RIM chief suspect in BlackBerry chaos

Indonesian police named Research In Motion’s country director a suspect for negligence yesterday after a BlackBerry promotion turned chaotic and left dozens injured and others knocked unconscious.
Andrew Cobham, president director for Research in Motion (RIM) in Indonesia, and British security consultant Terry Burkey were named as two of four suspects in the incident at a Jakarta mall and could face five years’ imprisonment.
“They are named suspects of negligence causing other people to suffer injuries, as stated in the criminal code,” South Jakarta police chief of detectives Budi Irawan said.
Police will recommend negligence charges to prosecutors for the suspects’ official indictment in court.
“At this stage they are banned from leaving the country, as per the legal process in Indonesia. They have not been detained but have to report to police regularly,” Irawan said.
The mall’s security head and the event organiser were also named suspects.
More than 40 people were injured and 20 were knocked unconscious or fainted on November 25, police said, when they were caught in a crush at the promotional event for RIM’s new BlackBerry Bold 9790.
RIM had a week earlier announced it would sell 1,000 of the new smartphones at 2.3 million rupiah (USD 260), half the normal retail price.
But 5,000 people turned up to the event at Pacific Place mall in central Jakarta in a scene that resembled a rock concert, waiting for hours in the heat, some since the night before.
The organisers tried to hand out bracelets to the first 1,000 people to arrive in the morning, but by midday, frustrated BlackBerry fans pushed down a barricade and ran towards the store, crushing dozens of people in their path.
Around 300 police and security officers deployed for the event shut down the event promotion shortly after the crush.