Apple has delayed sales of the iPhone 4S at some of its stores in China after the launch crowds at Apple's flagship Sanlitun store in Beijing got more than a little rowdy. Police had reportedly told Apple not to open the store as scheduled due to the massive crowd, which then turned into something of a mob and threw eggs at the storefront. The New York Times put the crowd in context by noting that many of the people in the crowd were actually migrant workers who had been paid to go and wait to purchase the phone, so when the store didn't open they were not going to be paid. Police dispersed the crowd.

In a statement to AllThingsD, Apple said that it would be pausing sales for awhile in some stores, and reportedly the company sold out of the iPhone 4S very quickly in many stores in the area.

Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd, and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees, iPhone will not available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being. Customers can still order iPhone through the Apple Online Store, or buy at China Unicom and other authorized resellers.

Image via M.I.C Gadget