6 Ordered to Trial in Alleged Extortion Scheme That Left 2 Dead

Six men were ordered to stand trial on murder, attempted robbery and conspiracy charges on Thursday for their roles in an alleged extortion scheme that ended in a late-night, fatal shootout at a clothing store.

The ruling by Municipal Judge Laura Matz ended a nine-day preliminary hearing that was marked by constant legal wrangling and complications including a refusal by the prosecution’s star witness to testify.

During the hearing, Deputy Dist. Atty. Eleanor Hunter contended that sometime after 11 p.m. on Dec. 17, the defendants went to Mirage Clothing and Shoes, at 620 S. Glendale Ave., and pressured store owner Ara Karapetian to pay $3,000.

Karapetian refused, and Artur Atayan, one of the alleged extortionists, pulled out a gun and fired shots, according to court testimony and police reports. Karapetian used a gun in self-defense, and a shoot-out ensued in which Atayan and a 19-year-old bystander were killed, police said.

Defense attorneys maintained that the defendants were not there to extort money but to intervene in a business dispute between Atayan and Karapetian.

“These murders occurred during the course of an argument, not as the result of any conspiracy,” said Alex Kessel, attorney for defendant Karen Takvoryan.

“As we have repeatedly said, this was simply a business dispute. There was no evidence whatsoever of robbery or extortion,” added James Blatt, attorney for defendant Mger Tagvoryan.

“The problems with the prosecution’s case, which were tremendous in the preliminary hearing, are going to multiply when this gets to Superior Court,” Blatt said.

None of the defendants is alleged to have used a gun in the crime but prosecutors said they could still face the death penalty if convicted, because of the conspiracy charge.

Karapetian, the alleged extortion victim, took the witness stand last week and spoke publicly for the first time about the crime. He testified that on the night of the shooting, the defendants and another man--Samvel Krboyan, 42, of Van Nuys, who is still being sought by police--came to his store and the confrontation escalated into a gunfight.

But the prosecution’s case hit a roadblock when the judge learned that Karapetian was on felony probation for robbery, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm. The judge then advised Karapetian to seek a lawyer for himself. The district attorney’s office could have offered Karapetian immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony, the judge noted from the bench, but inexplicably did not. Hunter later declined to comment.

When Karapetian returned to court the next day with an attorney, he invoked his right against self-incrimination. The judge then erased all his testimony from the record, since the defense attorneys were unable to cross-examine him.

The defense lawyers contended that their clients were friends of Karapetian and Atayan, but the judge ruled in favor of the prosecution that they acted “as a cohesive group with one main purpose, to come and get money by means of intimidation” in upholding the charges against the men.

The defendants--Tagvoryan, 23, of North Hollywood; Gagik Kazarian, 44, of Glendale; Karen Takvoryan, 22, and his brother Hovanhes Takvoryan, 23, of Van Nuys; Khoren Broutian, 32, of Hollywood, and Hovik Fiterz, 36, of North Hollywood--will be arraigned in Pasadena Superior Court later this month.

Karapetian could still be prosecuted for allegedly violating his probation, but Glendale police said they will wait until the case against the alleged extortionists is resolved before deciding whether to file charges.