Police in Los Angeles raided NoHo Diagnostic Center last October, apparently believing that the medical imaging centre was a front for a drug operation.

A lawsuit filed by the centre’s owners alleges that the police operation was “nothing short of a disorganised circus, with no apparent rules, procedures, or even a hint of co-ordination”, SFGATE reports.

They claim one officer walked into an MRI room with his police rifle, disregarding signage that made clear that metal could not be brought in. The gun was then sucked across the room by the machine’s magnetic force.

In order to detach the gun – which was not properly strapped to him at the time – the officer pushed an emergency release button which allegedly evaporated thousands of litres of expensive helium gas and caused permanent damage to the machine.

To add insult to injury, the officer then allegedly recovered the rifle but left all of his ammunition on the MRI room floor, where it was later found by staff.

The lawsuit claims that police violated the owners’ constitutional rights and seeks an unspecified amount in damages.