Are Scientology 'speed runs' happening in Florida?

Colbi Edmonds, Tampa Bay Times on May 14, 2026

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TAMPA, Fla. — For the past several weeks, young people have been running through Church of Scientology buildings. They’re often clad in masks and costumes and film themselves trying to get as far into the building as possible — all to the chagrin of bewildered church staff.

The trend gained popularity after a teenager, who uses the social media username Swhileyy, posted a video of himself running through a church building in Los Angeles earlier this spring.

Since then, people have emulated his efforts. The trend has spread outside Los Angeles, to San Francisco, New York and internationally. The videos of “speed running,” posted to Instagram and TikTok, are getting millions of views online.

Here’s what’s happened so far and whether it’s taken place in Tampa Bay.

What has happened during speed runs so far?

On April 25, dozens of people ran into Scientology buildings on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. The church qualified the run as a “large-scale incident,” and afterward, it removed doorhandles and tightened entry to the public at one of its buildings. The runners knocked down church staff, the church said in a statement to NBC News.

A man dressed up as Jesus Christ led the charge.

And earlier this month, a group of people in New York broke into a locked church. In a statement to The Guardian, the church said the group injured a staff member and damaged property. The church also alleged a staff member was called a racial slur.

Similar incidents have happened in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.

There have been legal repercussions for the runs. The New York Times reported authorities arrested two teenagers in Sydney after they ran through a church. The Times also reported that in Seattle, three teenagers were detained after breaking into a church and turning off the electricity and are facing charges of hate crimes.

The Los Angeles Times reported the church has threatened at least one person legally.

Is it happening in Tampa Bay?

The Church of Scientology has international spiritual headquarters in Clearwater. It also has a church in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood.

Sarah Heller, a spokesperson for the church, said there have not been any speed run incidents in Clearwater. There have been at least two incidents at a church location in Ybor, one involving a group of 15-20 people, with someone dressed up as SpongeBob SquarePants. During that incident, a person threw four rocks at a security guard, according to an arrest report.

At least two people involved in the Ybor incidents were charged with battery, trespassing and harassment or intimidation based on religious or ethnic heritage.

A 20-year-old man from Palm Harbor is facing felony charges after shooting a Church of Scientology door in Clearwater with a BB gun last month. He told law enforcement that he fired at the building on purpose because he does not support what the church represents. The church has been accused of abuse and human and labor trafficking.

Heller disputed characterization that these runs are trending across the country, and said that “risks further amplifying copycat conduct that has already resulted in criminal investigations, arrests, property damage, assaults and hate-crime allegations in multiple jurisdictions.”

“Responsible reporting should not normalize or sensationalize conduct that law enforcement agencies elsewhere are treating as criminal acts against religious facilities,” Heller said. “The Scientology Information Center in downtown Clearwater remains open to lawful visitors during normal operating hours.”

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the 18-year-old behind the trend advised against copy cats.

Leah Remini, an actor and former Scientologist who has been an outspoken critic of the church, also spoke against the trend online.

“Whether these people are doing it for social media clout or to genuinely expose the abuses of Scientology, what they are doing is unhelpful, and by engaging in these actions, they are unwittingly helping Scientology,” she wrote on X.