PIERO GOLIA

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TOURISTS’ TAXI RIDE TAKES WILD TURN

— It was a wild scene Wednesday night when two Italian tourists got into a dispute with a Beverly Hills cab driver over their fare. It all ended with a crunching crash into the front door of a Hollywood Hills home.

At about 8:30 p.m., police were dispatched to 71 Woodrow Wilson Drive where they found a cab smashed into the front door of a home in the hills above Hollywood, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. As the dust and debris settled, investigators took statements from all involved. The Italian honeymooners claimed the cab driver got lost in the hills and drove in circles. When they finally arrived at their destination, an argument started over what was fair payment for the fare. The Italians paid 10 bucks less than the cabbie thought he was owed, and jumped out of the taxi. This is when things really take a turn. The driver left but moments later–to the surprise of his passengers and the Hollywood Hills homeowner opening his front door to greet his European friends–circled back with his cab. It smashed through the front of the home. It’s unclear whether the cabbie crashed the car on purpose or if it was an accident. One person suffered arm injuries. The taxi driver was identified as Robert Kazaryan. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, a North Hollywood Station watch commander told City News Service. Kazaryan, 45, was locked up in Van Nuys and his bail was set at $30,000, according to inmate records.

First Published: Aug 4, 2010
By Jack Noyes, NBC Los Angeles

Image of Piero Golia’s Hollywood Hills home, after the taxi crashed into his front door.

Piero Golia was born in Naples, Italy in 1974. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles. His work has been shown in major galleries and museums in Europe and United States and featured in numerous exhibitions including P.S.1 in New York, Moderna Museet in Sweden and the 2010 California Biennial. In 2004 his feature film KILLER SHRIMPS was selected for the Venice Film Festival. In 2005, he founded with his long time friend Eric Wesley, the MOUNTAIN SCHOOL OF ARTS, an educational institution that rapidly became a new spot on the cultural map of the city of Los Angeles.

www.bortolamigallery.com
www.galleriafonti.it
www.themountainschoolofarts.org