It turns out that the clearest account yet of the incident Saturday -- described by some observers as a "riot" -- that left blood and broken glass outside Apple's (AAPL) flagship store on Beijing's Sandilun Road was published Monday in the People's Daily, the official organ of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party:
"According to reports, the incident was started when a foreign worker confronted Ding Wencheng for allegedly jumping the line. This led to an altercation in which Ding was thrown against the corner of an outside wall, causing injuries to his face and wrist.
" 'He (the staff member) was saying something, but I don't understand English and didn't care about him,' Ding told Mirror Evening News, explaining he had been standing near his wife in the line to buy an iPad 2. 'He grabbed me by the collar and threw me.'
"Eyewitnesses said several members of the crowd then began to argue with the foreigner, during which Wang Ming, as well as Ding's mother and aunt, all suffered slight injuries. The glass door was smashed as shoppers surged forward to stop security guards from closing the store.
"A blogger called "lti818" on Sina said Ding and Wang were among a group of scalpers who had been refused entry to the store. However, both men denied the claim." (Full text here.)
Apple and the injured parties have reached an agreement, according to a senior public security official who did not elaborate on the nature of that agreement.
There was no mention of the metal rod or club some claimed the unidentified foreigner was wielding.
