Motorcycle Chase Ends with Neighborhood Arrest

A high-speed police pursuit led by a motorcyclist through Pacific Palisades on Monday afternoon ended with the suspect being captured and handcuffed in the backyard of a home in the 300 block of Swarthmore Avenue. A Los Angeles County Sheriffs officer attempted to pull the Suzuki motorcyclist over at Topanga Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway for reckless driving and a possible DUI. Instead of responding to the police order, the suspect (described as a white male in his late 20s), sped south on PCH. The motorcyclist entered the Palisades via Sunset Boulevard going east. He turned onto Marquez Avenue, sped past Marquez Elementary School, and then returned to Sunset, continuing east to Via de la Paz, where he turned right towards the bluffs. ‘I saw a motorcyclist with dark gloves and dark clothes run the stop sign at Antioch,’ said Chamber of Commerce administrative assistant Marilyn Crawford. ‘There was a motorcycle policeman about 20 feet behind him.’ The motorcycle chase ended at the end of Via, where it dead ends into Via de las Olas, when the suspect ditched his bike and ran a block east towards Swarthmore and hid in the neighborhood. LAPD officers, called on to assist, arrived on the scene almost immediately with numerous patrol cars, a helicopter (which circled the area for about 45 minutes) and, at 1:30 p.m., search dogs. ‘We have five K-9 units,’ said Sgt. Gerry Sola of the Metropolitan Division of the Canine Platoon. ‘Each dog has a handler and three or four officers on the team.’ He explained that the dogs use a grid pattern search, sniffing for a mixture of adrenaline, sweat and, in this case, testosterone. As the dogs traversed Friends, Swarthmore and Via de la Paz with their handlers, Sola explained that a breed called Belgium Malinois are used instead of the bigger German shepherds because of their ability to work in tighter spaces. He explained that a dog gives an indication he is on the trail of a suspect by a change in behavior that the handler can easily detect. He also said that the many myths about how to throw a dog off the trail are just that: myths. ‘The reality is that these dogs have such great scenting ability, you can’t get away,’ Sola said. ‘There’s a two out of three chance we’ll find the suspect in this area.’ About that time, one of the dogs, accompanied by a handler and two officers, followed the scent into the backyard of 15307 Via de las Olas. The suspect, who had been hiding there, had already escaped. But a few minutes later, he was seen darting from a back yard on Swarthmore towards another house on the same side of the street.   Another dog and his handler picked up the trail. A few minutes later, the suspect came walking down Swarthmore, handcuffed and surrounded by police. His shirt had been ripped off, showing a large tattoo on his right shoulder, and he was bleeding at the neck. ‘He was found in the bushes,’ said Sola, who confirmed that the suspect had been bitten by the dog. ‘For canine contact, it meant either the suspect may have tried to escape or he got aggressive with the dog. If he tried to push the dog away, the action would appear aggressive to the dog and he’ll react.’ Paramedics from Station 69 treated the suspect, who was then handcuffed to the stretcher and taken to UCLA Medical Center. LAPD Sgt. Saafir said that the man would be treated and then booked. On Tuesday, Saafir confirmed that the man had been booked for felony evasion and felony warrants (he had outstanding warrants). Longtime residents Helen and Jess Sweeters, who live next door to where the suspect was captured, were at home during all the commotion. ‘I was in my backyard watering,’ Helen said, ‘when he [the suspect] jumped on our roof and then onto our neighbor’s roof.’ ‘I heard the crunch of him [walking] on the metal,’ Jess said. ‘I called 911,’ Helen said, ‘then I called next door and told them that someone had just jumped off their roof.’ (Editor’s note: Gurgen Martirosyan, 25, was arrested in Pacific Palisades on Monday afternoon after trying to evade a routine traffic stop on Pacific Coast Highway near Topanga Boulevard. Subsequently the Palisadian-Post learned Wednesday morning that there were six warrants out for his arrest, including numerous felony warrants ranging from domestic violence to burglary, as well as a no-bail warrant.)