Insane Shoe Riots: Violent Christmas Shoppers Fighting Over Nike Air Jordan Shoes, Police Have to Use Pepper Spray & Make Arrests (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on December 24, 2011
Nike's Air Jordans, XI Retro Concords - yes, some people consider these shoes worthy of riots and violence
Insane shoe brawls broke out in Seattle, Washington, in Pineville, North Carolina, in Atlanta, Georgia, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in other cities across the nation on Friday when highly desired Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes — XI Retro Concords — were made available to Christmas shoppers. Some locations selling the shoes had escalating fighting and rioting to get at the Air Jordans, forcing police to use pepper spray on shoppers and make a number of arrests.
My own family, on the other hand, went up to the Mogollon Rim outside of Payson, Arizona and played in the snow on Friday. We had a fabulous time.
Utter insanity and ugliness. Merry Christmas…
Reported by ABC News, New Nike Air Jordan XI Concord Causes Shopping Frenzy:
The arrival of Nike’s new Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords in stores just in time for Christmas brought pandemonium all over the country.
Thousands lined up across the country to shell out $180 for the black and white “J’s” that went on sale at midnight.
Police were called to shopping centers in Indiana, Florida, Texas and Virginia among other states to control crowds of hundreds lining up for the shoes.
“I don’t remember anything like this in the recent past at all, definitely not with the iPhone or anything like that,” Linda Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, told ABCNews.com.
Indiana police were called to three malls to help control “hectic” scenes of hundreds of shoppers, including many teenagers and children.
“It was pretty much a surprise for us,” Jackson said. “I imagine the malls knew, but I don’t know that they were prepared for the response.”
Frantic shoppers even tried to break down a door at one of the Indiana malls.
“There was a door that was damaged, but I don’t believe they were able to gain access,” Jackson said. “It sounded like these are the need-to-have item of the season, for some reason.”
In Atlanta, at least four people were arrested in a mob scene at a suburban mall, according to the Associated Press. Twenty police cars responded and the crowd broke down a door to enter the mall before it opened.
Police had to smash the windows of a car to get two toddlers out after a woman had left them there to go buy the shoes. She was taken into custody when she returned, according to the AP.
Florida police used pepper spray on unruly shoe seekers and fights were reported in Kentucky; glass was shattered at stores in North Carolina.
Cops Use Pepper Spray on Shoppers Trying to Get Nike Air Jordan Shoes
From WAFF News, Black Eye Friday: Shoppers throw punches over new Air Jordans:
PINEVILLE, NC (WBTV) – Dozens of police officers had to break up fights and restore order at a local mall while shoppers were waiting for an overnight sale of a popular basketball shoe.
The disturbance started inside Carolina Place Mall just after 5am. Witnesses said as mall officials opened the mall doors, crowds of people pushed their way in.
“They almost took the door off the hinges,” one shopper who didn’t want to be identified said, “there were women with babies in their hands and they on their backs.”
Shoppers were in line waiting for the re-release of the Air Jordan XI Concord tennis shoe at Foot Locker, Finish Line and Downtown Locker Room.
Outside the Foot Locker on the second floor, witnesses said some shoppers started jumping the line, then a crowd of people at the back of the line forced their way to the front, causing several people to get angry and become unruly.
“People were falling, I had to jump over a girl, it was crazy,” Dominique Brewer said.
Two women were even spotted throwing punches. The incident was caught on camera by WBTV Photojournalist Corey Schmidt. Neither woman was arrested.
More than a two dozen officers from Pineville Police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police were stationed inside the mall as the stores continued to make their sales.
Lithonia, Georgia: Race for New Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords Turns Ugly In Atlanta
More Christmas insanity reported by CBS Detroit, Shoppers Waiting For Shoe Release Riot, Break Into Mall:
Hundreds of shoppers who lined up before dawn to buy one of the season’s most wanted new shoes became unruly and began forcing their way inside Taylor’s Southland Mall on Friday.
A crowd of about 100 people planning to put a pair of limited edition Nike basketball shoes under a gift tree, or on their own feet, forced open a pair of doors almost three hours before the 8 a.m. opening and stormed inside. Another 200 people were gathered outside.
Southland Security called for Taylor police, who then summoned assistance from Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Southgate and Brownstown Township to restore order. Once inside, police say there was some minor interior damage to decorations and benches that were toppled over during the scuffle.
Police Pepper Spray Seattle shoppers fighting over Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords
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[...] you hear there was rioting in a mall over reports of an appearance by a rap singer, and then other riots over sneakers. I guess that’s what happens when the entitlement mentality sinks in.But there’s still [...]