Four people arrested for faking bear attacks

November 13, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

Detectives arrested four people for allegedly faking bear attacks on vehicles and then defrauding insurance companies out of more than $140,000.

In what has been dubbed Operation Bear Claw, California Department of Insurance investigators looked into a suspisious claim regarding a bear damaging the inside of a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost. The claimant included a video of what they said was a bear in the vehicle in Lake Arrowhead.

While scrutinizing the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume. Detectives then found two additional insurance claims with two different insurance companies, for the suspects with the same date of loss and at the same location.

The same bear costume was used to damage a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350. They provided the video footage to the other insurance companies as well to substantiate their claims.

To further ensure it was not actually a bear in the video, investigators had a biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife review the three alleged bear videos and they also opined it was clearly a human in a bear suit. After executing a search warrant, detectives found the bear costume in the suspects’ home.

Detectives arrested Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village. They were all charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy.