Man arrested after fleeing scene of crash, brawling with officers

GLENDALE — A 40-year-old Glendale man was arrested early Monday after he allegedly fled the scene of a car crash and then brawled with officers while holding his daughter in his arms, police said.

Glendale police booked Paylak Harutyunyan on suspicion of child endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol and hit-and-run, according police reports.

Witnesses told police that they had spotted Harutyunyan, who was driving in a white Toyota Venza containing his wife and two children, crash into two parked cars on Dryden Street and Rossmoyne Avenue, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Police linked a license plate number to Harutyunyan’s home on the 1100 block of North Louise Street, where they saw him walking with his family, according to police reports.

Officers ordered him to stop, but he ignored them, and allegedly walked faster, entering a stairwell.

As officers approached and asked about the crash, Harutyunyan, who was holding his 2-year-old daughter in his arms, began arguing with an officer, according to police.

Harutyunyan, who allegedly smelled of alcohol, again ignored the officer and proceeded to walk up the staircase, police said.

The officer grabbed Harutyunyan’s left arm, but Harutyunyan quickly got loose and swung his fist at the officer’s face as he held onto his daughter, according to reports. Harutyunyan’s wife, Marine, finally grabbed their daughter from his arms.

The officer involved in the scuffle noted in his report that had he not moved back, “the swing would have struck me flush on my face.”

At one point, the wife jumped on an officer, requiring a third to assist in the fray, according to the police report.

The couple’s 10-year-old son later told police that his father had been driving the white Toyota.

The boy was taken to Glendale Adventist Medical Center after he complained of pain to his right cheek and stomach.

Harutyunyan’s wife was not arrested “for the well-being of the children,” Lorenz said.

Still, he said the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for review.

“Should the [district attorney] file charges for obstruction or lying based on independent witness accounts, a warrant would be issued for her arrest or she would be requested to appear in court,” he said.