Man Accused of Committing Sex Act While Staring at Children at Glendale Galleria

A father told police he and his family were having lunch in the patio area of a McDonald's restaurant when he noticed the suspect staring at his three children.

A man banned from the Glendale Galleria after allegedly groping two women at the mall last year was arrested on suspicion of committing a sex act while staring at three children at a restaurant at the same shopping center, police reported Wednesday.

A man told police that he and his family were having lunch about noon Tuesday in the patio area of a McDonald's restaurant when he noticed the suspect staring at his three children — a year-old boy and two girls, ages 6 and 7, according to Glendale police Sgt. Robert William.

"The father noticed the male had his right hand inside his pocket and was aggressively masturbating while staring at his children," William said. "The father yelled at the suspect to leave, which he did. The father then went to look for security. Upon his return, he saw the suspect was back and was still masturbating through his pocket and staring at his children."

Glendale police officers assigned to the mall responded and took Khajag Markarian, 48, of Burbank into custody on suspicion of child annoyance and trespassing, the sergeant said.

"Markarian has two pending cases of sexual battery from 2015; both incidents occurred at the mall and both involved adult female victims," William said. "The mall management had banned Markarian from the mall due to the two previous incidents."

Police also believe Markarian is the same suspect, described in a police bulletin, who was seen masturbating while staring at students at Glendale High School.

Anyone with additional information about Markarian or other similar incidents was urged to call Glendale police at (818) 548-4911.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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