Man Walks Into Wal-Mart, Smashes 29 TVs With Bat

[Purveyor]

(02-10) 15:07 PST Lilburn, Ga. (AP) --

Police in Georgia say a 23-year-old man grabbed a baseball bat inside of a Walmart and smashed 29 flat-screen televisions. Police in Lilburn near Atlanta have charged Westley Strellis with 29 counts of criminal damage to property in the second degree.

Witnesses tell police he grabbed a metal baseball bat from the sporting goods section Wednesday, walked to the electronics department and destroyed the TVs on display.

He was arrested not long after that.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/10/national/a140730S27.DTL#ixzz0fBLfwGAD

[polichick]

1. Wow, wonder what motivated him. nt

[saigon68]

6. Tired of Watching american idolatry

[polichick]

8. I hope so - rather than that he wanted one and couldn't afford it. nt

[Fridays Child]

13. Three words...

Toddlers and Tiaras

[polichick]

22. I had to google that, and all I can say is YIKES! nt

[Mojorabbit]

80. I did the same

and ended up there for thirty minutes. It is like a train wreck, you can't look away. Ack.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Jon and Kate

American Idol - I know, that's only two words but . . .

[Mopar151]

70. I'm afraid I'm with you on that

Compared to those stage mothers, a nutter with a baseball bat is benevolent and harmless.

[Purveyor]

18. Don't know but what I do know is that to many folks seem wound as tight as a 7-day clock.

At least he didn't drive his suv into a crowd of kids or open fire with a weapon. Seeing to many of those articles lately.

I'm finding myself being more aware and proactive of my surroundings while out in public these days.

Trying times we live in, indeed!

[polichick]

24. So true - on all counts. :(

[wroberts189]

59. Good question.. odd thing is this has happened before. nt

[FourScore]

77. Must've been watching FOXNews.

:shrug:

[RagAss]

2. Sounds like a great opening scene to an INDY film........

John Waters....take note.

[polichick]

10. Absolutely! nt

[gmoney]

46. or Cool Hand Luke

"Violation!"

[JI7]

3. i think i read something similar happening before

[hlthe2b]

4. Please tell me they had FAUX news playing at the time...

(preferably O'Rielly or Beck :evilgrin:

[Cha]

7. Perfect scenario in a walmart.

[ProfessorGAC]

54. They Don't Show Broadcast Channels

They, like most other retailers, put DVD-based material and on the main display areas show the same thing on every TV, usually with only one with audio running.

Same thing almost every store i go to.
GAC

[ZombieHorde]

5. The Country Music Channel was probably on. nt

[Initech]

9. What would Tyler Durden do?

[JBoy]

11. Cleanup on aisles 6, 7, 8 and 9!

[asdjrocky]

12. I know it's wrong,

but my first reaction was: Nice!

[tosh]

14. Close!

Mine was: Cool!

[Tiggeroshii]

52. My face lit up.

[devilgrrl]

60. Same here.

:hide:

[Arctic Dave]

62. You weren't alone. :D

[asdjrocky]

63. I'm thinking movement.

What if 100 people did that in 100 Walmarts at the same time?

[Arctic Dave]

65. Extreme flashmobbing. Sounds like a plan.

[anonymous171]

15. Sounds like fun. nt

[Duer 157099]

16. What's the punchline?

Oh, it's not a joke.

And why is he charged with 29 counts? I would think one round of destruction should be one charge.

[Shell Beau]

26. No way. He did a lot of damage.

I am sure many have felt like doing something like that before, but still...

[Canuckistanian]

30. How does that work out? Does he get one charge per hit?

Or one charge per item destroyed? I need to know.

[Duer 157099]

79. I know. Like, if someone punches someone 3 times

do they get charged with 3 counts of assault?

[HughMoran]

17. Walking Tall

Where's the video?

[Taverner]

19. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry...yes its fucked up. But its funny.

And no actual people were hurt - poor guy will probably be sent to some kind of insane asylum when he did the most sane thing anyone could do...

[Taverner]

21. True rage against the machine

[scarletwoman]

32. +1,000!

:rofl:

[baldguy]

20. Wal-Mart

'nuff said.

[onethatcares]

23. finally.

someone understands what is wrong with this country. And they arrest him.:wtf:

[surrealAmerican]

49. He may have done it because he wanted to get arrested.

[Arctic Dave]

66. +100,000,000

When the sanest thing that you could do gets you thrown in a mental asylum, you know you're in the rabbit hole.

[eppur_se_muova]

25. It's a start. But pity that poor bat. nt

[saracat]

27. Very telling that no one reported even asking "WHY" .

[Skip Intro]

28. Man, I bet that felt good. (mug shot of the dude) -

I can kind of understand his actions (not justify, but understand) if it stemmed from some kind of media/advertising sensory overload. I mean, it is everywhere: radio, tv, internet, magazines, billboards, mail - you can't take a breath without some sales pitch being shoved in your face. And WalMart is pretty much all of that rolled into one. Maybe he'd just had enough. I wonder if he was screaming "get out of my head" as he did it.

Anyway, you do the crime, you do the time, including mug shots...

[Canuckistanian]

34. Looks like we have a modern day Cool Hand Luke

Only he used a baseball bat and TVs instead of parking meters and a pipecutter.

[wtmusic]

38. The crazed eyes-too-close-together syndrome, a al Dubya nt

[Lorien]

72. That guy is 23? He looks closer to 43

but yeah, I agree with your assessment.

[Cali_Democrat]

29. Better that he took his frustration out on TV's rather than other people

I'm sure most of the items he destroyed were made in China by companies paying slave wages. The man was probably upset about his economic situation and the fact that all the jobs are being shipped to China.

