Two men's shopping spree came to a swift end after deputies caught wind of their five-finger discount operation at an upscale Palm Desert shop. The duo was pinpointed for a grand theft that occurred on April 1, where they allegedly nicked items and scrammed without ringing them up, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Officials reported that the alleged shoplifters, identified as Raymond Hayrapetyan, 47, of Glendale, and Hamlet Khevoyan, 40, of Hollywood made off in a fresh-off-the-lot white Lexus before law enforcement arrived at the scene; after deputies swooped in thanks to a tip, these merchants of stealth were nowhere to be found at the business located on the 73000 block of El Paseo, as reported by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The Palm Desert Special Enforcement Team, with allies from the Business District Team, was quick to clock the operation and then lay low in wait for their chance to strike back.
A shopping center parking lot became the backdrop of the takedown when deputies, after a brief chase at 8:35 p.m., nabbed the suspects at Highway 111 and Washington Street in La Quinta, the alleged perpetrators didn't put up a fight. With the criminal pair in cuffs, the deputies didn't just recover the pilfered loot from their recent heist but also found an eclectic loot of presumably stolen wine bottles and over-the-counter meds stuffed inside their getaway chariot.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department shared details of the bust, booking both Hayrapetyan and Khevoyan on charges of grand theft and felony evading, they've since been sent to cool their heels at the John Benoit Detention Center as the investigation keeps chugging along.
Folks with any information hotline to trod can get in touch with deputies Hindiyeh and Botello at the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station by dialing 760–836–1600. As for media folk looking for the inside track on this grand theft auto, sans the auto, the Media Information Bureau is your port of call for inquiries.
