Man Killed at Scientology Center Had Church Ties

LOS ANGELES – An Oregon man who was fatally shot as he wielded a pair of samurai swords and attempted to attack guests at a landmark Scientology building was a former follower of the religion who had made at least a dozen previous threats against the church, a Scientology official said Monday.

Mario Majorski, 48, was shot once by a security guard as he tried to use the swords to attack guests Sunday at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, police said.

Majorski had threatened the church in a string of incidents dating to at least 2005 that were reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and Oregon authorities, said Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis. The threats were allegedly made through faxes and telephone calls but police could not immediately confirm how many were made.

"He was clearly disturbed," Davis said. "It's just a tragic incident. Our condolences go out to his family or friends."

Majorski had been a Scientologist in the early 1990s but appeared to have left the church about 15 years ago, Davis said.

The shooting will be reviewed by the district attorney's office but police were treating the killing as justifiable.

"The security guard had to take action to prevent the deceased from killing or maiming people on the premises," Los Angeles police Detective Wendi Berndt said.

Security surveillance tape showed Majorski arrived around noon in a red convertible, then approached the guards with a sword in each hand before he was shot, Berndt said. She said the tape would not be released to the public because it was too graphic. No other weapons were found in the car, which Berndt said she thought was a rental.

Majorski was pronounced dead at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Public records show Majorski was born in Los Angeles County and was associated with a string of addresses here and in Oregon, most recently living in Florence, Ore. He filed for bankruptcy in 2000.

Florence police reports describe odd and threatening behavior weeks before Majorski showed up in Los Angeles.

On Oct. 26, Majorski called AAA after running out of gas on the same road where he lived. The AAA driver, Doug Bushwar, told police he noticed there "were many small kids toys lined up in a row on the street behind the guy's truck," according to the police report.

When Bushwar approached, Majorski allegedly yelled at him to stay away and threatened him with an ax. He later threatened to shoot approaching police officers before running to his house, claiming there were hostages and explosives inside, according to the police report.

The two officers later arrested Majorski and found no hostages or explosives.

On Nov. 2, Majorski disrupted a Mormon church service in Florence by "cursing and moving around a lot," Florence police spokeswoman Sarah Huff said.

Police arrested him outside the church on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.

Other Oregon arrest reports show Majorski was arrested for criminal trespass by the Eugene Police Department in May 2007, and the next month the Lane County Sheriff's Department arrested him for unlawful use of a weapon.

In 1993, Majorski and another man sued a University of California, Los Angeles professor who had been speaking out against Scientology, Davis said. He said the men felt the professor was discriminating against them but the case was found to have no standing and was dropped.

Majorski's latest run-in with the Scientology church occurred Sunday afternoon when he brought swords to the Celebrity Centre, where hundreds of people were eating brunch and doing other activities, Davis said.

The building is a turreted, castle-like landmark in Hollywood that serves as "a home for the artist, a place where he can come and learn, attend seminars, meet other artists and even perform at our many showcases and events," according to the Centre's Web site.

Late Monday morning, a security guard patrolled outside the premises on a bicycle. He did not respond to questions.

Davis said the church frequently receives threats, many of them originating from a "cyber-terrorist group" that goes by the name Anonymous and includes Scientology among its targets.

Earlier this year, a Scientology building in Hollywood was vandalized with graffiti, and shots were fired through another Scientology building in Los Angeles, Davis said. In January, church officials in California received 22 envelopes of suspicious white powder that was treated by authorities as an anthrax threat.

Davis did not know if Majorski had been a member of the group.

Neighbors at his home in Florence said Majorski lived alone and seemed to receive few visitors. He often would disappear for weeks at a time on trips to California, they said.

Dale Doyle, 47, lived across the street from Majorski and helped him move into the neighborhood six months ago. He said he had never heard Majorski discuss Scientology.

"We saw him as pretty much harmless," he said.

Another neighbor, Jim Cannon, met Majorski this spring and helped him paint his fence. He recalled his neighbor as a "gentle, somewhat crazy freak of sorts" who told him he was disappointed with Scientology but never said anything overtly critical about it.

The Church of Scientology was established in 1945 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and claims 10 million members around the world. It likes to cultivate celebrity followers and among its more famed acolytes are Tom Cruise and John Travolta.