GLENDALE : Police Seek Robbers of Dance Director

Glendale police are seeking the public’s help in catching two robbers who assaulted, tied up and stole about $6,500 in cash from the director of an Armenian children’s dance group staying in a local hotel.

According to a police report, Haikaz Shahbazyan answered a knock at the door of his room at the Days Inn about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. He told police that two men immediately barged into the room. One pressed him against a wall and punched him in the face and stomach.

Shahbazyan told police the robbers demanded to know where his money was. After he told them it was in his briefcase, the men pushed him to the floor, tied his hands and feet and taped his mouth shut. One of the men then held him down while the other rummaged through the hotel room, according to the report.

The pair left Shahbazyan tied up in his room. He called police after loosening the rope and crawling to the telephone, according to the police report.

Police said the victim is the director of Hrashk, a dance group from Armenia whose members are children ages 3 to 7. The group has been performing in the Los Angeles area in recent months.

Shahbazyan has been staying at the hotel for three months, according to the police report. The members of the dance troupe were not staying at the hotel.

The money stolen was the group’s payment for a string of recent performances, police said.