Livonia's Hazmat Bandit Tried to Steal From His Neighbors
The suspect tried two unsuccessful break-ins, and the police arrested him at Busch's
In an example of real life imitating art, the arrest of the Livonia’s notorious “Hazmat Bandit” by police on Saturday afternoon exposed a plot seemingly pulled from Apple TV’s “Your Friends and Neighbors.”
In a stunning twist confirmed by multiple sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, the suspect arrested was identified as Livonia resident, Manuel Bardakjian, 40.
In an even more jaw-dropping reveal, Bardakjian lives directly across the street from one of his alleged victims home, and only a couple blocks away from the first break-in attempt.
The back-to-back attempted burglaries on May 13 and 14 were allegedly attempted by Bardakjian wearing a mask and white painter’s suit, stunning Livonia residents and quickly becoming a national news story as the culprit vanished into thin air after being confronted by residents of both homes.
Surveillance footage of the first break-in on May 13 depicted a chilling confrontation with a female resident as she returned home while the masked Bardakjian probed for entry into the residence carrying a screwdriver.
The next day, Bardakjian is alleged to have made a second attempt at a home on Bloomfield Drive, within walking distance of his own home, and was again confronted by homeowners before jumping a wall and vanishing.
Enjoyer spoke with a resident of the subdivision who witnessed unusual police activity at Bakdarjian’s home Saturday afternoon with plainclothes officers entering the residence.
According to others, Bardakjian’s arrest came after several hundred hours of investigation, surveillance, and undercover work by the Livonia Police.
Bardakjian is a married father of two, and his arrest is alleged to have occurred while he was away from his residence on Saturday afternoon at a Busch’s grocery store in Livonia.
He’s scheduled to be arraigned today on charges of home invasion and a weapons charge as he’s alleged to have brandished a firearm at homeowners during the second break-in.
Additional sources informed Enjoyer that gambling debt could be a possible motive for the burglaries.
Like Jon Hamm’s character from “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Bardakjian is believed to have cased homes within his own neighborhood. The truth about our neighbors here in Livonia is stranger than fiction.
