“It’s a bittersweet day for my family,” she said. “Not many things have made me laugh or smile, but getting this guy has been the best news I’ve heard since last Tuesday.”
Grigoryan had apparently flown to Mexico City from Tijuana, possibly on Friday, where immigration authorities there detained him because of problems with his travel documents, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said.
Through U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security, Mexican authorities discovered Grigoryan’s outstanding warrant and detained him for deportation, Adams said.
Authorities believe Grigoryan had planned to return to his native Armenia, Adams said.
Police said they weren’t sure when Grigoryan had immigrated to the United States, or whether he was a legal resident, but said they had given him about a dozen traffic citations over the years — one for reportedly failing to yield to a pedestrian.
He will likely face felony hit-and-run charges and may also be charged with vehicular homicide, depending on how the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decides to proceed, Adams said.
Grigoryan’s arrest caps a weeklong manhunt that developed quickly after Glendale Police solicited help from the public concerning his and the Mercedes’ whereabouts.
The black sedan was found abandoned Saturday in Van Nuys after Mercedes-Benz of North America authorized the activation of its GPS device.
But that development didn’t come until after detectives publicly chided the car company for ignoring two court orders demanding that the device be activated.
