GLENDALE, Calif. — A wedding crasher who allegedly took gifts instead of leaving them has been captured.
Police have arrested two men in connection with the incident.
Glendale police detectives said Armean Shirehjini was suspected of taking the box, filled with about $60,000 in cash and checks meant for the happy couple. They’ve also charged Andranik Avetisyan was the alleged getaway driver.
Video from Renaissance Banquet Hall in Glendale showed a well-dressed man blending in with 300 guests at the reception. He went mostly unnoticed, even holding doors for guests, until a bridesmaid saw him grab the box and run through a side door. The box was locked and secured before it was taken, KCBS reported.
The bride, Nadeen Farahat, told KTLA, “At that point, the music stopped, everyone was aware of the situation.”
Her new husband, George Farahat, told The Los Angeles Times that the man could be seen carrying the box to an SUV that was in an alley outside the hall.
Thanks to surveillance video from inside the party, police were able to see the alleged thief’s face and track him down within five days.
Police recovered dozens of checks made out to the couple and about $10,000 of the approximate $60,000 of checks, gift cards and cash that were presents to the couple, KABC reported. Police also found guns and drugs, and were processing alleged evidence through the weekend, according to a police report.
Neither Shirehjini nor Avetisyan had a criminal history, police told KCBS.
The investigation continues and police told the news station that they were not sure if there was a connection between the couple and the two men.
“We don’t know of any connection. We don’t know if the couple was specifically targeted,” Glendale Police Department Sergeant Jose Barajas said. “Like I said there’s various banquet halls throughout Glendale, weddings every single weekend. So they could’ve just looked at the venue itself and picked that one and this just happened to be the couple that was picked.”
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