A Santa Clarita resident’s quick thinking to snap a photo of one of the suspected burglars ransacking her home led to an arrest this week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced on Wednesday.
The photo (embedded below) of a man standing behind a white Lexus wearing jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt and what appears to be white gloves while covering up the car’s license plate was distributed through the media and on the department’s Facebook page.
Soon after, deputies received a tip from a Santa Clarita resident who thought they could identify the man in the photo and investigators were able to match the face with a name, Sgt. James Anderson said in a press release.
Karen Kapshanyan was arrested Tuesday evening on suspicion of residential burglary. He is set to appear in court on Friday.
Kapshanyan and another man are suspected of breaking into a home on Jan. 3 in the 26100 block of Quartz Meza Lane in Santa Clarita Valley. In her second-floor bedroom doing chores, a woman who lives in the house heard "unusual movement coming from the kitchen area," Anderson said.
When she yelled for the intruders to identify themselves, they ran from the home with the woman’s purse, Anderson said. The victim then chased them into the front yard and ripped her purse away from one of the men, he added.
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Armed with her cellphone, the woman intended to snap a picture of the getaway car’s license plate. But when the man covered up the plate, the victim caught the next best thing: a photo of the suspect himself.
A second man suspected in the burglary is still at large. He is described as Latino, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and was wearing black jeans and a black jacket at the time of the intrusion. The pair allegedly fled the scene in an early-'90s model Lexus LS 400, white with gold trim.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Det. Christensen at 661-255-1121.
