The brazen heist in southern California left the bride and groom distraught. Photo / 123RF
Two men have been arrested in the theft of about $60,000 ($100,000) worth of gifts from a wedding in southern California. The brazen heist left the bride and groom distraught.
Police in Glendale said they arrested Armean Shirehjini and Andranik Avetisyan on suspicion of committing grand theft.
Police allege that Shirehjini crashed the wedding and stole a box full of cheques and cash intended for the young couple, while Avetisyan drove the getaway car.
The newlyweds, identified in media interviews as George and Nadeen Farahat, told local news outlets that a man they didn’t know entered their wedding reception, walked around and ordered a drink, and chatted with the bartender while watching the dance floor.
Security footage published by KCAL News appears to show a man in a dark suit walk onto the dance floor, grab the box and run out of the venue through a back corridor.
Police said that a black SUV was waiting and that both suspects fled in it.
The bride said the theft, first noticed by a friend, threw a shadow over the celebration.
“As soon as we found out what happened, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped. I ended up sitting on the dance floor, sobbing, with my friends and cousins around me,” Nadeen Farahat told ABC7.
The couple said they saw the incident as a violation of their privacy. “People write special notes, thank yous, congratulations, and that’s been taken away from us as well,” George Farahat told KCAL.
“It’s so scary to look back and see that there was a stranger at such … an intimate event,” Nadeen Farahat told ABC7.
After the heist, Glendale police said, they identified the suspect as Shirehjini using video surveillance and other resources.
They said Shirehjini was arrested on September 4 at his residence in Sherman Oaks, along with Avetisyan. They said Shirehjini was in possession of a handgun at the time of his arrest.
Glendale police said they identified Avetisyan as the getaway driver and searched his and Shirehjini’s residences, recovering “a large amount of cash and dozens of cheques” made out to the bride and groom.
Police said they also found firearms and narcotics at both residences.
It was not immediately clear whether the men had retained lawyers. Glendale police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Security experts say some weddings are particularly good targets for crashers because of the large number of guests who don’t know one another, making it possible for a stranger to blend in.
The practice has been immortalised in songs such as Crashed the Wedding, by the English punk band Busted, and in movies such as Wedding Crashers, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.
Not all wedding crashers steal - some, for better or worse, richer or poorer, are there for the free food and drinks.
Still, they can be a nuisance for the wedding couple and a security risk.
The wedding services website the Knot advises that couples designate a point person to “watch out for anyone lingering too close to the bar or buffet table” or who is “dressed incorrectly” or doesn’t seem like “part of the environment”.
If the point person has a reason to suspect that someone was not invited to the wedding, they should first check with the bride and the groom and their parents, the Knot says.
“If neither set of parents has any clue who the person is, ask the planner or venue manager to discreetly approach the unidentifiable guests and then see them to the door,” the site advises.
Although the Farahats took steps to secure their gift box - they told ABC7 it was locked and they had hired a private security guard - they urged others to keep their wedding gifts extra secure to avoid a similar fate.
“We don’t want anyone to ever go through this,” Nadeen Farahat told KCAL. “It’s upsetting and it’s heartbreaking.”
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