Burbank man pleads no contest in assault on elderly man at Costco over Nutella samples

A Burbank man accused of punching a 78-year-old man over Nutella waffle samples at Burbank’s Costco pleaded no contest on Friday to one count of elder abuse, officials said.

Derrick Gharabighi, 24, is slated to be sentenced next September. He faces up to two years in prison.

The victim, Sahak Sahakian, was shopping at Costco one Sunday last month when he approached the Nutella waffle sample cart, where there were four samples left.

Gharabighi reportedly took three, and as Sahakian reached for the last sample, Gharabighi pushed his hand down and grabbed the last one.

“I said, ‘What are you doing? I want to eat,’” Sahakian recalled last month. “He got angry and hit my head, and the blood started to go.

Sahakian stumbled and became dizzy, but luckily, did not hit the floor, he said. Security rushed over to stop the bleeding on his face before police arrived, he said.

Sahakian was then taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a 1-inch cut near his eye.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek