Man Charged in Auto Shop Owner’s Death

Prosecutors charged a 63-year-old Pacoima man Monday with killing the owner of an auto repair shop and wounding the shop’s manager over a business dispute, Los Angeles police said.

Fred Araya was charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the fatal shooting Friday of Moti Arazi, 54, and the wounding of Michael Kinney, 38, at Moti’s Auto Electric Inc., police said.

LAPD Detective Frank Bishop said that Arazi had wanted to close the smog-check business that Araya ran from a garage he rented from Arazi at San Fernando Road and Osborne Street.

Araya apparently fired on Arazi and Kinney as Arazi was about to back a Ford van out of the garage he rented to Araya, Bishop said. Kinney, who was shot in the shoulder, ran across the street and collapsed in front of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division station.

Arazi was pronounced dead at the scene and police arrested Araya moments after the shooting at the shop. Arazi’s customers continued to grieve Monday over his death.

“He was one of the last of the integrity businessmen who worked on cars,” said LaVerne Lucian. “He treated senior citizens, including my mother, wonderfully and with dignity.”

Lucian said she called Arazi about three weeks ago and told him that her mother’s battery was dead but that she had one credit left on her towing service. She said Arazi sent over one of his employees to get the car started.

“That’s just the kind of man he was,” Lucian said. “I am just sick over this.”