'speed Running' Trend Spreads Despite Scientology And Social Media Sites Trying To Stop It

The Scientology “speed running” trend isn’t slowing down.

Since nan first incidents successful Los Angeles successful precocious March, ample groups of group — immoderate successful costumes — person tried to title done buildings belonging to nan religion successful New York, San Diego, San Francisco and countries extracurricular nan U.S., moreover arsenic Scientology’s lawyers, rule enforcement agencies and societal media platforms person sought to halt nan viral movement.

At slightest 1 personification received a ineligible threat from nan church, alleging an online situation prompted a chaotic incident successful L.A., according to a ineligible archive reviewed by The Times and confirmed arsenic authentic by a Scientology spokesperson.

Other online contented creators connected TikTok and Instagram opportunity they’ve had their accounts suspended aliases threatened pinch subject for posting videos astir nan religion and nan velocity runs.

The inclination started pinch groups of teens signaling themselves sprinting done properties belonging to nan Church of Scientology on nan Hollywood Walk of Fame. In each video, runners dart astir religion unit and title up staircases, seeing really acold they tin get earlier personification asks them to time off aliases threatens to telephone nan police.

“Speed running” is simply a video crippled word referring to players who effort to complete games arsenic quickly arsenic possible, scurrying astir hazards and taking shortcuts to skip done levels. A velocity runner who said to The Times past period said nan events are part-prank, part-protest against an statement that has been accused successful lawsuits of activity abuse, violating kid labour laws and forcing members to get abortions. The religion disputes those allegations and has denied immoderate wrongdoing.

A Church of Scientology of Los Angeles building astatine 6331 Hollywood Blvd.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The largest “speed running” incident successful Los Angeles happened connected April 25, erstwhile a crowd led by a man dressed up arsenic Jesus Christ pulled unfastened nan doors of nan church’s Hollywood Guaranty Building and rushed inside. The building is location to an grounds astir nan life of nan church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and is besides nan listed mailing reside for Scientology’s nationalist relations department.

Footage shows runners successful masks and costumes dashing done nan building, tussling pinch black-shirted information guards and appearing to sound astatine slightest 1 personification over.

The religion has branded nan incidents “hate crimes” and Scientology spokesperson David Bloomberg said astatine slightest 1 personnel suffered injuries that required aesculapian attraction successful Los Angeles connected April 25. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, which investigates dislike crimes and attacks connected houses of worship, is reviewing nan incident, according to a section spokesperson.

No arrests person been made, according to nan spokesman, who said location person been 5 documented trespassing incidents astatine Scientology properties successful Hollywood this year. Only 2 appeared to beryllium portion of nan velocity moving trend, authorities said.

While nan incidents person slowed successful Los Angeles — successful portion because nan religion has removed nan handles to outer doors astatine 3 of its Hollywood properties — “speed runs” person begun taking spot successful different cities and counties.

The different incidents person resulted successful astatine slightest 3 arrests and 2 insignificant injuries to Scientology members, authorities said.

San Francisco constabulary said they responded to 2 abstracted attempts to break successful to aliases vandalize a Scientology spot adjacent nan city’s Chinatown vicinity successful caller weeks. Two teens were arrested, though it’s unclear if charges were filed. San Diego Police besides documented an incident of “vandalism and trespassing” astatine nan church’s downtown spot connected May 2.

On May 3, a crowd of astir 300 people, described by constabulary arsenic “mostly youth,” attempted to participate a Church of Scientology building successful downtown Vancouver. Some group tried to footwear successful a gross and threw items astatine police, but nary 1 was injured, section authorities said. One teen was arrested.

A akin incident occurred nan aforesaid time successful New York City. Police told NBC that “a group of unidentified individuals forcibly entered” nan church’s Midtown Manhattan building astir 4 p.m. connected May 3 and caused spot damage. One man suffered a insignificant injury, constabulary told nan tv station. No arrests were made.

A video posted to TikTok also purported to show an attempted velocity tally astatine nan L. Ron Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence successful Edinburgh, Scotland, past weekend. Police location did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Bloomberg, nan Scientology spokesman, declined to remark connected circumstantial incidents extracurricular of Los Angeles.

The religion and immoderate societal media companies person attempted to incorporate nan dispersed of velocity moving contented online.

On April 26, a lawyer representing nan religion sent a missive to nan laminitis of nan app Dare Market, accusing nan institution of “inciting” a Hollywood velocity tally nan time earlier. Dare Market laminitis Isla Rose-Perfito shared a transcript of nan missive successful a post connected X this week.

The Dare Market app allows group to situation 1 different to complete dares for prizes aliases money, but discourages users from breaking immoderate laws, Rose-Perfito said. On April 24 — nan time earlier nan ample Hollywood “speed run” led by nan man dressed arsenic Jesus — Dare Market posted a “Scientology velocity run” situation pinch a $1,000 prize.

“Longest clip moving wrong earlier getting kicked retired wins. You request to many times opportunity ‘Dare Market made maine do it’ while moving wrong nan center,” nan since-deleted station read.

Someone tin beryllium heard saying that nonstop building soon aft nan man dressed arsenic Jesus pulled unfastened nan beforehand doorway of nan Scientology building successful Hollywood connected April 25, according to video of nan incident.

“Dare Market whitethorn beryllium held liable for superior injuries aliases decease resulting from nan ‘Scientology challenge,’” publication nan missive from lawyer Rebecca Nell Kaufman. Kaufman wrote that nan situation incited “hateful, offensive, and vulnerable acts.”

Kaufman besides claimed that velocity runners hurled group epithets, including nan N-word, astatine a Black information defender connected April 25. An LAPD spokesperson could not corroborate if that allegation had been reported to police.

“Church unit person already been battered and assaulted arsenic a consequence of your business,” Kaufman wrote. “It is only a matter of clip earlier personification is earnestly injured aliases killed.”

Kaufman — who antecedently threatened The Times pinch litigation aft a newsman sent questions to Scientology officials arsenic part of a 2024 article — did not respond to a petition for comment.

In an interview, Rose-Perfito, 29, based on that nan velocity moving inclination predated nan situation station and rejected nan ineligible threat from Scientology.

“We’re not telling group to break successful astatine each ... connected their website, they opportunity they invited group pinch unfastened doors,” she said.

Rose-Perfito alleged that Scientology officials many times called her mother successful nan mediate of nan nighttime aft nan April 25 velocity run. In videos she posted to X and TikTok, Rose-Perfito plays a voicemail from a female identifying herself arsenic Bari Berger. According to a religion website, Berger is nan erstwhile head of STAND, which is Scientology’s antidiscrimination wing. She now useful successful nan church’s nationalist affairs department, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Bloomberg said calls were placed soon aft nan April 25 incident “seeking interaction pinch individuals associated pinch Dare Market and its CEO concerning matters arising straight from those events.”

Other contented creators said their Scientology-related contented has drawn other scrutiny arsenic nan velocity moving inclination spreads. Derrek Miranda, nan man down nan Whitewallstuntz societal media accounts that gained fame successful nan past twelvemonth documenting Los Angeles’ underbelly, said his Instagram relationship was deactivated aft posting a video of nan April 25 velocity run. A Meta spokeswoman did not respond to a petition for comment.

Some TikTok users person besides reported that posts they made related to either Scientology “speed running” aliases nan religion itself person been flagged aliases removed successful caller weeks.

A TikTok spokesperson said nan app’s “Community Guidelines explicitly prohibit nan promotion of convulsive aliases criminal behavior, and we’re removing this contented from our platform.”

Times unit writer Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.