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Friday, November 17, 2006
(George Rizer/Globe Staff)
A Boston police sergeant uses a bullhorn this morning to tell a young man hiding behind a newspaper paper that it was time leave a lobby adjoining the Copley Place Mall after video game buffs overwhelmed security. Some gamers said that they had been waiting in line for three days for the debut sale of Sony's PlayStation3.
By George Rizer, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
Nearly a dozen police cruisers responded to Copley Place Mall this morning when a crowd of 400 people clamoring for the new Sony PlayStation 3 overwhelmed mall security.
No one was hurt and the crowd dispersed when police arrived and used bullhorns to order them to leave.
Some of the video game enthusiasts claimed they had been waiting in line for three days for a chance to purchase the game system for $500 to $600. The crowd had waited outside through a stormy night with high winds and heavy rain.
Some patrons claimed they were told they would be allowed inside the mall at 6 a.m. for the 8 a.m. opening of a Sony store selling the video game. However, the crowd became restless at about 5:30 a.m. and dozens of police officers rushed to the scene.
A few of the disappointed customers claimed that store officials had compiled a waiting list of more than 150 people who were supposed to have first dibs on a new PlayStation. A few people in the crowd chanted: "Honor the list! Honor the list!"
The video game has sparked similar incidents across the country.
In Putnam, Conn., a person was shot early this morning during a confrontation in a line of people waiting outside a Wal-Mart to buy the video game. The victim was taken the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester with a gunshot wound. There was no immediate word on the victim's condition.
In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.
Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.
Posted by the Boston Globe City & Region Desk at 09:33 AM
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