Four California residents were arrested earlier this week after an investigation revealed they had used a mascot-style bear suit to raid three luxury vehicles in an effort to obtain a six-figure insurance claim.
The California Department of Insurance launched an investigation it dubbed “Operation Bear Claw” after a suspicious insurance claim was filed on Jan 28 in Lake Arrowhead, an upscale community in the San Bernardino Mountains, for a 2010 Rolls Royce, according to a Nov. 13 press release. The owner claimed that a bear had entered the vehicle and wreaked havoc with its claws on its interior.
They even submitted security camera footage to the insurance agency as part of the claim. The CDI posted the video online, which shows the “bear” opening the passenger side door of the vehicle before crawling into the front seat, swaying around in an attempt to seem bear-like, and then climbing into the back seat to show a distinctly un-bearlike tail to the camera.
“Upon further scrutiny of the video, the investigation determined the bear was actually a person in a bear costume,” the department said in a statement.
Investigators discovered the suspects filed two other insurance claims with other companies for two different vehicles, a 2015 Mercedes G63 AMG and a 2022 Mercedes E350. The claims had the same location and date of loss. Just like with the Rolls Royce claim, the suspects had provided the insurance companies with video from a security camera. That footage also showed a person in a bear costume opening a door and crawling around inside the vehicle in a display that was so absurd that it looked like a Saturday Night Live skit.
While it doesn’t take a wildlife biologist to tell the person in the video definitely isn’t a bear, the department submitted the evidence to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for review. Upon watching the footage, a CDFW biologist pointed out that “it was clearly a human in a bear suit,” per the statement.
Detectives executed a search warrant for the residence and discovered a bear costume, complete with a furry head, paws, and metal claws that were used to puncture and scratch the seats, dash, and doors of the luxury vehicles.
Photo by CDI
The CDI has identified four people involved in the costumed conspiracy — Ruben Tamrazian, 26, Ararat Chirkinian, 39, Vahe Muradkhanyan, 32, and Alfiya Zuckerman, 39, of Valley Village. All have been arrested and charged with insurance fraud and conspiracy. Suspects filed three allegedly fraudulent claims that cost insurance companies $141,839. The Glendale Police Department and the California Highway Patrol assisted with the investigation. The case has been referred to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
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The San Bernardino Mountains are home to a large population of real black bears. In April, an increase in bear sightings prompted California State Parks to issue an alert for campers at San Bernardino County campgrounds, warning them of potential bear run-ins. This incident also follows another high-profile crime involving a bear impersonation, in which a Tennessee man allegedly staged a murder and blamed it on a bear.
