Fans of Tween King Justin Bieber Cause Mall Riot
The malls are no longer safe.
If you find yourself at the mall sometime in the near future and hear that 15 year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber is in the area... run. There's a pretty good chance an unruly mob of teenage girls is in hot pursuit, and they'll stop at nothing to get to him.
In an event Friday afternoon at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, N.Y., 10,000 hysterical young ladies nearly stampeded while waiting for autographs from Bieber.
According to police, the crowd was broken up after safety concerns were raised, but Bieber's record exec, James Roppo, Tweeted that the singer was still signing. This caused fans to go berzerk and rush forward, breaking down barriers.
Aimee Macchi, 13, was knocked down when the crowd surged forward. "People started screaming 'Justin' and they ran forward and the ropes collapsed. Everyone was pushing, there was no room to breathe," she said. "I was literally on the floor."
Mr. Roppo, the senior vice president of sales at Island Def Jam Records and organizer of the mall event, was fired and arrested for endangering the welfare of children.
For those of us who have no idea who Bieber is, let me fill you in. The 15 year-old Canadian pop sensation just released his debut album, My World, on November 17, with all four of his singles, "One Time", "One Less Lonely Girl", "Love Me", and "Favorite Girl" landing on the Billboard Hot 100.
Now, however, it looks like the Bieber buzz has gotten a bit too big for its britches. I'd advise you to stay away from malls until it settles down.
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