Josh Kleinbaum
Police arrested a man at Tuesday's City Council meeting for delaying
city business after the man, carrying a tool belt with a screwdriver
and a claw hammer, claimed to be an undercover agent for the state of
California.
Serjik Andryassian, 42, burst into the council chambers Tuesday
minutes after Mayor Bob Yousefian closed the public comment period.
He wore shorts, a white shirt, an orange construction vest and a
yellow construction hat, and carried a tool belt in one hand and a
bag in the other.
Andryassian demanded to speak, saying that he had an emergency.
After Mayor Bob Yousefian told him that he could not speak because
the public comment period ended, the man sat in the front row and
began pulling items out of his bag. He inserted three miniature flags
into a white, foam rectangle and then began holding up 8 1/2 -by-11
pictures of City Council candidates, giving candidates a thumbs-up or
thumbs-down sign.
"I couldn't see what he was taking out of the bag," Yousefian
said. "I was very worried. I was praying, 'Please God, let him not
pull out a gun and start shooting.' I never had a scary moment like
that. You don't know what this guy is going to do in the next
minute."
City Atty. Scott Howard sent a message from his BlackBerry pager
to the police officer stationed at the back of the room. The officer
took a seat just behind the man and called for backup. After five
other officers arrived, Yousefian called a recess.
One of the officers asked the man to leave the room so they could
talk outside the council chambers.
"I don't trust you," Andryassian told police officers. "I'm on
your side. Undercover agent, state of California, undercover agent,
state of California."
The officers escorted him out of the room, arrested him and
brought him to the city jail, according to a police report.
Andryassian, a Los Angeles resident, has appeared at several
previous council meetings, complaining about his mother's eviction
from a Glendale apartment building.
About two weeks earlier, police escorted him out of the city's
Building and Community Development Department because he was being
abusive, City Manager Jim Starbird said.
During the council meeting, Starbird said he was concerned about
Andryassian's behavior, especially because he had a hammer.
"Once upon a time, you never gave that sort of thing a thought,"
Starbird said. "In this day and age, it's always on your mind at
public meetings."
* JOSH KLEINBAUM covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818)
637-3235 or by e-mail at josh.kleinbaum@latimes.com.
