Man Slain, Friend Wounded in Holdup at Big Bear Lake

In the second such fatal shooting in a month in nearby mountains, a Montebello man was killed and another man was wounded Wednesday when they and two fishing buddies were attacked alongside Big Bear Lake, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.

The four men had set off for an early-morning fishing trip to the popular mountain lake and were resting in their station wagon before heading for the water when they were attacked, said Deputy Laurie Savage, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

The assailant robbed the men and, as he fled, turned around and shot into the car, striking two men in the back seat, Savage said. Armen Shakkharamian, 47, was killed. His companion, Sarkis Aylozlan, 28, of North Hollywood, was struck in the torso and was expected to survive.

Two others in the car were unhurt. Sheriff’s officials identified them as Khachic Gumuryan, 28, of Van Nuys, and his brother, Nazar Gumuryan, 36, of North Hollywood.

The four arrived before dawn at the lake, situated in the San Bernardino Mountains, and were inside their vehicle near the lake’s Boulder Bay when a stranger knocked on a window about 5 a.m., Savage said.

“When the driver rolled down the window, the suspect produced a handgun and demanded their money,” she said. “The victims complied with his demand and remained in their vehicle as he left.”

But as the gunman neared the back of the vehicle, “he suddenly began firing into their car, striking both victims who were sitting in the back seat,” Savage said.

After blasting a hole in one side of the station wagon, the gunman fled, Savage said. The California Highway Patrol reported the crash of the assailant’s car shortly afterward, about five miles from the shooting scene on a winding stretch of California 18 that leads to Green Valley Lake. The vehicle, a white Buick registered to a Fontana man, was found abandoned with one of the victims’ wallets inside, she said.

But a 12-hour search by sheriff’s helicopters, trackers and deputies of the area’s woods and ravines yielded no clues to the assailant’s whereabouts, Savage said. Survivors of the attack told police that a picture of the registered owner of the apparent getaway car did not appear to be the gunman, she added.

Savage said the fishermen drove to a nearby trailer park for help, and the gunshot victims were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment. Aylozlan was listed in good condition Wednesday night at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The shooting, which came just weeks before the opening of tourist season at the peaceful, pine-shaded resort, was similar to one May 16 in the San Jacinto Mountains near Idyllwild that claimed the life of a German tourist. Her husband was seriously injured by assailants after the couple pulled over at a scenic turnout. Authorities said the motive was robbery.