Two men sentenced for attempted murder

PASADENA — Two North Hollywood men convicted of four counts of attempted murder for shooting a Glendale man and his friends on Halloween four years ago were handed lengthy prison sentences Thursday.

Mkrtich Melkonian and Hrant Barsegyan, both 21, were sentenced to 57 years and 16 years in prison, respectively, after a jury in June found the pair guilty.

Each of the total seven counts represented the number of victims who were reportedly inside the van that was shot at on Oct. 31, 2005.

Melkonian and Barsegyan were inside a black SUV when they got into an argument with Glendale resident Narek Tovmasyan and his six friends. The groups began yelling at each other while driving on Glenoaks Boulevard.

Melkonian got out of his SUV at Glenwood Road and Alameda Avenue, walked toward the van and fired shots at it, hitting a Glendale man in the back.

Melkonian and Barsegyan fled the scene and reportedly drove to a friend’s home, got into a white Honda Accord and took off.

They again encountered Tovmasyan — who was driving his injured friends to a local hospital — at Western Avenue and the Golden State (5) Freeway.

Melkonian reportedly fired shots at them again, but no one was hit.

Barsegyan still faces a ninth count of assault for allegedly stabbing a man in 2005. He and Melkonian, who already pleaded guilty to the assault, reportedly worked together when they stabbed the man in Burbank days before the shooting, Bean said.