Shop Owner Replaced Costly Parts With Copies, Police Say

The owner of a Pacoima auto shop was arrested for allegedly replacing expensive parts with cheaper ones on a car being stored at his Volkswagen repair business, authorities said Friday.

Heros (Harry) Azalbarian, 31, of La Crescenta, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft Thursday by state Department of Motor Vehicles officers who investigated a complaint from a customer of his shop, “Haus of VW,” in the 9800 block of San Fernando Road, officials said. Azalbarian was released on $20,000 bail.

DMV officials began an investigation a month ago after receiving a complaint from a woman who said parts had been switched on her car. A DMV report on the arrest said the unidentified woman was storing her car at the shop while waiting for an insurance estimate on repairs after an accident. She discovered the parts switch when her son went to the shop one day and saw Azalbarian taking parts out of her car, the DMV report said.

DMV Investigator Michael Chaney said Azalbarian replaced tires, wheels, engine parts and a radio on the car with older, less reliable parts. “He didn’t think anybody would notice,” Chaney said.

Los Angeles police said Azalbarian was arrested in April, 1989, at the same business, then called Bug House, when he bought parts from undercover officers who told him they were stolen. Detectives then served a search warrant at the Bug House and found several stolen cars, police said. Azalbarian was charged with possession of stolen property in that case, which is pending, police said.