A man was beaten unconscious waiting in line for the iPhone 5S.
Anyone looking for the latest and greatest in smartphone technology has no doubt heard of the iPhone 5S and its accompanying software iOS 7. The anticipation for said technology has led to some acts of violence, however, as a man was beaten unconscious outside a Salem, Massachusetts Apple Store while waiting in line for one of the coveted devices.
Sadly, this was only one of several incidents that happened in front of the Salem Apple Store as avid smartphone users flocked to get their hands on the iPhone 5S by any means necessary. One of said means apparently included beating a man unconscious and leaving him in the brush near the mall on Friday.
The pandemonium created by the iPhone 5S release led to police attempting to stop several such incidents and arresting two people. One arrest was for disorderly conduct, while the other was for trespassing and possession of marijuana . That can’t bode well for the fight to legalize marijuana, but that’s beside the point.
As police investigate the discovery of the man beaten unconscious outside the Salem mall, no witnesses have come forward to testify for what happened. It is believed that the man had been waiting in line and apparently crossed the wrong people.
Man Beaten Unconscious While Waiting for #iPhone5S Release in #NewHampshire @SalemNHPatch @LateShow
— PatchPR (@PatchPR) September 20, 2013
The only conclusive facts so far include a series of tweets from people standing in line talking about the police action around the Apple Store as hopeful customers waited for the iPhone 5S. Said tweets also mentioned incredibly long lines as early as 5:23am ET, and the supply sold out within three hours at most.
Rockingham Mall in Salem NH was sold out of 5s when I got there at 8:45 am. Sales person said sold out long time ago. #iPhone5S #apple
— Brian Krisler (@poupka) September 20, 2013
The fights over the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C hadn’t gone unpredicted, as police had been on high alert for violence involved in the iPhone 5S release. Even as far away as Pasadena, California, police had to anticipate the pandemonium following the release of Apple’s smartphone.
For now, nothing more is known of the man beaten unconscious while waiting in line for the iPhone 5S.
