A 16-year-old has been charged after allegedly interrupting a church service in a suburb outside Toronto by blasting “Look At Me!” by XXXTentacion.
According to police, the teen held a cellphone up to a microphone on the altar of St. Eugene Mazenod Church in Brampton on the evening of August 9, causing the entire church to be subjected to the lyrics of the Florida Soundcloud rapper.
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“This event is unprecedented and has shook our community,” parishioner Peter Maka told the Brampton Guardian. Others told the news outlet that they saw the teenager’s act as a “religious hate crime” and that some elderly women were seen crying following the service interruption.
“To the people attending, all they heard were profanities blaring in the most sacred space they have,” one woman told local news.
Church members described seeing two young men enter from a side door who sat at the front of the church. A priest from Poland who was visiting the church was reading on the altar when he was interrupted. Reportedly, church members called police immediately, and several people held the teen until cops arrived.
The 16-year-old who allegedly interrupted the church service, a Brampton resident, cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. He’s been charged with mischief to religious property, disturbing a religious service, and breach of recognizance.
XXXTentacion is a controversial rapper who is currently facing a number of charges and has spent time in prison.
“Look At Me!”—the track that disturbed the church service—is the 19-year-old rapper’s breakout track. It runs just over two minutes and features such lyrics as “I took a white bitch to Starbucks/That lil’ bitch got her throat fucked… Skeet on your main bitch’s forehead/Don’t want your pussy, just want head.”
VICE Canada reached out to St. Eugene de Mazenod Parish for comment but has yet to hear back. We will update this story if they respond.
