SEATTLE (AP) — Fights, vandalism and arrests marked the release of Nike's new Air Jordan basketball shoes as a shopping rush on stores across the country led to unrest that nearly turned into rioting. The outbursts of chaos stretched from Washington state to Georgia as shoppers — often waiting for hours in lines — converged on stores Friday in pursuit of the shoes, a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever made. In suburban Seattle, police used pepper spray on about 20 customers who started fighting at the Westfield Southcenter mall. The crowd started gathering at four stores in the mall around midnight and had grown to more than 1,000 people by 4 a.m., when the stores opened, Tukwila Officer Mike Murphy said. He said it started as fighting and pushing among people in line and escalated over the next hour. Murphy said no injuries were reported, although some people suffered cuts or scrapes from fights. In Tukwila, Officer Murphy said the crowd was on the verge of a riot and would have gotten even more out of hand if the police hadn't intervened. About 25 officers from Tukwila and surrounding areas responded. "It was not a nice, orderly group of shoppers," Murphy said. "There were a lot of hostile and disorderly people." The Southcenter mall's stores sold out of the Air Jordans, and all but about 50 people got a pair, Murphy said. Shoppers described the scene as chaotic and at times dangerous. Carlisa Williams said she joined the crowd at the Southcenter for the experience and ended up buying two pairs of shoes, one for her and one for her brother. But she said she'll never do anything like it again. "I don't understand why they're so important to people," Williams told KING-TV. "They're just shoes at the end of the day. It's not worth risking your life over." Shoppers broke two doors, and 18-year-old man was arrested for assault after authorities say he punched an officer. "He did not get his shoes; he went to jail," Murphy said. - By DOUG ESSER Associated Press
Saturday, December 24, 2011
New Air Jordans cause nationwide shopping frenzy
SEATTLE (AP) — Fights, vandalism and arrests marked the release of Nike's new Air Jordan basketball shoes as a shopping rush on stores across the country led to unrest that nearly turned into rioting. The outbursts of chaos stretched from Washington state to Georgia as shoppers — often waiting for hours in lines — converged on stores Friday in pursuit of the shoes, a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever made. In suburban Seattle, police used pepper spray on about 20 customers who started fighting at the Westfield Southcenter mall. The crowd started gathering at four stores in the mall around midnight and had grown to more than 1,000 people by 4 a.m., when the stores opened, Tukwila Officer Mike Murphy said. He said it started as fighting and pushing among people in line and escalated over the next hour. Murphy said no injuries were reported, although some people suffered cuts or scrapes from fights. In Tukwila, Officer Murphy said the crowd was on the verge of a riot and would have gotten even more out of hand if the police hadn't intervened. About 25 officers from Tukwila and surrounding areas responded. "It was not a nice, orderly group of shoppers," Murphy said. "There were a lot of hostile and disorderly people." The Southcenter mall's stores sold out of the Air Jordans, and all but about 50 people got a pair, Murphy said. Shoppers described the scene as chaotic and at times dangerous. Carlisa Williams said she joined the crowd at the Southcenter for the experience and ended up buying two pairs of shoes, one for her and one for her brother. But she said she'll never do anything like it again. "I don't understand why they're so important to people," Williams told KING-TV. "They're just shoes at the end of the day. It's not worth risking your life over." Shoppers broke two doors, and 18-year-old man was arrested for assault after authorities say he punched an officer. "He did not get his shoes; he went to jail," Murphy said. - By DOUG ESSER Associated Press
