yellowfish
10-17-2009, 10:06 AM
A woman who told store-goers in a US shop yesterday that she would buy all their clothes ended up causing a riot when customers realised it was a hoax.
Angry customers threw merchandise around as they looted the store. Police said it looked as though a hurricane passed through it.
The woman, named in local reports as Linda Brown, pulled up outside the Burlington Coat Factory in Columbus, Ohio yesterday in a Hummer limo.
She announced that she had won $1.5million in the lottery and would spend $500 on everyone at the store.
"Well, people like to hear that," admitted a police officer at the scene.
Eager customers promptly rushed to the store registers and began phoning their relatives. Cashiers began ringing up sales - not realising that the woman did not in fact have any money.
Ms Brown even wrote a cheque to one woman who said she did not need clothes and would prefer help paying her rent.
Telling customers she had been abused by her family and that this was her chance to "give back", the woman managed to ring up $5,000 on a debit card before hitting her card limit.
She drove off again in the limo telling the 500 people who had by then crammed inside the store - and 1,000 who had gathered outside - that she was getting more money from the bank.
When she returned - empty handed - store employees had phoned the police to handle the crowds.
She left again in her limo - but police had discovered the truth, and told customers they had been duped.
But, angry at the hoax, the crowd of customers - determined to get their free clothes - turned into a mob.
They stormed the store, grabbing clothes without paying. "It looks like [Hurricane] Katrina came through here," said one officer.
Thousands of dollars worth of damage were done before police managed to halt the stampede.
Ms Brown was turned in by her limo driver - angry that she would not be able to pay him the $900 she owed him for the day's rental.
Police said she was arrested on three outstanding warrants but wasn't charged for the coat store chaos pending a mental health evaluation.
A spokeswoman for the coat store had no comment. -Daily Mail
How can people attemt to hold a store liable for some psudo richbitch?
seriously i just dont see how people think they can just take what they want
OH WAIT - people from ohio i am giving you petrol free for life collect at any petrol station
tell them yellowfish said its all good
Angry customers threw merchandise around as they looted the store. Police said it looked as though a hurricane passed through it.
The woman, named in local reports as Linda Brown, pulled up outside the Burlington Coat Factory in Columbus, Ohio yesterday in a Hummer limo.
She announced that she had won $1.5million in the lottery and would spend $500 on everyone at the store.
"Well, people like to hear that," admitted a police officer at the scene.
Eager customers promptly rushed to the store registers and began phoning their relatives. Cashiers began ringing up sales - not realising that the woman did not in fact have any money.
Ms Brown even wrote a cheque to one woman who said she did not need clothes and would prefer help paying her rent.
Telling customers she had been abused by her family and that this was her chance to "give back", the woman managed to ring up $5,000 on a debit card before hitting her card limit.
She drove off again in the limo telling the 500 people who had by then crammed inside the store - and 1,000 who had gathered outside - that she was getting more money from the bank.
When she returned - empty handed - store employees had phoned the police to handle the crowds.
She left again in her limo - but police had discovered the truth, and told customers they had been duped.
But, angry at the hoax, the crowd of customers - determined to get their free clothes - turned into a mob.
They stormed the store, grabbing clothes without paying. "It looks like [Hurricane] Katrina came through here," said one officer.
Thousands of dollars worth of damage were done before police managed to halt the stampede.
Ms Brown was turned in by her limo driver - angry that she would not be able to pay him the $900 she owed him for the day's rental.
Police said she was arrested on three outstanding warrants but wasn't charged for the coat store chaos pending a mental health evaluation.
A spokeswoman for the coat store had no comment. -Daily Mail
How can people attemt to hold a store liable for some psudo richbitch?
seriously i just dont see how people think they can just take what they want
OH WAIT - people from ohio i am giving you petrol free for life collect at any petrol station
tell them yellowfish said its all good