Glendale parolee arrested on assault charge
A 33-year-old male parolee who was convicted of killing his mother has been charged again, this time for allegedly hitting a neighbor over the head with a piece of metal, officials said.
Taron Gorgoyan faces one count of felony assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the beating late Thursday, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
His neighbor received 16 stitches on his face and head after he was struck with the metal object at about 10:50 p.m. in an apartment building in the 100 block of North Kenilworth Avenue, according to Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.
The neighbor told officers he didn’t know what prompted Gorgoyan to suddenly hit him, adding there were no problems between them, police said.
Gorgoyan claimed that he never struck his neighbor and had only gone out that night to smoke a cigarette.
Police discovered a trail of blood from the building’s parking lot to a rear patio area.
Witnesses told officers they were terrified of Gorgoyan because he appeared to have hallucinations, police said.
Gorgoyan was paroled in July 2011 after serving time at Salinas Valley State Prison for voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his 49-year-old mother, Karine Kostanyan. He was sentenced to 10 years for her death and an attempted voluntary manslaughter charge, according to the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.
Inmates convicted of violent crimes must serve at least 85% of their sentences, according to Luis Patino, the department’s spokesman. Gorgoyan received credit for days served while he was awaiting trial.
Gorgoyan, who was 22 at the time, also shot his then-19-year-old brother in the stomach before turning the gun on himself. He shot himself in the face and was placed in a medically-induced coma.
Gorgoyan suffered significant scarring on his face as a result of the shooting.
Police said they believed Gorgoyan attempted a murder-suicide.
Gorgoyan was also arrested last month on an outstanding warrant for violating parole, police said.
Prosecutors plan to ask a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge to set his bail at $1 million, Robison said.
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