California Cops Charge Four With Insurance Fraud For Using Man Wearing Bear Suit To Damage Luxury Cars

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports:

Four people were arrested Wednesday in connection with insurance fraud when they claimed a bear damaged their car, but it was really a person in a bear costume, the California Department of Insurance said.

Ruben Tamrazian, 26, of Glendale; Ararat Chirkinian, 39, of Glendale; Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, of Glendale; and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village, were charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy, the department said.

The suspects filed a claim with their insurance company, saying a bear got into their car, a 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost, at Lake Arrowhead on Jan. 28, 2024, and damaged the inside with scratches. The insurance department said the suspects provided a video to the company, which showed the “bear” in the car.

Read the full article. “Bear damage” insurance claims were also filed for a 2015 and a 2022 Mercedes. The state is calling their investigation “Operation Bear Claw.” The claims together sought over $100,000.

An investigation into a suspicious insurance claim filed by four Los Angeles-area residents revealed a scheme where someone wore a bear costume and scratched up the inside of three cars, officials said.

Get the details at https://t.co/lcXKmWJnJM pic.twitter.com/k74BJu4s8R

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 14, 2024

One of the STRANGEST stories I’ve heard about in a long time…

4 people charged with insurance fraud in California after allegedly dressing as bears to damage high-end cars

Read more from our sister station KABC-TV – here: https://t.co/31e0qBGmTC pic.twitter.com/McnJypsRjE

— Steve McCarron KOMO (@SteveTVNews) November 14, 2024