Fresno police arrested businessman Kirk Vartanian on Saturday morning. Police say Vartanian was arrested on charges of domestic abuse, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, and violation of a restraining order. Police did not identify the alleged victim in the case. He is currently being held in jail. Police say there is also a warrant out for Vartanian out of Las Vegas involving felony theft related to a casino.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer called a news conference Saturday afternoon to give out details of the arrest. According to Chief Dyer, police received a 911 call from a woman who said Vartanian came over to her house Friday afternoon to retrieve a $135,000 watch. The woman said Vartanian hit her several times, knocked her to the ground, put a pillow over her face and threatened her with a knife. She said Vartanian destroyed her keys so she could not leave her house. She said she locked herself in a room for several hours until Vartanian left and then called police. Police say the woman had signs of being attacked, including cuts and bruises. Police found Vartanian at Belanas nightclub in northeast Fresno early Saturday morning, where he surrendered peacefully. Vartanian gave police a different account of what happened than what the unidentified woman had told police. Dyer also said an arrest warrant had been issued out of Clark County in Nevada because of a casino debt of around $250,000.
Vartanian has been in the news lately for attempting to revive the faltering Granite Park business development by opening up a nightclub and saying he wants to open at least two restaurants there.