Murder charges filed in violent death of Glendale man
A 28-year-old Van Nuys man has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of a Glendale man who was run over with a vehicle and shot to death in Sun Valley, authorities said.
Hachik Maskovian faces four felony murder-related charges in the death of 33-year-old Joshua West, including that the incident was premeditated and that he was kidnapped during the April 24 incident, according to a Los Angeles County Superior Court criminal complaint.
West died of multiple gunshot wounds, but was also cut and suffered blunt force trauma, said Los Angeles County coroner’s spokesman Ed Winter.
West also appeared to have been run over by a vehicle, Winter added.
Maskovian reportedly arrived as a passenger in a tow truck to help West possibly retrieve a cellphone, according to Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County district attorney spokeswoman. For reasons not immediately known, Maskovian reportedly started beating West, then placed him in the tow truck and drove off.
Moments later, a shooting occurred and witnesses reportedly saw him dumping West on the roadway.
While Los Angeles Police detectives have released few details about West’s death and his kidnapping, they said officers received numerous calls about possible gunshots at 10 p.m. in the 10700 block of Vinedale Street. They reported finding blood and other evidence at the scene.
Moments later, the LAPD received another call about West, who was lying in the roadway in the 10200 block of Penrose Street with multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
Paramedics were unable to revive West at the scene.
Two days later, Maskovian was arrested in connection with West’s death, police said. Details about his arrest were not released.
According to a Facebook account of a Joshua West from Glendale, he was working as the operations director and client services manager at Sand Investment Group in Santa Monica.
The investigation into his death remains ongoing.
Anyone with details about West’s death was encouraged to call the LAPD detectives in the foothill division at (818) 834-3106.
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