'Mad Dash' for New Air Jordan Sneaker Lead to Shootings, Arrests, Pepper Spray
In scenes that brought grim reminders of the violence brought forth from the frenzy of Black Friday, shoppers all over the country are firing guns, breaking into malls, and getting pepper-sprayed by police just to get their hands on a pair of Air Jordans.
The sneaker of desire was the Air Jordan XI Retro “Concord,” priced at $180. The heavily-anticipated shoe inspired over 1,000 shoppers to line up before 4 a.m. at the Westfield Southcenter mall in Seattle.
“Around 3 (a.m.) there started to be some fighting and pushing among the customers,” police officer Mike Murphy said, according to the Washington Post. “Around 4, it started to get pretty unruly and officers sprayed pepper spray on a few people who were fighting, and that seemed to do the trick to break them up.”
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At least 20 people were pepper-sprayed and one man arrested for allegedly pushing a cop, MSNBC reported.
The unrest over Air Jordans was not limited to Seattle. In Taylor, Mich., over 100 people broke into a mall, apparently unable to wait until it opened, Fox 5 reported. A 21-year-old man was arrested during the incident.
In Lithonia, Ga., four people were arrested in what the Associated Press called a “mad dash” after shoppers tried to break into a mall to get their Air Jordans.
During that episode, a woman left her two toddlers alone and locked up in the car as she ran into the mall. Police had to break the car windows to get the children. The mother was arrested.
Ad in Richmond, Ca., a gun was fired at a mall where people were lining up to get a pair of Air Jordans. Nobody was injured in the incident, but two people were arrested, the Contra Costa Times reported.
