Some school was selling old iBooks for $50, and people wigged out. Check out the slideshow on the link. I love the picture on the front page with that dude on the front right - he looks like he's ready to kill someone.
Chaos erupted this morning at the Richmond International Raceway as thousands of people stampeded through the gates in a rush to buy used iBook laptop computers for $50 each.
There were several minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital with a leg injury, fire Battalion Chief Steve Wood said during a 1 p.m. news conference. In all, 17 people were treated, the majority for heat- or diabetic-related problems, he said.
Thousands of Henrico County residents and/or taxpayers stood in a half-mile-long line as dawn broke while others waited in cars parked nearby or milled about not far from the entrance to RIR. One official estimate put the crowd at 5,500. Other observers estimated more than twice that.
Many had come prepared with books, snacks, umbrellas and chairs. The first car arrived at 1:30 a.m. By 6:30 vehicles were backed up on Laburnum Avenue about a half mile to Carolina Avenue.
Even before the gates opened, the atmosphere turned surly, with people yelling at police officers who were trying to keep the crowd civil.
When the first off-duty police officers arrived at 6:10 a.m., they called for more officers to assist with security, Police Chief Henry W. Stanley said.
Ultimately, up to 45 officers were there, as were fire and rescue personnel.
The gates opened at 6:54 a.m., and the stampede -- literally -- was on. The first crush occurred at the main gate to RIR and the second occurred at the entrance to the building where the 4-year-old iBooks were being sold.
Police Lt. Doug Perry said a few people who acted inappropriately made the situation bad for everyone. When police arrived, he said, they took control of the situation.
One Henrico resident, Devra Sirot, attended the sale with her two young sons and said she feared for their safety.
"My kids almost got stampeded. If it wasn't for these two really strong guys . . . Everyone was stampeding to get in."
The One, the Only, the Incomparable Mercer Boy. My My YouTube.
Oh man...I found an even funnier writeup on MSNBC - and it has VIDEO!!!
MSNBC.com wrote:RICHMOND, Va. - A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman went so far as to wet herself rather than surrender her place in line.
“This is total, total chaos,” said Latoya Jones, 19, who lost one of her flip-flops in the ordeal and later limped around on the sizzling blacktop with one foot bare.
An estimated 5,500 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting their hands on one of the 4-year-old Apple iBooks. The Henrico County school system was selling 1,000 of the computers to county residents. New iBooks cost between $999 and $1,299.
Officials opened the gates at 7 a.m., but some already had been waiting since 1:30 a.m. When the gates opened, it became a terrifying mob scene.
People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A little girl’s stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to drive his way through the crowd.
Seventeen people suffered minor injuries, with four requiring hospital treatment, Henrico County Battalion Chief Steve Wood said. There were no arrests and the iBooks sold out by 1 p.m.
"It's rather strange that we would have such a tremendous response for the purchase of a laptop computer — and laptop computers that probably have less-than- desirable attributes," said Paul Proto, director of general services for Henrico County. "But I think that people tend to get caught up in the excitement of the event — it almost has an entertainment value."
Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman standing in front of her was so desperate to retain her place in line that she urinated on herself.
"I've never been in something like that before, and I never again will," said Alexander, who brought her 14-year-old twin boys to the complex at 4:30 a.m. to wait in line. "No matter what the kids want, I already told them I'm not doing that again."
Jesse Sandler said he was one of the people pushing forward, using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him.
"I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,'" the 20-year-old said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook, as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station.
"They were getting in front of me and I was there a lot earlier than them, so I thought that it was just," he said.
The One, the Only, the Incomparable Mercer Boy. My My YouTube.
At the end of the segment the anchorlady said someone didn't want to lose their place in line, so instead of going to the bathroom they peed themself...
how awesome is that?
This is getting better n better. I hope there's a made for tv movie.
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26-13
Only 3 leagues this year. No sense in rooting for everyone in the NFL.
Congrats on your awful laptops! I bet the wet pants, various cuts and bruises, maybe a couple broken bones, and 50 bucks was worth it! Morons :eyeroll:
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by Mercer Boy » Wed Aug 17, 2005 12:40 am 
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