day and detectives found parts from seven stolen cars at the yard, Miller said.

Among the stolen parts were parts of a 1985 Honda Prelude that had been stolen four days earlier from Montebello, Miller said. Only the seats, engine, transmission, bumper and steering wheel were found, he said.

Miller said the parts were determined stolen by serial numbers but one bumper at the yard still had a license plate attached that belonged to a car that had been reported stolen.