Woman found dead in home

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — A woman was found dead in a home Friday afternoon in what police are calling suspicious circumstances.

Police were called at about 2 p.m. Friday to a residence in the 600 block of West Stocker Street, where they found the victim, a 36-year-old Glendale woman, police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

A person of interest — the victim’s boyfriend, 39-year-old Grigor Grigoryan — was arrested less than five hours later in Hollywood. Homicide detectives were called to the Stocker residence after police determined that the death was suspicious, Lorenz said.

As part of the investigation, police began looking for Grigoryan and were initially unable to find him.

“Our detectives then tried to send as many officers as we had available to talk to him,” Lorenz said.

Police found Grigoryan in his car and tried to pull him over. Grigoryan then led police on a chase that ended at about 6:30 p.m. when Grigoryan crashed his car near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, Lorenz said.

Grigoryan was arrested for alleged traffic violations that police say occurred during the chase, but he is also a person of interest in the suspected homicide, Lorenz said.

“When someone flees the police after we’re looking for him, certainly there’s a slight consciousness of guilt,” he said.

As of press time, Grigoryan had not been charged with murder.

“There’s a strong likelihood as the evening continues he’ll be charged with her death,” Lorenz said.

Grigoryan is being held at Glendale City Jail.

Police and neighbors were present outside the crime scene on Friday night on Stocker Street.

Debbie Dalton, who lives next door to where the woman’s body was found, said she heard the victim’s mother scream earlier that day when she found the body.

“The mother walked in and opened the door and just started screaming hysterically,” Dalton said.

Dalton came out to ask if the woman needed help, but she continued screaming, she said.

“It was blood-curdling screams, and you could see something was seriously wrong,” she said.

Danielle Sallakian, who also lives on the victim’s block, said she came out of her house when she saw the police. The victim’s mother was sitting outside the house looking devastated, she said.

“I feel so sorry about her, she’s young,” Sallakian said.

Several residents on the block said the neighborhood was generally safe, and that the possible homicide wasn’t anything they were used to.

“This street is very beautiful, very good neighborhood,” neighbor Jasmen Sarkisian said.

Police did not release the name of the victim.