WTF?! A 19-year-old has been shot during an attempt to steal his PlayStation 5 after meeting what he thought was a buyer for the console. The Harris County, Texas, resident is in a stable condition at a local hospital where his injuries are described as "non-life-threatening."
Thanks to the global chip shortage, electronic devices such as consoles and graphics cards are difficult to find outside of reseller sites where they cost a fortune, and that makes them even more appealing to criminals.
ABC13 reports that a 19-year-old man listed his PlayStation 5 for sale over the weekend using an online ad. Someone claiming to be an interested buyer soon made contact, and the pair arranged to meet on a street at 1.30 pm on Sunday.
But it appears the 'buyer' had no intention of going through with the transaction. When the ad respondent arrived, they pulled out a firearm and tried to steal the PS5. Reports don't say what happened next, but the criminal shot the teenager "in the side" and made a getaway---without the console. Police have not released a description of the suspect.
This is horrible, friends. 🙏 A 19-year-old was meeting someone who expressed interest in buying a PlayStation 5 from him and ended up shot in northwest Harris County, deputies said. #abc13 #hounews https://t.co/cwYi5BV09j
--- Steve Campion (@SteveABC13) November 29, 2021
Thankfully, the victim in this incident survived and is in a stable condition.
PlayStation 5 consoles have probably been the item hit hardest as a result of the chip shortage. A quick look on eBay shows many Buy-it-now listings for $2,000, with some sellers charging $5,000, $10,000, even $20,000 for a single PS5.
This isn't the first incident we've seen of a crime that's come as a result of the chip crisis' effect on consumer goods. Thousands of dollars worth of EVGA RTX 3000 cards were hijacked in a truck heist earlier this month, while over $7,000 of graphics cards were stolen from an internet café back in June.
h/t: Kotaku