The Hollywood Walk of Fame is known for its colorful characters. But even by those standards, the scenes of Jesus Christ and Sonic the Hedgehog running past security guards employed by the Church of Scientology in recent times were a bit bizarre.
Saturday afternoon, a man dressed as the Christian Messiah was among dozens of people in costumes and masks seen in a video Scientology building door forced open on Hollywood Boulevard after a tug of war with a security guard. Footage posted on TikTok and Instagram shows the group rapidly running up and down the stairs and confronting black-shirted security guards, laughing and gasping for breath, while church members yell at them to leave.
On the way out – as security guards arrive armed with fire extinguishers – one of the runners stops and dances to celebrate his successful escape, reminiscent of a taunt from the video game Fortnite.
For weeks, groups of people have broken into the church’s two Hollywood properties, running through hallways and brawling with security guards, trying to see how far they can go before church staff forces them to leave. They call this “speed running”, which means trying to beat a video game as quickly as possible, running around hazards and taking shortcuts to pass levels.
Those who post content online and comment on it treat the events like real-life gaming, thinking about facing off with famous Scientology figures in “boss battles” and referring to each new area of Scientology property visited as a step toward unlocking parts of a level map.
Church officials say the incidents are not sport and have accused the speed runners of a “hate crime.”
On Saturday, dozens of people stormed the Ivar Avenue building, including church founder, science fiction author L. There is an exhibit dedicated to Ron Hubbard. By Sunday morning, exterior door handles had been removed from all three Scientology properties on Hollywood Boulevard. Guards could be seen closing the door of a building on Monday afternoon.
Church of Scientology of Los Angeles at 4810 Sunset Blvd. On February 7, 2024.
(Denia Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
“These incidents are not ‘speed running.'” They are organized trespasses into religious and public information facilities to attract social media attention, Scientology spokesman David Bloomberg said in a statement. “In recent weeks, individuals have repeatedly entered church properties on Hollywood Boulevard, disrupted religious and public facilities, damaged church property, and endangered staff, parishioners, and visitors.”
Bloomberg said several staff members were “injured in the chaos” on Saturday. He declined to provide specifics about updates to the church’s security measures.
An LAPD spokesperson said police have received reports of five incidents of trespassing at Scientology’s Hollywood properties this year. Police said it all happened either at the Hubbard exhibit or at the church’s information center at Hollywood Boulevard and McCudden Place. According to an LAPD spokesperson, only two of those incidents resembled “so-called speed running attempts”.
No arrests have been made and no injuries have been reported. Following the mass incident on Saturday, the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division was tasked with investigating “the incident as an alleged hate crime.” According to the spokesperson, detectives “have not identified any connection” between last weekend’s incident and prior trespassing episodes.
“The LAPD is committed to ensuring the safety of all houses of worship in Los Angeles,” the department said in a statement.
A person involved in the most recent “speed run”, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from both the Church and the LAPD, said the events were “a mix of demonstration, prank and activism.”
“For me personally, it’s about raising awareness, asking people questions and of course the love of the game,” the man said in a message. “I enjoy questioning authority and shining a light on things that people don’t usually pay attention to.”
The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles at 6331 Hollywood Blvd. On February 7, 2024.
(Denia Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
The events have divided anti-Scientology activists. Some former members believe the race is an effective form of protest against an organization that has been accused in lawsuits of sexual exploitation, violating child labor laws, and forcing members to have abortions. The church has denied wrongdoing in all cases. In 2018, a woman who accused the Church of Scientology of forcing her to have an abortion filed a lawsuit over the matter; The organization denied the allegations.
Prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson was convicted of sexually assaulting two fellow church members in Los Angeles in 2023, during a trial where it was alleged that church policies had prevented his victims from reporting him to police decades earlier. Church officials were also accused of trying to “derail” the case against Masterson by harassing one of the prosecutors assigned to the case.
The church has previously denied any policy preventing members from reporting crimes and called the allegations regarding the prosecutor in the Masterson case “blatantly false.”
Ex-Scientologist Jenna Miscavage, niece of church leader David Miscavage, said, “What everyday citizens do to troll Scientology and get viral views on TikTok… These are the only things that are being done to make Scientology uncomfortable and turn them into a joke so that new people don’t fall into their trap.” “I appreciate it very much.”
The “speed runner” who spoke to The Times said that the allegations against the church and its reputation for secrecy, in part, prompted the “raids” that drew attention to church buildings.
“That’s what it’s about for me and others – putting pressure on, demanding transparency and pushing for answers,” the person said.
A church spokesperson said that targeting Scientology properties “for a viral stunt is not journalism, protest, or civil activity. It is trespass, harassment, and disruption of religious facilities.”
Actress Leah Remini, a former church member who became an outspoken activist and is locked in a heated legal battle with the organization, said in a post on X last week that she fears the “speed running” trend will backfire.
“I want more people to talk about the dangers and criminality of Scientology,” she wrote. “But I’ve spent decades on the other side of it, and if I had encountered people running into Scientology buildings and harassing me or the staff, it would have pushed me further into Scientology.”
Brian Levin, professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino and founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, wondered whether people would react differently if such acts were committed in a more traditional house of worship — a Christian church, Jewish temple or Islamic mosque.
Levin said it was “extraordinarily disturbing” to see people “invading” religious centers to create a viral moment.
“Nobody has the right to express themselves in a violent way that invades someone else’s space of peace,” he said. “I could care less what the faith is.”
According to a report prepared by the LA County Commission on Human Relations, 16 cases of hate crimes were filed against Scientologists in 2024. This made them the third most targeted religious group in the county, behind only Muslims and people of Jewish faith, the report said.
Some recent videos show runners colliding with security guards and pushing church staff, then walking away after being surrounded and told to leave the property.
Levin, who is also a former police officer, said it’s possible those who hit the security guards could be charged with battery.
“Anyone who does this is not only doing a despicable thing, but they are really putting themselves at extraordinary (legal) risk,” he said.
It appears that tight security at Scientology buildings discouraged three teenagers who approached the building while a Times reporter visited a Hollywood location Sunday afternoon. The trio arrived on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the information center and started shouting and taking pictures, stopping to take a puff from the vapes while peeking through the closed doors. When guards appeared they went down an alley.
William Goode, a Hollywood resident and outspoken critic of Scientology who runs the account “Film the Police LA” on social media, said that although he did not condone breaking the law, it was clear that the disruptions were affecting church operations.
“It’s complicated and it’s not something I would ignore… but the more attention Scientology gets, the worse it will be for Scientology,” he said. “They operate in secrecy.”
Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.
