The suspect who had been hospitalized following a wrong-way chase and police shootout in January is awaiting arraignment today on more than two dozen charges, including capital murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.
Artyom Gasparyan (dob 11/30/83) is scheduled to be arraigned sometime after 1:30 p.m. today in Department 30 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in case BA442550. Prosecutors will ask that he be held without bail.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney with the Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case.
Gasparyan is a suspect in a crime spree reaching across Los Angeles County, from Burbank to Long Beach and West Hollywood to Panorama City that began last August.
The first case filed for arrest warrant was in Van Nuys, LA081582, charging him with an attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon that occurred on Aug. 5, 2015.
The second case, BA442550 filed for warrant on Dec. 29, charged him with one count each of attempted murder and assault with a firearm for a Dec. 13, 2015, shooting.
Today, prosecutors will file an amended complaint in BA442550 charging Gasparyan with two dozen additional counts for crimes he allegedly committed between Dec. 6, 2015, and Jan. 4, 2016. The new charges include one count of murder with the special circumstance of an intentional shooting from a motor vehicle. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty.
He also is charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, seven counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of carjacking, two counts of fleeing police while driving recklessly, one count of hit and run driving resulting in injury and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
On Jan. 4, police spotted Gasparyan in the Sunland area and a chase ensued. It ended with a crash on the northbound 5 Freeway near Sylmar. When Gasparyan allegedly jumped out of the vehicle and tried to run, he was shot by officers. Several people riding in the car that was struck by the fleeing vehicle were treated.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles County District Attorney / case BA442550 / March 1, 2016
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