Lazorphaze

RICHMOND, VA. -- A rush to purchase $50 used laptops turned into a violent stampede on Tuesday, with people getting thrown to the pavement, beaten with a folding chair and nearly driven over. One woman 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.

About 5,500 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting one of 1,000 Apple iBooks being sold by the Henrico County school system to county residents. New iBooks cost between $999 and $1,299.

Some people had been waiting since 1:30 a.m. When the gates opened at 7 a.m., it became a terrifying mob scene.

People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A stroller was crushed. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone tried to drive his car through the crowd.

Seventeen people suffered minor injuries, four requiring hospital treatment, Henrico County Battalion Chief Steve Wood said. There were no arrests.

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," Paul Proto, director of general services for Henrico County, said of the four-year-old computers. "But I think that people tend to get caught up in the excitement of the event."

Blandine Alexander, 33, said one woman 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 to beat back people who tried to cut in line.

"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, tapping 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.

Trumpet Hobo

Sounds like CHAOS!