Owner of Sun Valley recycling company arrested for receiving stolen copper metals
Photos provided by the Los Angeles Police Department
LOS ANGELES - The owner of a recycling company was arrested for allegedly receiving stolen property in connection with the theft of thousands of pounds of metal from cities in LA County.
According to LAPD, on Sept. 13, the Commercial Crime Division's Metal Theft Unit
(MTU) in collaboration with City Council President Paul Krekorian's office conducted compliance checks at recycling centers and metal yards in the San Fernando Valley.
During the checks, they recovered 290 pounds of streetlight wires stolen from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting. It had an estimated value of $2,000.
They also recovered 290 pounds of stolen streetlight wires from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, with an estimated worth of $10,000.
Photos provided by the Los Angeles Police Department
A 256 pound bronze plaque from the City of Burbank, with an estimated value of
$10,000, was also recovered.
Officers also found 3,366 pounds of copper and aluminum wire, estimated to be worth $24,000.00, stolen from CalTrans.
The suspect, Bedros "Peter" Zhamkochian, the owner of Tuxford Recycling, was arrested.
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Copper wire theft in LA has become a growing concern. In August, eight metal recyclers in North Hollywood were cited for reselling stolen copper wire and three individuals were arrested for theft and vandalism of government property in a major crackdown.
City Council members have expressed their frustration about the theft of copper wire, which has led to dark neighborhoods and cost the city millions of dollars for street light repairs. Thieves have also taken precious metals from public plaques, monuments and cemetery headstones.
In the past four years, CalTrans spent more than $24 million to repair damaged infrastructure and address vandalism, officials said.