Street Racing Fast and Furious Fans “Torment” Residents in Film Locations

Fast and Furious has few remaining fans living in the Los Angeles neighborhood where several of the franchise’s most popular locations are set due to its tendency to attract street racing, stunt driving, and car collisions. Residents appear prepared to protest.

According to a report by Variety, an upcoming shoot for the series’ tenth installment, Fast X, has intensified an outcry from homeowners in the Angelino Heights neighborhood, who claim that the films present an acute threat to the area while the city overall has experienced a 27% uptick in incidents related to street racing or street takeovers over the last year. A protest against the shoot is being organized by community members and the road safety advocacy groups Street Racing Kills and Streets Are for Everyone, though the exact details are unknown. Filming at the locations, including Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto’s house and family shop, is set to begin on Friday, August 26th.

One letter sent to the Los Angeles City Council was shared in the report. “If this film shoot is allowed to go forward in Angelino Heights, or any part of it from F10 Productions… we will stage a huge protest and will invite many reporters and news cameras to film us protesting this film shoot all day and night,” it read. “We will hold this protest to honor the 178 people who have been killed by street racers in Los Angeles, and to shame Universal for their callous disregard for this deadly epidemic of street racing their films started and continue to promote.”

Various witnesses shared that they have regularly seen drivers “practice donuts and ramp up their engines” or crash into other vehicles before “speeding away after the collision, leaving the owner to deal with the consequences.” An unnamed resident recalled having a gun pointed at him after reprimanding a street racer, and in another instance, an irate driver allegedly returned to the resident’s home and lit his garbage cans on fire. “The fact that these people can find the actual spot and then just go torment the people living there is irresponsible,” he said.

Some neighbors note that Universal has provided stipends and annoyance fees, while the city installed barriers around one of the notable locations.

Fast X is expected in May 2023. Two weeks into filming, five-time Fast and Furious director Justin Lin decided to leave the series, allegedly due to Diesel’s chronic unprofessionalism. Along with Lin’s replacement, Louis Leterrier, the new entry will add Brie Larson and Jason Mamoa to the family.

[flexi-common-toolbar] [flexi-form class=”flexi_form_style” title=”Submit to Flexi” name=”my_form” ajax=”true”][flexi-form-tag type=”post_title” class=”fl-input” title=”Title” value=”” required=”true”][flexi-form-tag type=”category” title=”Select category”][flexi-form-tag type=”tag” title=”Insert tag”][flexi-form-tag type=”article” class=”fl-textarea” title=”Description” ][flexi-form-tag type=”file” title=”Select file” required=”true”][flexi-form-tag type=”submit” name=”submit” value=”Submit Now”] [/flexi-form]