A Burbank man was sentenced, then released Tuesday after serving nearly a year in county jail for punching a 78-year-old shopper who wanted to taste a Nutella waffle sample at Costco.

Derrick Gharabighi, 25, pleaded no contest in October 2015 to one count of elder abuse and agreed to remain in custody until his official sentencing on Tuesday, according to Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

At the hearing Tuesday, Gharabighi was sentenced to two years, and received credit for time served, Santiago said. Gharabighi was released later that day.

Gharabighi was arrested in September 2015 when he hit Sahak Sahakian for complaining about the number of Nutella waffles samples he had taken.


Sahakian was shopping at the warehouse store in Burbank and approached the Nutella waffle sample cart. There were four samples left.

When Gharabighi reportedly took three, Sahakian made his move and attempted to get the last sample.

But Gharabighi swooped in, pushed Sahakian’s hand down and grabbed the last one, the victim said.

“I said, ‘What are you doing? I want to eat,’” Sahakian told the Glendale News-Press. “He got angry and hit my head, and the blood started to go.”


Sahakian suffered a 1-inch cut near his eye and was taken to an area hospital.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

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