Valley News: Alleged Crowbar Attacker Tasered by Police; 2 Shot in Suspected Gang Attack

Reseda

A man who attacked a person with a crowbar, sending that person to a hospital in unknown condition, was captured after he was tasered by police Monday.

It began near Runnymede Street and Jellico Avenue in Reseda about 5:25 p.m., said Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner.

The suspect was captured about an hour later.

Motive for the attack was not known, she said.

Burbank

A state appellate panel Monday affirmed the murder convictions of two men in the February 2009 shooting of a Burbank woman over a $5,000 debt.

A jury in August 2010 convicted Armen Mangasaryan, 32, of first-degree murder in the death of Jasmine Voskanyan, who was shot once in the face when she opened the front door of her home. The getaway driver -- Arpiar Terrgalstanyan, 23 -- was found guilty of second-degree murder.

Voskanyan owed $5,000 to a third defendant, Bella Stepanyan, who pleaded no contest to a charge of being an accessory after the fact. Stepanyan was the girlfriend of Mangasaryan's brother.

In upholding the convictions of Mangasaryan and Terrgalstanyan, a three- member panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal said the evidence "established the existence of a serious conflict between the victim and the defendants, who belonged to the same insular (Armenian-American) community and who had visited her on several occasions in attempts to collect the debt she owed."

There was also, according to the ruling, "highly incriminating evidence" showing the defendants' cell phones were  "in close proximity to Voskanyan's home at the time she was murdered. That same evidence showed defendants lied to the police about their actions when arrested just hours after the murder."

Mangasaryan is serving 50 years to life in prison while Terrgalstanyan is serving 16 years to life.

Reseda

Two men shot in a fight with suspected gang members in Reseda were hospitalized Sunday.

The fight at Vanalden Avenue and Saticoy Street broke out about 12:15 a.m., said Los Angeles police Sgt. Doug Winger of the West Valley Station.

"I'm not sure the cause of the altercation," Winger said.

One man was shot in a leg, and the other was shot in a foot, he said, adding that both were taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center. Their names were withheld.

No immediate arrests were made.

Canoga Park

A multi-agency law enforcement effort netted the arrest of a 32-year-old man suspected of passing more than $300,000 in counterfeit $100 bills, police said Sunday.

A six-month investigation ended Friday when Paul Hernandez was arrested outside a Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga, according to a department statement.

The investigation was the result of a tip to authorities by several local retail stores located in the San Fernando Valley.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Organized Retail Crimes Unit along with the Secret Service worked the investigation, which started in the Topanga area and led them east into the Big Bear Lake area.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies helped serve a search warrant at Hernandez's home in Big Bear, where agents found equipment to create authentic looking nut bogus $100 bills.

Rancho Cucamonga police helped arrest Hernandez at the big box sporting goods store in Rancho Cucamonga

Hernandez is expected to be arraigned on felony charges 7 a.m. Tuesday in the Superior Court in San Bernardino County.

LAPD Topanga station detectives asked anyone with any information regarding the crime to call them at (818) 756-4800.

Reseda

A boy or young man was fatally shot in front a 7-Eleven in Reseda early Tuesday.

The shooting near Victory and Reseda boulevards was reported about 1:15 a.m., said Los Angeles police Officer Gary Shanahan of the West Valley Station.

The victim was declared dead at a hospital, he said.

The shooting happened in front of a 7-Eleven, a videographer at the scene said.

A description of the shooter was unavailable.

Editor's note: These are Police/Fire stories from areas of the San Fernando Valley not covered by Patch. Check Encino-Tarzana Patch, Northridge-Chatsworth Patch, North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch, Sherman Oaks Patch, Studio City Patch, and Woodland Hills Patch for news in those areas.