Police Urge Vigilance After Men Are Caught Installing Skimming Device at SoCal Gas Station

Authorities say they found "tools to break into the gas pumps" in the suspects' vehicle

Police are urging people who purchased gas at a Valero station in Sierra Madre to monitor their bank statements for unusual activity after they caught two men installing a skimming device at one of the pumps over the weekend.

Officers responded to an alarm at the gas station on Baldwin Avenue and Sierra Madre Boulevard about 2:40 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they saw the two men installing the device, which is used to capture credit card information, at pump No. 4.

"We were able to look in the back of the vehicle and see a laptop computer, capturing device and tools to break into the gas pumps," Sierra Madre Police Chief Larry Giannone said.

Glendale residents Edvard Martirosyan, 27, and Aram Manasaryan, 22, were taken into custody.

Police said the suspects were also in possession of counterfeit credit cards.

Anyone who has used a credit or debit card at the Valero from May 22 to June 6 should review their bank statements and report any unusual activity, police said.

"At this point in the investigation, we cannot be 100 percent certain that some personal information was not captured," Giannone said.

Contact Us