Sure, it's definitely a stretch. He was a bit hyperbolic (as with the getting lost due to having no 3G bit). I can't think of any riot with more than a handful of deaths in a western country over the last 20 years (?)
I'd say the "getting lost due to having no 3G bit" was one of the /least/ hyperbolic things - I can imagine that happening to me pretty easily nowadays.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots
(Just a history lesson. I agree with you that it's a huge stretch)