Desperate German 'Harry Potter' fan runs amok, threatens to kill people.

Expatica ^ | 10/04/05 | Expatica

[Pikamax]

Desperate German 'Harry Potter' fan runs amok

4 October 2005

HANOVER, GERMANY - The stress of standing in line to buy the German edition of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' proved too much for a man in Germany, who ran amok and threatened to kill people unless he got a book, police said Tuesday.

The unnamed 24-year-old man stormed into a book shop in the Hanover railway station and absconded with six copies of the German-language edition, which went on sale nationwide on Saturday.

Finding it hard to carry the books while running, he dashed into another shop on the railway concourse and pushed shoppers aside to demand a shopping bag from a sales clerk. He punched a customer in the face when admonished for being rude.

With police in hot pursuit, the Potter fan raced across a crowded train platform, threatening to kill anyone who got in his way. Officers finally tackled the man, who was unarmed aside from the six 900-page books.

"Suspect said he could not stand the suspense of not knowing who the half-blood prince was," a Hanover police spokesman said. "Suspect was informed that he will likely have plenty of time for reading long books in his jail cell."

J.K. Rowling's sixth instalment in the Harry Potter series has already broken all publishing records in Germany since its launch on Saturday, with more than a million copies sold nationwide.

DPA

[Freedom_Fighter_2001]

Did he det off the Dark Mark over the railway station?

[Hoplite]

Let he who has never ran amok and threatened to kill people unless he got a book throw the first stone.

[Freedom_Fighter_2001]

Did he set off the Dark Mark over the railway station?

[MeanWestTexan]

Yes, but was the train platform 9 3/4?

[onedoug]

What an idiot.

[DustyMoment]

Finding it hard to carry the books while running, he dashed into another shop on the railway concourse and pushed shoppers aside to demand a shopping bag from a sales clerk.

Too funny!! When you're going to steal large books, you have to focus on the details like a container to put them in!!!

[Welsh Rabbit]

"Suspect was informed that he will likely have plenty of time for reading long books in his jail cell."

Heck no, don't let him read the book in jail, that would be the best punishment. I hope they put him in isolation, I don't this guy would do well amongst the criminal types.

[Mr Ramsbotham]

His anticipation must have been beyond words if he needed to steal six copies. My guess is that his true motivation was to sell the books for dope money.

[Tim Long]

And John Hagee told you this would happen!!!

[Freedom_Fighter_2001]

Good thing he didn't get his wand out of his cloak in time!

(Sorry for the double post)

[Tijeras_Slim]

He'll probably try the "Under the Imperious Curse" defense.

[libsrscum]

Good point. I would, just to be mean, put an open copy of the book just outside his cell. A little too far to read... a little too far to reach!

Or would that be cruel and unusual?

[Major_Risktaker]

Good thing he didn't get his wand out of his cloak in time!

He needed a Nimbus 2000 for a swift getaway.

[CrazyIvan]

And it's all we can do to get people to read in this country.

[ApplegateRanch]

Heck no, don't let him read the book in jail, that would be the best punishment.

I respectfully disagree. Give him a copy written in Chinese, and a German-Chinese dictionary/phrase book.

[ApplegateRanch]

Good thing he didn't get his wand out of his cloak in time!

If he had, the ladies present would have pointed, laughed, and exclaimed, "Oh, it looks like a penis, only much smaller!"

May the women of Dementors Underground sit upon his face! To Azkhaban with him.