He took his anger out at the right place. :)

[LiberalFighter]

47. Did something upset him while watching tv at home?

And he didn't want to wreck his own tv?

[FarCenter]

31. Must be performance art! See page on artween.com.

http://www.artween.com/Artists/Westley-Strellis

"My name is Westley Strellis. I have been doing art my entire life. Currently I am a student at Georgia Gwinnett College. My major is Electrical Engineering. I do art to express myself and my feelings. I usually dont sign my artwork. I probably should. "

[Berry Cool]

37. Ah, was that it? Vandalism disguised as performance art.

Although it's hard to get worked up over vandalism at Wal-Mart.

And here I thought maybe he was mad as hell and not going to take this anymore.

[Arctic Dave]

68. If it was then I like this story even more. I think I'm giddy, blushing even.

[TheCowsCameHome]

33. Well, those damn programmable remotes can be frustrating.

Bwahahahahahaha.

[Edweird]

36. I've had days like that.

[madmom]

39. So we get outraged when a snowball hits a snowplow but think it's cool when

some one smashes 29 TVs that don't belong to him, but it's ok because they belonged to walmart. People could have been hurt flying glass and/or metal fragments, a swinging bat. I see a REAL double standard. I know not every one thought the snowball was a big deal, but a lot did. People's thought process really baffles me sometimes.

[anonymous171]

42. TVs aren't people. I don't care what people do to them. nt

[madmom]

44. But if there were customers and flying debris people could get hurt. Snowplows aren't people either

[Robb]

71. You are seeking consistency and rational thought in the wrong place.

DU lately is a bit like five-year-olds playing soccer, to rip off a Jon Stewart bit.

[madmom]

82. You got that right.

[tabasco]

40. Westley Strellis for President!

A man of action!

[Journeyman]

41. Perhaps he was just looking for three hots and a cot. . .

plenty of people take that option as the economy tanks. . .

[undeterred]

43. Maybe they should keep the baseball bats locked in a case.

:shrug:

[dembotoz]

45. i am angry as hell and i am not going to take it any more...

maybe his tv at home is too heavy to throw out the window.

[Blackhatjack]

48. He probably had been advised by his Cable Provider that his reception problems were in the TVs....

I know that is what the useless customer service reps try to tell me when their equipment screws up the signal.

[Morning Dew]

50. Copy cat, maybe. This was in the news here in MN recently

http://www.twincities.com/stpaul/ci_14283708

A 25-year-old man who stabbed a St. Paul Cub Foods employee Monday told police he didn't know the victim, but picked him because "he didn't want to stab a lady" and wanted to go to jail, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

The Ramsey County attorney's office charged Raymond Andrew Berg, of St. Paul, with second-degree assault.

Five days before the stabbing, Berg had pleaded guilty to felony criminal damage to property. In the Dec. 5 case at the Wal-Mart on St. Paul's University Avenue, Berg smashed televisions and later told police "he had no place to stay, and he knew that this action would get him put in jail," the complaint said. He told police he was on medications for schizophrenia, the complaint said.

After Monday's stabbing, in which the 35-year-old victim reportedly suffered a punctured lung and was expected to recover, Berg told police he waited for officers to arrive "because he figured it was time to go to jail," the new complaint said.

"Berg said he thought about stabbing someone in the heart but didn't want to do that, stating that if he was going to do anything, he was just going to hurt someone," the complaint said. "Berg asked what would happen with him and when told he would go to jail or that he would have to do jail time, Berg said, 'Yeah, I would hope so. I mean, that's what I would do it for. I mean, I really wouldn't like to go back out on the street again.' "

[Therellas]

51. ohz noes........"the crazies."

its weird that movie is coming out now.
I bet more and more people get weird.
or at least we will hear about it now.

[rocktivity]

53. It's not their fault he didn't take the extended warranty on HIS TV!

rocktivity

[sellitman]

55. Was Beck on the air then?

lol

[wroberts189]

61. That would explain it alright. nt

[HopeHoops]

56. Well SOMEBODY had to do it?

I wonder if anyone has ever tried using that as a defense in a case like this.

[wroberts189]

57. Must have been watching FOX news. nt

[muntrv]

58. Perhaps he was re-enacting the Apple PC ad showing the woman smashing

the TV with Big Brother speaking.

[martymar64]

64. Cocaine's a hell of a drug!

I'm Rick James Bitch!

[HughBeaumont]

67. Is it wrong for me to . . . smile at this?

Huh. Too bad, because I am.

Yes it's a crime. Just something about this one, though, that transcends the definition.

[spanone]

69. i know it's criminal, but it does sound like fun

[Generic Brad]

73. I was expecting a punchline

"Man walks into a Wal-Mart, smashes 29 TV's with a bat"

That just begs for a punchline!

[zonkers]

74. Video?

[flvegan]

75. With insurance, he just sold 29 tvs for WalMart.

WalMart will have to replace them. That's 58 (rather than 29) tvs sold to the US made in China/Japan/elsewhere.

Nice move.

Hopefully the bat was a Louisville and he dented it, selling one (1) US made bat.

Yeah, nice move.

[Mopar151]

76. He was channeling the Boss

57 channels music video - might have inspired our man Wes....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEl2HiSw0ho

[thelordofhell]

78. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I don't need no arms around me
I don't need no drugs to calm me
I have seen the writing on The Wall
Don't think I'll need anything at all
No
Don't think I'll need anything at all
All in all it was all just bricks in The Wall
All in all y'know we're all just bricks in The Wall


Goodbye cruel world
I'm leaving you today
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye
Goodbye all you people
There's nothing you can say
To make me change my mind
Goodbye

(Cue Comfortably Numb)

[Blue_Tires]

81. the real total cost of 29 flat-screen televisions at Wall-Mart is what, $350??