Burglars wore Ronald Reagan masks as disguises, police say

The Glendale Police Department arrested two men and one teenage boy this week on suspicion of residential burglary after a witness spotted two suspicious people wearing matching masks of Ronald Reagan and breaking into an apartment.

Glendale Police Sgt. Daniel Suttles said the witness saw the masked men climb onto the first-floor balcony of an apartment in the 300 block of North Kenwood Street and enter the home sometime around 9 a.m. Monday. An idling car occupied by a lone driver was waiting on the street, he said.

While the witness called the authorities, the men entered the waiting vehicle and fled the area, according to the witness. Suttles said the witness already was in his own car and followed the burglars.

“He followed them for a couple of blocks,” Suttles said. “Right around Lexington and Glendale were where the cops found the car and, from there, they took over [following the vehicle] and pulled them over.”

A search of the vehicle turned up matching masks of the 40th president as well as a replica handgun and personal items belonging to the person who lived in the burglarized apartment, police said.

Suttles said the two men, 20-year-old Gagik Sarkisjan and 18-year-old Narek Martirosyan, were booked into jail on suspicion of burglary. A 17-year-old who authorities say was the getaway driver was booked into juvenile hall.

All three are Glendale residents.

Investigators think the burglary was not random and the three specifically targeted the apartment, Suttles said.

Anyone with information about the burglary can contact Glendale police at (818) 548-4911. Anonymous tips can be made at (800) 222-8477.