Four-year-old struck by car remembered as “energetic,” full of life
Violeta Khachatoorians, the 4-year-old girl fatally struck in a hit-and-run collision Friday evening, was remembered by a loved one as an energetic preschooler who was learning the alphabet and loved playing with her dolls.
“She had a lot of life inside her,” said neighbor and family friend Arshak Bareghamyan, who remembered having his morning coffee in his backyard while Violeta and her 6-year-old sister, Monica, would play.
PHOTOS: Neighbors, community mourns Violeta Khachatoorians, family
A roadside memorial had grown on Monday to include dozens of candles, bouquets of flowers and stuffed animals of all sizes and colors where the collision took place, just outside Violeta’s apartment complex in the 1200 block of Wilson Avenue.
A few feet away, a traffic cone stood on the edge of the street with a hand-written sign attached that read, “Please drive slow.”
Meanwhile, neighbors stood nearby with a clipboard, collecting donations from passersby. Police reported that Violeta’s last name was Khachaturyan, though her neighbor said it was spelled Khachatoorians.
“It will take a lot of time for them to heal, but the pain will always be there,” Bareghamyan said about Violeta’s parents. Monica, meanwhile, “thinks her sister is going to come back,” he said.
The driver, who fled the scene, turned himself in to police Saturday morning. He was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run. He was released Sunday after posting $50,000 bail. A woman who was in the car with him at the time of the collision was interviewed by authorities but not arrested.
After visiting Violeta’s parents and neighbors on Friday, Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan decided to launch a crowd-funding campaign online to raise money for funeral costs.
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“I talked to neighbors and everyone kept repeating that they’re economically challenged,” he said, adding that consoling Violeta’s parents was heart-wrenching. “The pain and the sorrow was overwhelming.”
By Tuesday morning, nearly 500 donors had contributed more than $36,000 to the online campaign. To donate, visit www.crowdrise.com/violetakhachaturyan.
A Bank of America fund has also been established for the family. To donate, visit any Bank of America branch and ask to contribute to the “Violeta Khachatoorians Funeral Funds” account.
Meanwhile, the Glendale Police Officers Assn. is accepting donations to assist the family.
Checks can be made out to “GPOA Cops for Kids” with indication on the memo line that the donation is for the Khachaturyan family. Questions regarding donations can be addressed to the association’s office at (818) 246-9053.
“I’m very thankful for the community’s generosity, and the sense of community that we have in Glendale is very special,” Sinanyan said. “The age of the victim has really struck a chord with a lot of people and that’s why we’re seeing this outpouring of support.”
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
