William Stepanyan, Hate Crime, California 2020

California Man Agrees to Plead Guilty in Federal Hate Crime Case

LOS ANGELES, California – A California man has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges for attacking five victims at a family-owned Turkish restaurant last year while shouting anti-Turkish slurs, hurling chairs at the victims and threatening to kill them, announced Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison of the Central District of California.

William Stepanyan, 23, of Glendale, has agreed to plead to one count of conspiracy and one hate crime charge, according to a plea agreement filed Monday in U.S. District Court. He is expected to enter a guilty plea to the felony charges in the coming weeks.

The attack occurred on November 4, 2020, when Stepanyan and his co-defendant Harutyun Harry Chalikyan, 24, of Tujunga, stormed into the restaurant and attacked the victims inside. Stepanyan and Chalikyan, who were both wearing masks during the attack, flung chairs at the victims while shouting derogatory slurs about Turkish people.

Four of the five victims were of Turkish descent. At least one of the defendants threatened to kill the victims, shouting: “We came to kill you! We will kill you!” The attack resulted in multiple victims being injured, including one individual who lost feeling in their legs and collapsed multiple times due to the injury.

The restaurant suffered at least $20,000 in damage and had to close temporarily, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. After he enters the guilty pleas to the two felony offenses, Stepanyan will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

Chalikyan is scheduled to go on trial in this matter on October 26. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and five hate crime charges. The FBI conducted the investigation in this matter and received substantial assistance from the Beverly Hills Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

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