Police seek murder charges

GLENDALE — Grigor Grigoryan, the 39-year-old man who was arrested Friday after a police pursuit ended in Hollywood, is scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges after an autopsy determined his girlfriend was strangled to death in her home, authorities said.

The woman, whom Glendale police identified as 35-year-old Yvette Hakopian, was found dead Friday afternoon in her home on the 600 block of West Stocker Street, setting off a manhunt for her boyfriend.

“[The scene] just didn’t look right,” Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Within hours, Glendale Police found Grigoryan and tried to pull him over, but he led them on a chase through Los Angeles and into Hollywood that ended at about 6:30 p.m., when a police squad car intentionally hit his car at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, Lorenz said.

Glendale Police maintained jurisdiction of Grigoryan’s pursuit but were assisted by the Los Angeles Police Department.

“We go where it takes us,” Lorenz said.

Grigoryan’s car landed on the Walk of Fame, ending the chase. No injuries were reported.

Grigoryan, initially held on traffic violations stemming from the police pursuit, remains in custody at the Glendale City Jail without bail.

An official for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Saturday confirmed that Hakopian had died from strangulation.

Details of the crime scene, such as the location of Hakopian’s body in the house, were not immediately available, nor was a possible motive.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is expected to charge Grigoryan with murder during his arraignment Tuesday in Glendale Superior Court, Lorenz said.

Neighbors of the home were alerted to the home Friday when they heard screaming from Hakopian’s home. The screams turned out to be from family members who Lorenz said had discovered her body.

Residents said they were shocked by the death, and that their street was typically quiet and safe.

Hakopian’s identity was not released until Saturday.