Rival Armenian Gang Leaders Busted After Bloody Battle In LA County

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two men suspected of running rival Armenian organized crime groups have been charged with crimes connected to a war between their two gangs for control of territory in the San Fernando Valley.

Porter Ranch resident Ara Artuni, a leader of an Armenian crime syndicate, ordered the murder of rival gang leader and Hollywood resident Robert Amiryan in the summer of 2023, according to federal prosecutors.

This prompted Amiryan to order the kidnapping of one of Artuni's associates, according to a complaint filed on May 14.

"Amiryan commanded respect and occupied a position of power within the Armenian criminal community in the greater Los Angeles area," according to police, who wrote in a complaint that as the group's leader, Amiryan recruited non-Armenian criminal associates to commit crimes for him.

On June 6, 2023, Amiryan ordered his associates to kidnap, assault and torture a man from a Artuni's group, according to federal prosecutors and the complaint.

But the man managed to escape and returned home, according to the complaint. Police then served a warrant at a home in Sun Valley where the man was being held captive, according to the complaint.

There, officers found blood splattered throughout the home, body armor, bullet holes and an orange two-way radio.

Following an investigation, which included picking up fingerprints from items found at the home and Ring camera footage, police identified members of Amiryan's crime group involved in the kidnapping and torture of the man.

Artuni, who federal prosecutors say has run a criminal enterprise since 2021 that has stolen more than $83 million from Amazon through cargo theft and committed bank and wire fraud, has since been charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering.

Amiryan, meanwhile, faces kidnapping charges in connection with kidnapping Artuni's associate, federal prosecutors said.

During its investigation, law enforcement seized roughly $100,000 in cash, three armored vehicles and 14 firearms, according to federal prosecutors.

Acting Deputy Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations Dwayne Angebrandt said in a statement Tuesday that the crime syndicates operated with "the structure and brutality" of an international cartel.

“Dismantling transnational criminal organizations is at the core of HSI’s mission, and through close collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we are holding these perpetrators accountable and disrupting their criminal enterprise at every level," Angebrandt said.