Riot ensues as 5000+ people try to get 1000 ibooks for $50 each

[Great Rumbler]

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."


She bought three iBooks -- one for her and one for each of her sons.

Once people were inside the building, the sale went smoothly and all 1,000 laptops were sold, officials said. County officials said they will be meeting to review the situation to see what could be done differently in the future.

The laptops were made available at a bargain-basement price after the county school system chose a new vendor -- Dell -- to supply the high schools with laptops. Henrico had used Apple iBooks in its high schools for the past four years.

For more on-the-scene details of the chaotic sale and an account from columnist Mark Holmberg, check out tomorrow's Times-Dispatch.

Hilarious, and yet so very sad. :S

Times Dispatch