Burbank police officers arrested 22-year-old Andre Saakyan of Burbank for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly choked his sister during an altercation, according to Officer Joshua Kendrick of the Burbank Police Department.
Officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Bonita Avenue at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, regarding an assault with a deadly weapon that had just occurred.
Police discovered the argument began when Saakyan asked for money from his parent but she refused. He then allegedly pushed the parent, a female age 49, to the ground and continued to verbally assault her, said Kendrick.
“The suspect’s sibling, a female age 24, upon hearing the verbal assault, attempted to intervene on behalf of her parent,” added Kendrick. “The suspect pushed the sibling to the ground, sat upon her and placed his hands around her neck in an attempt to strangle her.”
Saakyan’s sister escaped from her brother and immediately called BPD. While she called police, the suspect barricaded himself in an upstairs bedroom.
Additional BPD personnel arrived and “gave numerous verbal commands for the suspect to exit, but he refused,” said Kendrick. Officers entered the residence around 2:00 p.m. and found the suspect in an upstairs bedroom hiding behind a recliner.
Saakyan was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon. His bail was set at $30,000 and he was later transported to L.A. County Jail.
