Two Armenian American men who attacked people at a Turkish restaurant in Beverly Hills were sentenced Monday to federal prison.
William Stepanyan, 23, of Glendale, was given a five-year sentence while Harutyun Harry Chalikyan, 24, of Los Angeles' Tujunga was sentenced to 15 months in prison. They were also ordered to pay a total of $21,200 in restitution.
They pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and committing a hate crime.
On the evening of Nov. 4, 2020, a group of six to eight males drove to the Cafe Istanbul restaurant located in Beverly Hills in the Los Angeles metro area, made pro-Armenia comments, destroyed property and physically attacked its employees. In the indictment, six charges were directed against the defendants Stepanyan and Chalikyan, who were arrested on April 27.
According to the indictment, Stepanyan said in a phone message on Nov. 4 that he was planning to go "hunting for Turks" and met Chalikyan the same day. It was also noted that one of the assailants who raided the restaurant said, “We came to kill you! We will kill you!”
The indictment said that Stepanyan, Chalikyan and other Armenian Americans then drove to the family-owned restaurant, where Stepanyan and Chalikyan stormed into the restaurant and attacked the victims inside. Both suspects, who were wearing masks during the attack, allegedly flung chairs at the victims while shouting derogatory slurs about Turkish people.
Four of the five victims were of Turkish descent, including one individual who lost the feeling in their legs and collapsed multiple times due to the injury, the indictment noted. The assault caused over $20,000 in damage and forced the restaurant to close temporarily, causing thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
