Saro Beglaryan was 46 years old when he died on Monday, July 2, 2012, four days after he was assaulted in North Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma in the 5300 block of Cartwright Avenue. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department case handled by the North Hollywood Division.
He lived in Glendale, according to City News Service. In the early morning of Thursday, June 28, he was found in the 5300 block of Cartwright Avenue. "Beglaryan was discovered between apartment buildings June 28 about 1:30 a.m., officials said," the Los Angeles Times reported. "He was taken to a hospital where he remained until his death July 2." He died at about 1:45 a.m. that Monday, coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter told City News Service.
At first his death was not treated as certain to be a crime. Reports carried by the Daily News and Patch on the day he died said he had been found "suffering from 'head trauma,'" and that "it was unclear if foul play was involved, according to police." The coroner later concluded otherwise. "According to coroner's records, Beglaryan suffered head trauma after an assault. His death was deemed a homicide," the Times reported.
LAPD North Hollywood homicide Det. Mark O'Donnell, who was handling the case, told the Times that no arrests had been made. Police did release a brief description of the person they were looking for. "The assailant was described as an Armenian man 30 to 35 years old," the Times wrote. Police did not say whether the two men knew each other, what led to the attack or how detectives learned of the description. That a description was released suggests that someone saw the attacker, or that detectives had learned something about him, but no name was ever made public.
Beyond these reports, almost nothing about Saro has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story.
Cartwright Avenue runs through the NoHo Arts District, the walkable center of North Hollywood in the southeastern San Fernando Valley. The district is known for its small live theaters, galleries, cafes and the North Hollywood Metro station, and its side streets are lined with apartment buildings. By night many people pass through the area on their way to and from restaurants, bars and the station.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Saro Beglaryan could be found in news archives or public records. More than 13 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was near the 5300 block of Cartwright Avenue late on the night of June 27 or early on June 28, 2012, or who knew Saro and the people he spent time with in North Hollywood, may hold information that could help. At the time, the Times asked anyone with information to contact Det. O'Donnell at 623-4075. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
