More Details Emerge on Rent-A-Car Murder-Suicide
The third man to die has been identified. The three men involved were partners in a rental car business and had been at a meeting in the office.
The Riverside County, Calif. Coroner’s Office has identified the third man shot in an apparent murder-suicide after a business meeting at a Cathedral City car rental agency, according to the Desert Sun.
The shooting took place at Luxury Rent-A-Car in Cathedral City. Coroners identified the third man, Setrak “Steve” Balabanian, 44, of Glendale, Calif., who died Nov. 16 at Desert Regional Medical Center, the Coroner's Office said.
Seyed Sajasi, 53, of Palm Desert, allegedly shot Balabanian and Joe N. Khachigian, 49, inside the car rental showroom before shooting himself, police said. Sajasi and Khachigian died at the scene.
A police spokesperson said the men were partners in the rental car business and had been in a meeting at the office. The spokesperson said that some type of falling out took place between the men in the meeting. One man left the meeting, came back with a gun and shot both of his partners before turning the gun on himself.
The Valley News reported additional information on Nov. 2. Police and coroner’s investigators believe Sajasi shot Khachigian and Balabanian before turning the gun on himself following a business meeting. Sajasi and Khachigian were declared dead at the scene.
A fourth person — the business’ manager — was inside the showroom for the meeting when the gunfire erupted, but was not injured, according to Haas.
More Rental Operations

Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement
Japan's tourism industry, business travel market, and demand for vehicle rental services are reasons the country represents an important market for the company.
Read More →
ACRA Carrying Fuller Industry Load As AI and EVs Lurk In Future
The leading car rental professional business group details an active legislative, regulatory, and macro-trends agenda affecting car rental operators.
Read More →
World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways
A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing.
Read More →
A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker
Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom.
Read More →Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls
Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.
Read More →
Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom
Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.
Read More →
DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators
Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.
Read More →
Stellantis Recalls 1.3 Million Jeep Vehicles Worldwide Over Fire Risk
Stellantis is recalling more than 1.3 million Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator models worldwide over a fire risk linked to power steering pump wiring.
Read More →
Green Motion And U-Save Open Rental Operations In Guatemala
The brands will open their first rental car outlets in the country at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.
Read More →
U.S. Business Travel Drives $623 Billion+ in Economic Impact as Spending Reaches $538 Billion
The data also underscores the industry’s strong multiplier effect across the U.S. economy, revealing that each dollar invested in business travel in 2024 generated $1.16 in GDP.
Read More →
