'All hell breaks loose' in Xbox line

updated 4:17 p.m. ET Nov. 23, 2005

ELKTON, Md. - Shoppers waiting in line for the new Xbox 360 video game player scuffled outside a Wal-Mart Supercenter when a manager improvised rules for who would get the game first. It took more than 10 police officers to restore order, though no one was arrested.

A crowd of about 300 people were waiting late Monday for the game to go on sale at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Some of them had waited 12 hours when a night manager said the Xboxes would be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, instead of using a number system devised by customers.

"That's when all hell broke loose," said Ben DiSabatino IV, a 23-year-old Bear, Del., resident, who had been waiting in line since 4 p.m.

"It was like a mosh pit," 30-year-old Michael Pearman of Newark, Del., told the Cecil Whig.

Some customers were knocked down and trampled, though there were no serious injuries, said Elkton Police Lt. Lawrence Waldridge.

An Elkton police officer assigned to monitor the crowd called for backup. In all, it took more than 10 officers from Elkton, the state police and the sheriff's office to restore peace.

Then Wal-Mart decided to cancel the sale and police ordered everyone to leave. A store employee who wouldn't give her full name told the Cecil Whig newspaper that some Xboxes were sold later that night.

The Xbox 360 premium system includes a hard drive, wireless controllers and cables for high-definition TVs. It retails for $399.

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