LOS ANGELES — A Van Nuys man who for months disrupted his neighborhood with loud horns and alarms — and who says he’s been trying to get the LAPD’s attention for more than a decade — was arrested on Aug. 13.
LAPD said the arrest followed repeated noise complaints from residents along the 6600 block of Peach Avenue. Neighbors reported that since June, 38-year-old Gary Boyadzhyan had been sounding sirens and a train horn at random times of day.
“I need help,” Boyadzhyan told KABC. “I don’t know how else to cry out for it.”
According to KCAL, Boyadzhyan claims his actions are part of a 12-year effort to get LAPD to address harassment and assault he says he’s faced. He told KCAL four men assaulted him, but he had no visible injuries and could not provide proof of police reports to support his claims.
“I’m sorry to all my neighbors, but my life is on the line,” Boyadzhyan told KCAL. “I’ve got no other choice. I don’t know what else to do.”
Warnings before arrest
On the morning of Aug. 13, LAPD officers issued Boyadzhyan an administrative citation and warned him to stop using the devices. Capt. Chris Zine said officers explained the disturbance it was causing and directed him to cease.
According to KABC, officers had gone to Boyadzhyan’s home more than five times to issue warnings prior to the arrest. Zine noted that in misdemeanor cases, officers must witness the offense to make an arrest — a challenge when the noise would stop before units arrived.
That warning lasted about two hours. By noon, neighbors said the noise had resumed.
Boyadzhyan told KABC that police had informed him a citation was coming in the mail. “I told them I would stop,” he said. “But I just went back and left them a message ... I’m not stopping until justice is served.”
Prior to the arrest, LAPD said it had reached out to other city departments to not only get the noise makers shut down, but also to connect Boyadzhyan with whatever help he might need.
Surveillance leads to arrest
On the evening of Aug. 13, plainclothes officers were nearby when Boyadzhyan returned home.
“He came out and thought everything was over, so he went out and watered his lawn,” neighbor Bob Donovan said. “A couple of plainclothes vehicles just pulled up real quick and snatched him on the lawn. He was yelling and screaming and resisting arrest.”
The horns, mounted high in a tree in Boyadzhyan’s backyard, remained in place after the arrest. LAPD has not released the charges he is facing, but according to KCAL, the City Attorney’s office will determine any penalty.
For neighbors, the arrest marked the first quiet night in months. “Finally,” neighbor Jim Phipps said. “Now we can relax and just live our lives the best way we can.”
