Glendale man pleads not guilty in fatal hit-and-run
GLENDALE - A Glendale man accused in a hit-and-run crash this summer that left a 24-year-old woman dead pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges, officials said.
Ara Grigoryan, 21, entered his plea yesterday in a Pasadena courtroom. He also pleaded not guilty to one count each of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run involving a death in connection with the July 10 crash that left Elizabeth Sandoval dead.
Grigoryan was driving a black Mercedes-Benz S430 at highway speeds when he hit Sandoval at 9:40 that night at South Glendale Avenue near Windsor Road, police allege.
Four days after the crash, by activating the vehicle's tracking device, police found the Mercedes-Benz near a Van Nuys body shop, with signs of fresh body work on the vehicle, police said.
The car was registered to a relative of Grigoryan's and he became the subject of a weeklong international manhunt that ran through Tijuana before he was arrested July 18 in Mexico City. He was detained while trying to flee without proper travel paperwork to Spain, Glendale police Chief Randy Adams said at a news conference when he announced Grigoryan's arrest.
Spain was believed to be a pit stop on the way to Russia, then Armenia, where Grigoryan was born, police spokesman John Balian said.
Grigoryan has been cited for seven traffic violations over two years while driving the car, police said. They include failure to yield to pedestrians and three incidents of speeding.
Grigoryan is in jail, awaiting another court hearing set for Feb. 13.
Not guilty? Man this guy is scum.