Israeli Suspect Held in Tarzana Murder

Aman wanted for a Tarzana murder and a Las Vegas casino robbery and attempted murder was in custody in New York City following his weekend arrest at the Israeli Consulate, Los Angeles police said Tuesday.

David Hagag, 29, was charged Monday with the Dec. 27 killing of Simon Sarkissian, 54, of Tarzana, Detective Rick Swanston said. Police said Hagag killed Sarkissian, a heroin dealer, during a robbery attempt.

Hagag, an Israeli who came to this country nine months ago, is also wanted by Las Vegas police as a suspect in a Dec. 8 robbery at the Hilton Hotel casino in which a gunman grabbed $15,000 from a change booth, fled the casino and shot and slightly wounded a cab driver who was forced to help him escape, police said.

Police in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where a car belonging to Hagag was found last week, alerted officials at the Israeli Consulate in New York to watch for Hagag. The suspect came to the consulate in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon and attempted to obtain a passport under a false name, police said.

Consulate officials, to whom police had sent a photo of Hagag, recognized the suspect and called New York police after asking Hagag to wait for the passport in an interview room. When the suspect saw police enter the consulate, he attempted to commit suicide by slashing his wrists with a sharp piece of plastic, Swanston said.

However, Hagag was not seriously injured and was being held in a New York jail without bail, police said.

Swanston said authorities had not yet decided whether Hagag will be extradited first to Las Vegas or Los Angeles.