Man Goes on a Television Smashing Spree at a Walmart in Georgia

A 23 year old man did something never before done in a Walmart: he went into the electronics department after a brief visit to the sporting goods section to get a baseball bat and smashed $22,000.00 worth of 29 flat screen television sets in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. But that is not all; apparently some copycat crimes have also occurred at other Walmarts across the nation, too. For example, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a 26 year old man was arrested after smashing 16 television sets of the same type, and a Klamath, California man was arrested doing the same thing, only to 7 sets valued at $5,800.00. While these crimes say something about our justice system - that if somebody can waltz into any Walmart in the nation and destroy merchandise with a baseball bat only to receive a slap on the wrist, what motivated these men in the first place to commit such a crime?

The most obvious answer lies in what these men saw being televised on the expensive flat screen sets, although the Pittsfield man blamed his being unemployed for the crime. Perhaps he never thought of applying to Walmart for a job as a cashier to begin with, then he never would have had the problem. Or maybe perhaps he did apply, but did not get an interview (probably because he did not ask for an interview). Or it could also be that he was interviewed by a Walmart manager but appeared to be disinterested in working there (most employers will throw the application of such an interviewee right into the circular file). At any rate, what the other men saw on these television sets may have led to them committing the crime. So let's take a look at some possible scenarios:

The Georgia Walmart man saw his family on a Jerry Springer episode fighting and cussing each other out after getting drunk on the set and hitting each other with beer bottles in the head. Thus he took up a baseball bat to end the scene with the beer bottle brawl, thereby causing another scene, but in Walmart. I wonder if Springer ever considered doing a show on the bizarre incidences that happen at everyone's favorite store?

The Massachusetts man saw a newscast of the snowstorms that the region has experienced this winter season. Granted, that would be enough to make anyone want to smash a set, but more sensible people might consider strangling the weatherman for delivering the snow, I mean the forecast.

The California man saw reruns of Gilligan's Island on the television sets. Those red and blue shirts never looked better on an HDTV before. "I wonder where that feather rolled," as the Skipper once told the Professor in one particular episode, the one where Gilligan was stashing a hut full of feathers to make pillows for the Howells when a NASA camera accidentally landed on the island. The Skipper of course meant to say lens, but Gilligan knew how to get under his skin, not to mention under his temper.

The show may have been goofy fun, but for the wrong person to smash television sets.

http://www.ohio.com/news/nation/84126522.html

http://current.com/items/92115983_man-smashes-29-tvs-at-walmart.htm

http://wbztv.com/local/man.smashes.tvs.2.993785.html

http://www.triplicate.com/20090717106489/News/Local-News/TV-vandal-returns-to-Wal-Mart