Livonia Man Charged After Attacking Woman in Her Own Yard While Wearing Hazmat Suit
A white hazmat suit. A gun pointed at a 77-year-old man in his own backyard. And when police made the arrest, the suspect turned out to be a neighbor.
This happened in Livonia, Michigan, in broad daylight, on back-to-back days in May 2026.
The Neighborhood Nobody Expected This In
Livonia has long had a reputation as one of Metro Detroit’s quieter suburbs. The area near Six Mile and Newburgh, where both incidents took place, is a stretch of single-family homes with Ring cameras and neighbors who know each other’s names.
Nothing felt out of place. Until May 13.
24 Hours. Two Homes. One Disguise.
At 10:02 a.m. on May 13, Manuel Sarkis Bardakjian, 40, allegedly forced his way into the yard of a home on Bristol Drive wearing a white hazmat suit, mask, gloves, and blue boot covers.
When 31-year-old Victoria confronted him, he grabbed her by the neck and shoved her aside before running. She walked into the garage and stayed on the 911 call, describing everything she saw. Her father Bill Williams told reporters: “I am very proud of her.”
Audacy
Less than 24 hours later, the same figure showed up at a home on Bloomfield Drive at 3:27 p.m. A 77-year-old man was in his backyard. Bardakjian allegedly forced his way in, pointed a firearm at the homeowner, and threatened to shoot both victims before fleeing.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged him with attempted second-degree home invasion, felonious assault, assault and battery, and felony firearm. Full charge details were covered by WDIV ClickOnDetroit.
The Part That Made This a National Story
Bardakjian does not live across town. Records show he lived just blocks from his first alleged victim and directly across the street from his second.
“To imagine that he would go after a neighbor right across the street. It is absolutely crazy,” Williams said.
At arraignment, prosecutors added charges for possession of methamphetamine and Xanax.
His defense attorney said a car accident a year ago left him with a head injury and that the behavior is completely out of character for a married father with no prior record.
This pattern of someone targeting people close to home is not new. It follows cases like the one where intruders broke through the back door at 6 AM and nearly killed a disabled woman in her own Arizona home, where familiarity with the target made the threat far more calculated.
If you follow home security stories as they develop, there is a WhatsApp channel that covers incidents like this one without the news cycle delay. Worth keeping on your radar.
Why This Matters
Both incidents happened in full daylight, 10 a.m. and 3:27 p.m. That is not a coincidence.
According to FBI crime data analyzed by safety researchers, daytime residential burglaries outnumber nighttime ones, with over 216,000 daytime cases recorded in 2024 versus 174,000 at night. Most people assume the threat comes after dark. It often does not.
A hazmat suit is also not just a costume. It limits identification, reduces forensic evidence, and creates enough visual confusion to buy a few seconds. Those seconds are exactly what someone counting on surprise relies on.
Victoria’s Ring camera footage and her composed 911 call were central to identifying Bardakjian nearly a month after the incidents.
Community awareness closed this case, not just police work. The same lesson applies whether the threat involves a burglar, like the one who sneaked into a Hermosa Beach home at 2 AM while two young kids slept upstairs, or something closer to home.
Bardakjian was arrested June 6, arraigned June 9, and received a $250,000 bond with GPS tether. A Probable Cause Conference is set for June 18.
Key Takeaways
- Both incidents happened in daylight: 10:02 a.m. on May 13 and 3:27 p.m. on May 14
- He wore an identical hazmat suit, mask, gloves, and blue boot covers both times
- He allegedly assaulted a 31-year-old woman and pointed a gun at a 77-year-old man
- He lived blocks from one victim and directly across the street from the other
- Additional charges include meth and Xanax possession
- Bond set at $250,000 with GPS tether; no contact with witnesses, no firearms
When a neighbor becomes the threat, who do you even trust? Should courts treat neighbor-on-neighbor home invasion differently than a random break-in? Drop your take in the comments.
Wrapping Up
A neighborhood that thought it knew its neighbors found out it did not know this one well enough. Two families are still processing what happened in their own backyards.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available reports at the time of publication. Bardakjian has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
