GLENDALE : Man Arrested Over Attempted Arson

A 70-year-old Glendale man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and domestic violence after he tried to set his home on fire with paint thinner following a heated argument with his wife, police said.

Sokrat Kotcharian had doused the carpeting with the highly flammable liquid and was attempting to ignite a lighter and set the apartment ablaze Monday morning when his wife, Aikanoush Sarkissian, struggled with him and stopped him.

According to police, Kotcharian was drinking and had argued with his wife the night before, and when he woke up the next morning he was still angry and tried to start the fire.

Officers investigating the incident said the apartment building, a wood-framed four-plex in the 1300 block of east Orange Grove Avenue inhabited mostly by senior citizens, probably would have been badly damaged or even destroyed had the fire started and been allowed to spread.

Sarkissian suffered minor injuries in the struggle and did not require medical treatment. Kotcharian was arraigned in Glendale Municipal Court on Tuesday.