Nov 11, 2008 12:16 am US/Pacific
Fans Of Actor Overwhelm Police At SF Mall
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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A sign at the Hot Topic store indicates that the event is cancelled.
CBS
Police had to struggle to control a crowd of around 3,000 people who gathered at San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria on Monday for the chance to see an actor who is very popular among the teenage set.
The crowd was initially told that the event, including an appearance by 22-year-old British actor Robert Pattinson, had been canceled due to the crowds. But those fans willing to wait learned late in the day that the event was back on.
Pattinson, who stars in the vampire film "Twilight," set to be released Nov. 21, signed autographs at the store inside the mall Monday evening.
The crowd began gathering early Monday morning outside the mall's entrance. Eventually a line formed that stretched around the building.
Around 200 to 500 people were expected to line up Monday morning to buy a wristband when the mall opened, that would allow them back inside the mall at 6 p.m. for a t-shirt signing at the Hot Topic store.
"After I got trampled I got back up there, but it was really scary 'cause I couldn't breathe, because everyone kept pushing," said fan Erica Martin.
One girl reportedly had her nose broken as a result of being crushed up against the front doors to the mall. Another girl fainted because she was unable to breathe while being pressed by the crowd.
Mall management canceled the event. But those fans willing to wait learned late in the day that the event was back on.
Pattinson, who appears to be coming to terms with his fame, described the sustained screaming of the crowds as a constant "funny and bizarre experience."
"My mother sent me a text message," Pattinson told reporters just before the autograph session. "She said, 'are you okay?' There are people getting their noses broken! It's completely insane.'"
He arrived to sign autographs at the mall shortly after 6 p.m.
"I don't do anything but go to screaming sessions anymore," Pattinson said. "I don't know what my actual life is now."
Some teen girls cried after they held their posters out for him to sign.
Carmel Farzameh, a 17-year old fan, was thrilled. "We thought we had to go home after waking up at God knows what hour," she said. "So, to actually get to do this was breathtaking."
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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