Shooting involving suspected murderer and police shuts down Golden State (5) Freeway
A suspected murderer tied to a series of violent crimes throughout Los Angeles County, including a double shooting in Burbank, was shot by police Monday afternoon after a short foot pursuit on the Golden State (5) Freeway near Burbank, police said.
Undercover detectives spotted Artyom Gasparyan, 32, at a car repair shop and followed him until he entered the 5 freeway on an offramp, driving on the wrong side of the road.
He collided with two oncoming vehicles before he got out of his car, armed with a handgun, according to Los Angeles Police Sgt. Barry Montgomery.
After a short foot pursuit, police shot Gasparyan, leaving him hospitalized with critical injuries.
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“It’s safe to say the citizens in the Los Angeles area can sleep better tonight,” said Los Angeles police officer Mike Lopez.
The shooting closed both sides of the 5 freeway near Glenoaks Boulevard for several hours, backing up traffic for miles.
Gasparyan was wanted in connection with several serious crimes dating back to Dec. 6, including a “road rage” shooting last week that claimed the life of a 37-year-old man.
One of his earlier crimes included a shooting in a Burbank neighborhood that left two men wounded.
At around 7:20 a.m. on Dec. 9, gardener Martin Hernandez was raking and picking up trash outside a Burbank home in the 1700 block of Catalina Street where he’s worked for several years when he heard the sound of a gunshot a few houses down.
He later found out that a 67-year-old man was shot multiple times in his abdomen outside his home.
Shortly after, the shooter drove up next to Hernandez in a silver sedan and yelled out a profanity while brandishing his weapon.
When Hernandez saw the gun, he ran. That’s when Gasparyan reportedly fired one shot, striking Hernandez in his left foot.
The 67-year-old man remains hospitalized, while the gardener is recovering at home.
The shooting sparked an outpouring of support from Burbank neighbors, police and strangers, who donated Christmas gifts to Hernandez, his wife and four young children.
Meanwhile, Gasparyan’s crime spree continued.
In connection with a Dec. 13 shooting, Gasparyan faces one count each of attempted murder and assault with a semiautomatic firearm, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Gasparyan, whose criminal convictions in Los Angeles County date back to 2005, is also suspected of fatally shooting a 37-year-old man last week in what was described by Los Angeles police as a possible “road rage” incident.
At around 7:20 p.m. last Wednesday, police responded to Van Nuys Boulevard and Plummer Street, where they found the man near a car with a gunshot wound. The victim, a Winnetka resident, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
About two hours later, Gasparyan and a man named Daniel Ramirez allegedly robbed a Shell gas station — located in the 100 block of West Alameda Avenue in Burbank — at gunpoint, according to Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco.
Two days after that, at around 9:40 a.m., the duo was spotted by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who noticed a gray Volkswagen sedan driving erratically on the 105 Freeway near Crenshaw Boulevard, according to Los Angeles police officer Aareon Jefferson.
California Highway Patrol officers had been looking for the car, whose occupants were reportedly wanted for carjacking and robbery, Jefferson said.
When units responded, the car took off, leading police on a pursuit. The driver, believed to be Gasparyan, stopped at Normandie Avenue and 223rd Street, where a passenger, believed to be Ramirez, got out of the car armed with a handgun.
Ramirez then allegedly carjacked a nearby Dodge Durango after firing several rounds toward the driver, Jefferson said. The driver was not injured.
Officers pursued Ramirez in the Durango, but lost the Volkswagen, which was last seen entering the 110 Freeway on an offramp, driving in the wrong direction, Jefferson said.
The pursuit ended when Ramirez crashed the car at Wardlow Road and Main Avenue in Long Beach, and subsequently ran into a home in the 3300 block of Daisy Avenue, where he reportedly stabbed a man, shot the man’s two sons and then shot himself in the head, Jefferson said. A third son was able to escape out a bathroom window.
The three victims are expected to survive.
Ramirez, meanwhile, was pronounced dead at a Long Beach hospital around 4:20 p.m. Saturday, according to Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
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