‘Speed running’ Scientology: TikTok trend causes havoc, church alleges ‘hate crimes’

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is known for its colorful cast of characters. But even by those standards, the scenes of Jesus Christ and Sonic the Hedgehog racing past security guards employed by the Church of Scientology in recent days were a little bizarre.

On Saturday afternoon, someone dressed as the Christian messiah was among the dozens of people in costumes and masks seen on a video forcing open the door of a Scientology building on Hollywood Boulevard after a tug-of-war with a security guard. The footage posted on TikTok and Instagram shows the group sprinting up and down stairs and clashing with black-shirted security guards, giggling and gasping to catch their breath while church members scream at them to leave.

On their way out — as security guards approach armed with fire extinguishers — one of the sprinters stops and dances to celebrate their successful escape, a move reminiscent of a taunt from the video game Fortnite.

For weeks, groups of people have barged into two of the church’s Hollywood properties, racing through hallways and tussling with security guards, trying to see how far they can get before they are forced to leave by church staff. They call it “speed running,” slang for trying to beat a video game as quickly as possible, scurrying around hazards and taking shortcuts to skip through levels.

Those posting and commenting on the content online treat the events like real-life gaming, musing about facing off with famous Scientology figures in a “boss fight” and referring to each new area of a Scientology property seen on a run as a step toward unlocking parts of a level map.

Church officials say the incidents are not a game and have accused the speed runners of “hate crimes.”

After dozens on Saturday stormed the Ivar Avenue building that houses an exhibit dedicated to the church’s founder, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, the external door handles were removed from all three of Scientology’s properties on Hollywood Boulevard by Sunday morning. Guards could be seen blocking the doorway to one building on Monday afternoon.

“These incidents are not ‘speed running.’ They are organized trespasses into religious and public information facilities for social media attention,” Scientology spokesman David Bloomberg said in a statement. “Over recent weeks, individuals have repeatedly forced their way into 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 “knocked down in the chaos” on Saturday. He declined to offer specifics about updates to the church’s security measures.

An LAPD spokesperson said police have received five reports of trespassing incidents at Scientology’s Hollywood properties this year. All occurred at either the Hubbard exhibit or the church’s information center at Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place, police said. Only two of those incidents resembled a “so-called speed running attempt,” according to the LAPD spokesman.

No arrests have been made and no injuries have been reported. After the large-scale incident on Saturday, the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division was tasked with investigating the “incident as an alleged hate crime.” Detectives “have not identified any connection” between the incident last weekend and prior trespassing episodes, according to the spokesman.

“The LAPD remains 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 the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from both the Church and LAPD, said the events were “a mix of exposure, prank and activism.”

“For me personally, it’s about raising awareness, getting people to ask questions, and of course, love of the game lol,” the person said in a message. “I enjoy questioning authority and shining light on things people usually don’t look into.”

The Church of Scientology of Los Angeles at 6331 Hollywood Blvd. on Feb. 7, 2024.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

The incidents have split anti-Scientology activists. Some former members believe the runs are an effective form of protest against an organization that has been accused in lawsuits of sex abuse, violating child labor laws and forcing members to get 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 settled a lawsuit over the matter; the organization denied the allegations.

Prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson was convicted in 2023 of sexually assaulting two fellow church members in Los Angeles, during a trial where it was alleged that church policies barred 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 having any policy limiting members from reporting crimes and called the allegations regarding the prosecutor on the Masterson case “categorically false.”

“What everyday citizens do to troll Scientology and get viral views on TikTok … are the only things being done to make Scientology uncomfortable and to turn them into a joke so that new people don’t get trapped by them,” said ex-Scientologist Jenna Miscavige, the niece of the church’s leader, David Miscavige. “I for one very much appreciate it.”

The “speed runner” who spoke to The Times said allegations against the church and its reputation for secrecy, in part, motivated the attention-grabbing “raids” on church buildings.

“That’s what this is about for me and others — applying pressure, demanding transparency and pushing for answers,” the person said.

The church spokesman said turning Scientology properties into “targets for viral stunts is not journalism, protest or civic 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 last week in a post on X that she feared the “speed running” trend would backfire.

“I want as many people as possible talking about the dangers and criminality of Scientology,” she wrote. “But I spent decades on the other side of this, and if I had been confronted by people running through Scientology buildings and harassing me or 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 if people would react differently if such actions were carried out at a more traditional house of worship — a Christian church, Jewish temple or Islamic mosque.

Levin said it was “extraordinarily troubling” to see people “invading” religious centers for the sake of creating a viral moment.

“One doesn’t have the right to express themselves in a violent way, that invades someone else’s place of tranquility,” he said. “I could care less what the faith is.”

There were 16 reported instances of hate crimes committed against Scientologists in 2024, according to a report generated by the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations. That made them the third-most targeted religious group in the county, behind only people of Muslim and Jewish faith, the report said.

Some of the recent videos show the runners bumping into security guards and shoving past church staff, then leaving after being cornered and told to get off the property.

Levin, who is also a former police officer, said it is possible those colliding with security guards could be charged with battery.

“Anyone that does this is not only doing a vile thing, they’re really putting themselves at extraordinary [legal] risk,” he said.

The stepped-up security at Scientology buildings appeared to dissuade three teens who approached the building while a Times reporter observed a Hollywood location on Sunday afternoon. The trio pulled up on e-bikes, drove up to the entrance of the Information Center and began shouting and taking pictures, pausing to take drags off a vape while peering through the shuttered doors. They drove off down an alley when guards appeared.

William Gude, a Hollywood resident and outspoken critic of Scientology who runs the “Film The Police L.A.” account on social media, said that while he didn’t condone law breaking, it was clear the disruptions were impacting the church’s operations.

“It’s complicated and its not something I would condone … but the more attention that Scientology gets, the worse it is for Scientology,” he said. “They operate on secrecy.”

Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.