BlackBerry launch in Indonesia ends in a riot

The company behind BlackBerry, Research In Motion (RIM) had a scheduled smartphone launch event in Indonesia, but had to cancel the event early. Thousands of people turned up to get their hands on the latest BlackBerry smartphone, but rumors began to spread like wildfire that the new phone had sold out, after which chaos broke out.

RIM had chosen Indonesia as the first country to receive the new Blackberry Bellagio, known as the Blackberry Bold 9790. Indonesia is a hot spot for Blackberry handsets, which is why RIM set up a special event at the Pacific Place mall in Jakarta to celebrate the event. RIM also offered a 50-percent discount to the first 1000 people to purchase the smartphone, which resulted in a line formed 24 hours before the event.

Those who were eligible for the discount were given a red wristband but as the crowd grew, organizers announced that everyone on hand would get a phone. Rumors began to wave through the crowd that the phone had actually sold out and people lost their patience. The crowd burst through security barriers to try get their hands on a new phone, with the Jakarta Globe reporting that as many as 90 people had to be treated for injuries ranging from broken or fractured bones to unconsciousness.

Roughly 200 police officers and security guards were dispatched to deal with the chaos and as a result, the event was obviously cancelled prematurely to ensure the safety of the people.