The INSIDER Summary:

• A woman crouched to take a selfie by an art installation in Los Angeles.
• She lost her balance and knocked a pedestal over, causing a domino effect that ended up breaking $200,000 worth of art.
• Some people think it's a hoax or publicity stunt. It actually happened.

This story has been updated.

Some people will go to hilarious extremes to capture the perfect selfie. But if security camera footage from YouTube is to be trusted, one woman in a Los Angeles art gallery went a little too far.

An installation by artist Simon Birch at the 14th Factory called "Hypercaine" displays delicate crowns on pedestals. 

A YouTube user claiming to be a friend of Birch uploaded a video that shows someone attempting to take a selfie and instead knocking over an entire column of crowns. The user also writes in the description that $200,000 worth of art was destroyed.

It starts out innocently enough, with two women standing near the far right column of the installation snapping photos. Then, one of the women crouches down in front of the pedestals and pulls out her phone to take a selfie.

That's when it goes horribly wrong. She loses her balance and falls over, creating a domino effect as pedestal after pedestal topples over.

The video has been viewed over 255,000 times since it was uploaded on July 13. Some commenters suspected that the entire incident was a hoax or publicity stunt, but both the gallery and the artist confirmed that it really did happen.

A spokesperson for the 14th Factory told INSIDER that three scupltures were permanently damaged, and said that the approximate cost was indeed $200,000.

"She was horrified and super upset and we took down her details but decided not to take action as it was clearly an accident and she's a student," Birch said in an email. "And we are a non-profit so it's not like we could afford to sue her anyway."

But he also said that the fragility of the crowns and the precarious way they were displayed were part of the message of his piece, which is still on display unil the end of July despite the damage.

"Well, people are warned to be cautious in that room, but the idea was they should be exposed and fragile," he said. "They are crowns, and crowns, symbols of power, are fragile things. A well-timed selfie could bring down a president, so why not a crown or two."

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