Police find theft suspect
GLENDALE — A 31-year-old man was arrested Thursday when police discovered he was hiding out at a friend’s house after allegedly stealing four guns, $100,000 worth of jewelry and rare Russian gold coins from a home.
Police had been searching for Mkher Alaverdian of Glendale since they found two handguns, a rifle and shotgun from the Nov. 26 burglary inside his home, Glendale Sgt. Vahak Mardikian said.
They discovered he was staying with a friend who lived in the 1300 block of Garfield Avenue, where he fled to after police found the guns, Mardikian said.
“He knew he was wanted,” Mardikian said.
Detectives parked near the friend’s home and waited for Alaverdian to come out. He stepped out of the home Thursday and got into a car that didn’t belong to him, Mardikian said.
Alaverdian drove into Eagle Rock, where detectives stopped him, but Alaverdian got out of the car and ran from detectives, Mardikian said.
Police arrested him at Verdugo and Eagle Rock boulevards on suspicion of home burglary.
Alaverdian, who was out on bail in connection with punching a 65-year-old man during a dispute at a gas station, entered the home in the 1000 block of East Raleigh Street on Nov. 26 through a window, Mardikian said.
The residents were not home when Alaverdian broke in and stole the firearms, jewelry and rare Russian gold coins, Mardikian said. While police recovered all of the guns, they are still looking for the jewelry and coins, he said.
The jewelry and coins were not insured because the residents were renting the home, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
The residents were saving the valuables to invest in their future, he said.
But recovering stolen property, such as jewelry or coins, can be challenging, Lorenz said.
Some thieves will sell the items on the street or trade the items for drugs, he said. A thief also could trade in stolen jewelry to pawn shops for cash, Lorenz said.
But pawn shops are required by law to provide law enforcement agencies with receipts of new items they have received. Law enforcement agencies often check the receipts against items that have been reported stolen, Lorenz said.
Anyone with details about the Nov. 26 burglary or stolen jewelry and coins can contact Mardikian or Det. Scott Byrne at (818) 548-3127.
VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.