A pack of unruly teens went wild inside a New York City Scientology building Saturday … leaving a trail of damage and even injuring an employee in the process.
The terrifying incident went down at the Church’s building on W 46th street — just a few steps away from Times Square — at around 4:24 PM, the NYPD tells TMZ. Officers responded to a call for a burglary in progress after the mob forced entry into the building through a side door, causing property damage.
Police say the caller — a 30-year-old male — was kicked in the leg and injured, but not hospitalized. The hoodlums fled before police arrived, and no arrests have been made. The investigation is still open.
The Church of Scientology tells TMZ the intruders broke a locked door to gain entry and in addition to injuring one of their employees, used a racial slur against another. They say the disruption “endangered staff, parishioners and visitors, including individuals attending a seminar at the time.”
Video on social media depicts a group of hooded minors barreling through a Scientology building in the Big Apple, paying no mind to the damage they were doing along the way. The NYPD has not confirmed whether or not the videos are related to Saturday’s raid, though they were posted shortly after the incident occurred.
We already told you about the wild social media trend — dubbed as “Speed Runs” — that encourages minors to break into Scientology buildings and wreak havoc.
Just last week, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of a reported 50 juveniles causing a disturbance at a Church of Scientology building in Hollywood.
The Church of Scientology condemned the New York incident, telling TMZ … “Church facilities are peaceful spaces designed to welcome parishioners, visitors and members of the public. Turning them into targets for viral stunts is not journalism, protest or civic activity. It is trespass, harassment, and disruption of religious spaces.”
They say they’re working with law enforcement and provided them with video evidence.