Two individuals detained following an audacious gatecrashing at a California wedding, where a thief, caught on camera, made off with a substantial $60,000 from the newlyweds.
In a shocking turn of events, two men have been arrested in connection to the theft of a wedding gift box in Glendale, California. The incident occurred at the wedding of Nadeen and George Farahat, and was captured on security cameras inside the Renaissance Banquet Hall.
According to Sgt. Jose Barajas with the Glendale Police Department, tips from the public helped identify the suspects early in the investigation. The suspects, Armean Shirehjini and Andranik Avetisyan, have been accused of stealing approximately $60,000 from the couple.
While Andranik Avetisyan was not armed during the theft, Armean Shirehjini was armed when he was arrested on Friday night. The police recovered thousands of dollars that were stolen from the couple, as well as 26 checks and approximately $10,000 in cash from Armean Shirehjini's safe.
The police are also investigating the drugs recovered from the suspects' homes, and are looking into fake IDs that were recovered as well. They are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft, including whether it was a crime of opportunity, as Glendale has a lot of banquet halls and weddings every weekend.
The newlyweds, Nadeen and George Farahat, spoke with ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC earlier this week. The groom, George, stated that they are focusing on the fun times and the important things to them, and the fact that they are married, despite the theft. The bride, Nadeen, stated that she ended up sitting on the dance floor, sobbing with her friends and cousins around her.
Armean Shirehjini and Andranik Avetisyan are accused of being the thief and the getaway driver, respectively. The police are looking into whether the guns, drugs, and fake IDs recovered from both suspects' homes were obtained legally. The owners of the weapons and drugs found during the house searches are Armean Shirehjini and Andranik Avetisyan themselves.
A now-viral video shows the thief making off with the bride and groom's gift box last weekend. The police believe the theft might have been a random location chosen by the suspects, but the investigation is ongoing.
