A Glendale man stands accused of stealing a collection jar with $300 for the funeral of a 6-year-old boy who died last week of leukemia, officials said.
The crime shocked those who were raising money.
Arthur Madoyan was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of burglary after being identified as the one who allegedly stole the donation jar Sunday afternoon from the El Mexicano Meat Market at 836 S. Glendale Ave., police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.
Store owners Emilia and Ramon Parra set out the collection jar, which contained $300, last week in an effort to help Eduardo Morales-Peña's family gather enough money to pay for his funeral. The couple often set out collection jars for some of their loyal customers.
Eduardo, of Lincoln Heights, died while waiting for a bone-marrow match, officials said.
He succumbed to his illness on Aug. 11 at his home, said his sister, Alyeli Morales, of Glendale. He had been battling a rare form of leukemia since he was 2.
The Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center had organized a massive bone-marrow drive in January in an effort to find a match for Eduardo.
"He was so smart, and he talked like he was an adult," Morales said. "He knew everything that was happening to him."
The funeral was expected to cost $1,800, she added.
Read the full story in the Glendale News-Press.
-- Veronica Rocha, reporting for the Glendale News-Press