Van Nuys man is arrested over blasts from horn

Homeowner says the frequent sound is 'cry for help.' Neighbors are dismayed, worried.

- BY NATHAN SOLIS

POLICE removed 10 horns from a Van Nuys property on Thursday. The homeowner was arrested a day earlier.

A quiet Van Nuys neighborhood of manicured lawns, palm trees and single-family homes has been embroiled in a noisy squabble over a train horn that one homeowner has affixed to a tree and used to set off drawn-out blares at irregular intervals.

While the window-rattling blasts over the last two months have drawn complaints and calls to police, they have also garnered concern from Peach Avenue neighbors over the well-being of the homeowner.

The latest chapter in the train horn saga took place Wednesday when Los Angeles police arrested Gary Boyadzhyan, 50, an unemployed car technician, who set off the horn after promising to keep it silent. In an interview with The Times, he described the drama as a “cry for help” and alluded to being “wronged” by someone, without elaborating.

“He’s a nice guy who is just going through something,” a neighbor said about Boyadzhyan, echoing the sentiment of most neighbors.

Boyadzhyan attached his setup, similar to a big-rig or train horn, to a palm tree in his backyard. The horn hangs over his one-story home.

Since June, Boyadzhyan has set off the horn in long belches in the late afternoon or at night, according to neighbors on Peach Avenue, an otherwise quiet residential area.

On Wednesday morning, Los Angeles Police Department officers visited him.