‘Speed run' at Seattle Scientology church ends in hate crime arrests
Three teenage boys are facing hate crime and burglary charges after police say they broke into Seattle's Church of Scientology on Saturday, in what police believe was part of a viral social media challenge to "speed run" through the famously secretive institution's facilities.
People have raced through the Uptown neighborhood facility at least two other times since March, when the "speed running" trend took off on platforms like TikTok, according to a redacted report released Monday by the Seattle Police Department. Videos taken by people dodging security guards and sprinting through Scientology buildings across the U.S. have garnered millions of views, as copycats try getting as far inside the facilities as they can before getting caught.
Police in major cities like Los Angeles are investigating the incidents, which a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology - a federally recognized religion in the U.S. since 1993 - labeled as "hate crimes."
In Seattle, church staff called 911 at 3 p.m. Saturday after about 30 speed-running hopefuls showed up outside the building on the corner of West Harrison Street and Third Avenue West. People inside the church locked the doors to prevent outsiders from running into the building, according to the police report.
A woman told police she was standing inside the building near its north side entrance when she saw a boy using a crowbar to try to break in. She and the boy made eye contact, and the woman said he raised the crowbar over his head, as if to threaten her, according to the report.
Church staff and other members rushed to upper floors to shelter in place as people outside allegedly continued trying to break in. About six people broke the lock off a door on the west side of the building and got inside, where they found the main circuit breaker and shut off the building's power, according to the police report.
When police arrived, church staff pointed out the six people suspected of breaking in and who were walking east across Second Avenue West at the time. An officer chased the group and detained three teenagers, including the 17-year-old suspected of brandishing a crowbar, the report states.
The three boys, ages 16 and 17, were booked into a youth detention facility on allegations of second-degree burglary and committing a hate crime offense. Both charges would be felonies. The teen accused of wielding the crowbar is also facing a felony harassment charge, according to Seattle police.
Investigators had not referred charges to county prosecutors by Monday afternoon, according to a police spokesperson. Police declined to release more information due to an active investigation.
The Church of Scientology released a statement Monday evening to The Seattle Times, saying that staff has increased security at their churches, which the speed running trend had transformed "into targets for viral stunts."
The Church welcomes lawful visitors," the statement said. "It does not welcome mobs forcing entry, damaging property, disrupting religious spaces or endangering people for views.
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