Repeat burglar caught in the act, held by resident at gunpoint

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- Fed up with being targeted, residents in Glendale caught a burglary suspect in the act and held him until police arrived.

Surveillance video from February shows 32-year-old Artur Sandrosyan getting his hands on what he can inside a parking garage. Residents later discovered he stole about $2,000 worth of tools. They had a feeling he'd be back.

"We were determined to catch this guy," said resident Jun Rosario.

They got their chance last week, when residents heard a car alarm. Rosario's neighbor Darwin Serenio pulled up the security cameras on his smartphone.

"This time I'm pretty much sure this is the same guy, because when I see the profile, it looks the same. The jacket he's wearing, the hat and the height, it's the same guy," Serenio described.

Serenio called Rosario, who grabbed his gun and chased after the repeat burglar.

"I ran after him. I told him to stop or I will shoot," Rosario said. "He did not resist so I told him to stay down, and I backed up a little bit to grab my zip ties."

Rosario had left over zip ties handy from installing the surveillance cameras and used them to hold Sandrosyan.

Officers were on scene in about two minutes to take over. Police arrested Sandrosyan, who they say confessed to both burglaries. Typically, police tell people not to take matters into their own hands.

"In this case, everybody ended up being safe, even though there was a weapon involved," said Sgt. Robert Williams with Glendale police. "You never know what would happen if you confront an individual, so the best thing to do is to call 911 and be a good witness."

When Sandrosyan was arrested, police said he was in possession of tools used to break into vehicles. Since his arrest, officers have been able to recover that stolen property.