Crime & Safety

Transient-Mechanic Charged In Garage Owner's Fatal Shooting: Cops

A Huntington Beach man's body was found inside his Costa Mesa automotive repair business, Monday.

Francisco Javier Castaneda, 31, transient, was an employee at the Costa Mesa auto repair shop.
Francisco Javier Castaneda, 31, transient, was an employee at the Costa Mesa auto repair shop. (Costa Mesa Police Photo)

COSTA MESA, CA —A 31-year-old transient was charged with the murder of his former employer, officials say.

Police say a customer of Gary's Automotive, on the 1900 block of Harbor Boulevard, reported finding the deceased victim on Monday afternoon.

The body of 60-year-old Garbis Yaghlagian of Huntington Beach was "slumped over in his office," Roxi Fyad, a spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Police, said.

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Detectives responded to the scene and discovered the garage owner had died of a gunshot wound.

Francisco Javier Castaneda, most recently of Santa Ana, was a former employee of Yaghlagian, according to Fyad. He was seen leaving the shop on Monday, following a "loud bang," according to Fyad.

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Police located Castaneda nearby at Victoria Street and Harbor Boulevard. He was booked on suspicion of murder and was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to jail records. His occupation is listed as a mechanic.

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