The PlayStation 4 officially launched at midnight Thursday, U.S. Eastern time. Three hours later, it was officially robbed for the first time. Ladies and gentlemen, it is the dawn of a new era in console crime!
Not only that, happy PS4 customers were robbed on launch night twice in the same city: Bakersfield, Calif. the butt of every Vegas comedian's warmup joke since 1962.
What we're calling the First Robbery of the PlayStation 4 occured at 12:25 a.m. at the Best Buy on Rosedale Highway. It had been targeted by a criminal mastermind who came to the job with his secret weapon: a "replica gun." With it he accosted a PS4 newlywed in the parking lot, took the console, and left by way of a getaway car, whose make, model and color were relayed to Bakersfield's finest.
A patrol found the car, chased it for a short while and arrested the driver. The "replica gun" (God, please tell me it was a NERF gun, with the big neon orange drum magazine) was in the vehicle, and the PlayStation 4 was recovered from a nearby home. Two suspects, ages 20 and 19, are in custody on robbery charges.
But wait, there's more! Seven miles away, at the Gamestop in Valley Plaza Mall, a guy was robbed in the parking lot of his PS4 by a masked gunman who "sped off in a 2004 or 2005" white minivan. No arrest has yet been made.
A clerk at that GameStop said they will have more security when the Xbox One launches on Friday. Bias! Favoritism! Bakersfield! Avoid buying your next-gen console there.
BPD: Replica gun used to rob owner of new Playstation 4 [The Bakersfield Californian]
Thieves rob people in two different locations for video game consoles [KERO-TV]
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