2 BURGLARY SUSPECTS TO FACE TRIAL; T.O. VICTIM SPEAKS AT HEARING.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

A man suspected of bashing a Thousand Oaks resident in the head with a steel bar during a daytime burglary was ordered to stand trial Thursday along with his girlfriend, who police say targeted distant relatives and others in 14 break-ins.

Assault victim Brian Fujitani identified Farzan Talebdost, 22, as the man who broke into his house in April 1997 and smashed a bar into his head after Fujitani squirted his attacker with pepper spray.

Fujitani, a 23-year-old college student, said he heard a knock at the front door of his Cedar Heights Drive home and then moments later heard someone breaking into a back door.

``I was standing to the side (of the door) and boom - he was right there,'' Fujitani said during Thursday's preliminary hearing. ``I had a good shot (of pepper spray) at his face. He was charging, he was coming right at me. Then he swung (the bar), cracked me on the head.''

The attacker dashed off empty-handed as blood gushed into Fujitani's eye. The wound took a dozen stitches to close.

Fujitani's description of the attacker and the apparent getaway car, as well as relatives who pieced together bits of circumstantial evidence, led sheriff's detectives to Talebdost and his girlfriend, Nancy C. Khalkhali, the half-sister of Fujitani's cousin.

Detective Pat MacAuley of the sheriff's Major Crimes Unit said Khalkhali kept an address book containing information on burglary targets, including notes on dogs, fences and other security measures.

Some of the names, he said, were culled from address books stolen during the burglaries, including a break-in at the Thousand Oaks home of Susumu Yakota, the grandfather of Khalkhali's half sister.

``That's sort of a weird (method of operation),'' MacAuley said, adding that Fujitani was key in solving the string of burglaries.

According to the detective, the Studio City couple drove to their victims' residences and called using Khalkhali's cellular phone to see if anyone was home.

Authorities say they have linked the pair to two burglaries in Ventura County and 12 more in Los Angeles County.

Defense attorneys Phillip Heeger and Andrew Flier suggested that Fujitani identified Talebdost from a photo provided by his cousin and not the photo lineup detectives showed him later.

Judge Donald Coleman ordered both suspects to stand trial. Superior Court arraignment is set for May 28. Both remain in jail, with bail set at $250,000.

If convicted of the two counts of burglary and two counts of receiving stolen property, Khalkhali could receive a maximum of seven years, four months in prison.

Talebdost is facing identical charges plus assault with a deadly weapon and two special allegations. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to 12 years, four months in prison. Once the case is finished, both are expected to face additional charges in connection with a series of burglaries in Los Angeles County, MacAuley said.