SUNLAND : 2 Men Accused of Illegal Disposal
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office on Thursday filed criminal charges against two men accused of dumping hazardous waste from a failed auto body shop down a hillside in La Tuna Canyon State Park.
Deputy City Atty. Donald Kass said a passerby allegedly saw Onik Damaryan, 42, of Los Angeles and David Azaryan, 40, of Burbank rolling drums down a hillside.
“It’s characterized as midnight dumping,” Kass said. “But this time there was an actual witness who was driving by and spotted two men stopped by the side of the road. It was fortunate.”
The two are accused of dumping three drums--ranging in size from five to 55 gallons--containing mixtures of automotive wastes with a gasoline odor.
The drums were found next to a dry stream bed in La Tuna Canyon, according to Kass, who said one of the drums was leaking when it was inspected by a park ranger.
Both men are charged with illegally disposing of hazardous waste and unlawfully depositing a hazardous substance on another’s property, charges that together carry a maximum one year in jail or $110,000 in fines, or both.
The men are scheduled to be arraigned July 28 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.
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