'Fast & Furious' Fans Are Pissing Off LA Residents

Toretto’s is actually Bob’s Market in Angelino Heights. Gif: Universal Pictures

Fast & Furious, everyone’s favorite over-the-top car-adjacent movie franchise is nearing its end. The multi-million dollar movie empire will draw to a close in April 2023 with the long-awaited Fast X, which is midway through filming as we speak.

As we’ve come to expect from the Vin Diesel-fronted series, it’s packed full of exotic locations, glamorous cars and high-octane stunts. But fans of the series have been attempting to follow in the footsteps of some of its characters, and this is beginning to irk residents of one historic LA neighborhood. This fascinating piece in Variety has all the details:

“Ever since it premiered in 2001, ‘Fast and the Furious’ fans have made a beeline to Angelino Heights to gawk at Bob’s Market, the store owned by the family of the film’s Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and the character’s quaint Victorian house.”

But, people heading to the neighborhood in northern Los Angeles aren’t just posing outside the store for a selfie of ticking Dom’s house off their sightseeing list. Instead, many fans of the show are using the neighborhood as a meeting spot to host races and show off their skills behind the wheel. Variety adds:

“Nearly every night, car enthusiasts spin out doing donuts at high speeds in front of the store in addition to racing and doing street takeovers throughout the area just west of Downtown.”

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camera crews have set up in the neighborhood in the past. Screenshot: Universal Pictures

There’s nothing wrong with visiting the spots from your favorite films and TV shows. Since moving to NYC, I’ve headed out to find the Ghostbusters fire station, the ‘Friends’ apartment building and even the alleyway from Gotham, Ninja Turtles, Smurfs, Crocodile Dundee and that one Vampire Weekend music video.

But, as the residents of Angelino Heights are keen to point out that there is a line. Variety reports:

“Residents who deal with the constant noise and unsafe conditions are fed up, and are planning a protest for the ‘Fast X’ shoot on Friday. The protest comes as anger over the effects of street racing and takeovers is at an all-time high in the city.

“Meanwhile, traffic fatalities and pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed during the pandemic, often caused by reckless driving and speeding. It’s become an epidemic across LA and the entire country — traffic deaths in the U.S. jumped 21% in the first three months of 2022 compared to 2020.”

Now, as the neighborhood prepares for its final moment in the spotlight in Fast X, its residents have had enough.

Fast X will be released in April next year. Image: Universal Pictures

Producers are planning to shoot scenes for the upcoming movie in the neighborhood on Friday. According to a filming notice from the production company, this would include “simulated emergency services activity, aerial photography, wetting down of street and atmospheric smoke.”

Residents said that if the shoot goes ahead, they plan to picket in the area and, an email obtained by Variety from a resident to Los Angeles City Council said it would be “to honor the 178 people who have been killed by street racers in Los Angeles.” The email continued: “And to shame Universal for their callous disregard for this deadly epidemic of street racing their films started and continue to promote.”

You might be thinking that all this is a bit of an overreaction to a movie studio setting up in your back yard for a couple of days every few years. But Variety spoke with residents who shared the issues they’ve faced since Dominic Torreto called Angelino Heights home.

This house in Angelino Heights is where the Toretto family lives. Screenshot: Universal Pictures

Residents shared stories of loud noise late into the night, car crashes and arguments with street racers. One local, who wasn’t named in the piece, even said they had a gun pulled on them when they asked a ‘Fast & Furious’ fan to slow down. Variety reports:

“Another time, the resident and his brother-in-law got into a yelling match with other drivers in the neighborhood. A few days later, they woke up in the middle of the night to find that someone had set the trash cans in their driveway on fire, nearly burning their house down in the process.”

But not all residents are angry with the film franchise for the rise in racing in the area. In fact, some who complain about the activities are even given stipends and annoyance fees by the studio.

Homeowner Planaria Price told the site that they didn’t “want filming to cease.” Instead, they said the issue lies with the LA government and a broader need to crack down on street racing.