Christmas double arrest

Two Fresno men had their Christmas plans ruined on Sunday morning after their break-in of an unoccupied Clovis home led to their arrest, all thanks to an assist by the next door neighbor of the empty residence.

Nicolas George Bedoian

Jeffrey Lee Armstrong

Fresno County Sheriffs announced the arrests of Nicolas George Bedoian, 30, and Jeffrey Lee Armstrong, 27, on Tuesday, after both men were spotted burglarizing a house located on the 7500 block of North Academy Avenue in North Clovis.

Spokesman Chris Curtice of the Sheriff’s Department reported that authorities responded to the crime shortly after 9:30 a.m., when the neighbor reported the burglary in progress.

“The caller advised that he knew the neighbor was out of town for Christmas and that an unknown vehicle was parked in her driveway,” Curtice said. “The caller armed himself with a handgun and walked closer to the property to get the license plate of the car.”

Once the caller got closer to the suspicious vehicle, he saw Bedoian exit the front door carrying a bag. The neighbor yelled at Bedoian, who then jumped into his car and sped away.

He then saw the second suspect, Armstrong, escape and run from the house. That was when the armed neighbor began a pursuit of both men, all while talking on his phone with the authorities.

“The caller chased after Armstrong while giving updates to responding deputies via his cell phone,” Curtice said.

Armstrong reached the cross streets of Herndon and Academy Avenues on foot, but was apprehended by an arriving deputy and taken into custody.

But the chase was on for Bedoian, who was driving through the areas of Shepherd and Academy Avenues and, while refusing to pull over for authorities at the time, he reached speeds of up to 100 mph in the pursuit.

“Bedoian was finally pulled over on Shepherd near Locan (Avenue),” Curtice said. “With the assistance of Clovis PD officers, Bedoian was taken into custody without further incident.”

Several items of stolen property were discovered not only in the vehicle, but also inside Bedoian’s pockets. There was also a small amount of methamphetamine and marijuana found, and even stolen property from a previous Madera County Burglary.

Both Bedoian and Armstrong were booked into Fresno County Jail on charges of burglary, possession of stolen property, and narcotics violations. Bedoian was also booked on several outstanding arrest warrants.

Read More:

KSEE24 News: Two Fresno Men Arrested During Christmas Burglary in Progress

Fresno Bee: 2 Held after Christmas chase, burglary try near Clovis