5 arrested after nearly 300 stolen bikes recovered

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has recovered the majority of the hundreds of bicycles stolen en route to Los Angeles County, and five people have been arrested for being the alleged masterminds behind the heist.

Sheriff’s officials on Thursday identified the following people as organizers of the theft:

• Samvel Karapetyan, 38
• Vazgen Avagyan, 36
• Narek Badalyan, 32
• Vladimir Gyulankaryan, 32
• Davit Grigoryan, 40

While investigators are still looking into whether any of these five were personally involved in the thefts, the department said they oversaw the plan to steal 337 bicycles from Utah-based ARI Bikes on April 21, a theft of merchandise valued at $1.7 million.

“These individuals are suspected of orchestrating theft operations by redirecting truck drivers and using box trucks and passenger vehicles to transport large quantities of stolen cargo,” the LASD said in a news release.

Of those 337 bikes, 288 of them were recovered during the recent service of two search warrants at multiple locations connected to three separate investigations.

Jail records indicate the five were all arrested on May 7 in the City of Industry, and each has since been freed on $100,000 bond.

Capt. Calvin Mah of the Major Crimes Bureau said their Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team is “dedicated to combatting retail and cargo theft.”

“We are specifically trained to investigate all major theft groups as their criminal activities adversely affect the community,” Mah said. “When these theft incidents occur, our detectives will work with all community members who are willing to provide information which can lead to an arrest. I am proud of our detectives’ efforts in bringing these suspects into custody. I am also encouraging all community members to notify us when they have information related to retail or cargo theft.”

To anonymously report information on cargo thefts or other crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.