Officers arrested two men Friday after they allegedly stole approximately $60,000 worth of wedding gifts from a California couple, police said.
Armean Shirehjini allegedly stole a wedding gift box with around $60,000 worth of gifts from Nadeen and George Farahat’s wedding in Glendale, ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported, citing police. Shirehjini was allegedly caught on security cameras grabbing the gift box. Footage of the incident can be seen here.
Shirehjini entered the Renaissance Banquet Hall via the dance floor before he left with the gift box, police said. Another man, Andranik Avetisyan, was allegedly the getaway car, police said.
Glendale Police Department (GPD) Sgt. Jose Barajas discussed the incident with ABC 7. “Obviously, this person did hit the jackpot. We believe they got about $60,000 and a few checks. We did recover 26 checks in total and about $10,000,” Barajas said.
He told the outlet that tips submitted to the police department led to the suspects’ identification “pretty early on in the investigation.”
Shirehjini “was found to be in possession of a handgun” at the time of his arrest, according to an official statement from the GPD. Authorities said they discovered multiple firearms and various narcotics at both men’s residences. (RELATED: REPORT: Group Of Masked Thieves Rob San Jose Jewelry Store, Elderly Owner Has Stroke)
Nadeen and George Farahat spoke about the incident with NBC Los Angeles.
“It’s really upsetting, and I get really emotional thinking about it,” Nadeen said. “We keep reminding ourselves about the positive things that came out of the day. Of course, us getting married is top of the list.”
“But ultimately I think we’re thankful that everyone was safe,” her husband, George added.
Neither suspect has a criminal history of theft, police told ABC 7. They suspect the incident was probably a crime of opportunity.