A deputy assistant Navy secretary has been questioned by local police for allegedly threatening a group of men on the sidewalk in front of his northern Virginia home.
Karnig Ohannessian, deputy assistant Navy secretary for environment, pointed a handgun at young men whose car was parked on the street, a violent confrontation captured on cell phone video, CBS News reported.
Police in Fairfax County, Virginia are investigating a violent incident caught on camera that reportedly shows a deputy assistant Navy secretary threatening a group of young men with a gun.
In the video, Ohannessian accuses the men of being drunk and on his property and points his gun at them, while a woman intercedes and tries to defuse the situation.
The man arguing with the men came out of a home, that according to public records, is owned by Karnig Ohannessian — a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment).
According to one of the young men in the video, they were at a friend’s house for a barbeque in Burke, Virginia when the incident occurred on June 11.
“Get in the car,” Ohannessian screams at the men.
One replies, “Be thankful you have a gun, man. It shows how much of a wuss you are.”
Then Ohannessian aims the gun at them.
Karnig Ohannessian, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Environment), on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) on April 2, 2016, in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photo Credit: MC3 Anderson W. Branch/Navy
The Navy’s top spokeswoman said the service is reviewing the video and will take appropriate action.
“We were made aware of the incident and the video,” Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Ohannessian’s supervisor is taking the appropriate action, to include working to understand the full details of what occurred. I’d refer you to local authorities for questions about the actual incident.”
Ohannessian is the primary adviser to the assistant Navy secretary for energy, installations and environmental programs including pollution prevention and management of natural resources at Navy Department installations. He joined the senior executive service in 2013 and was selected for his current post in January, according to his official bio. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master of business administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a registered professional engineer and has received two meritorious civilian service awards from the Navy Department.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) on environmental programs including planning, protection, compliance, restoration and pollution prevention, and management of natural and cultural resources for Department of the Navy activities worldwide
One of the men told WUSA9 that Ohannessian began yelling at them for being noisy and parking on the street outside of his home.
They say Ohannessian attacked them, they argued back, and Ohannessian went inside and retrieved a gun. That’s when one of the young men pulled out their phone and started to recording.
In the video, Ohannessian can be heard accusing the three of being drunk.
He orders them to leave the area, as one woman, believed to be his wife – tries to calm the situation.
