ORLANDO, Fla. - More than 100 sheriff's deputies in riot gear broke up an out-of-control crowd waiting to buy a new Nike basketball shoe at a mall.
Authorities say there were no injuries or arrests outside the Florida Mall late Thursday. The crowd began getting unruly as hundreds packed the parking lot, waiting to buy the $220, limited-edition shoe that was timed to be released during the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.
Police also arrested one person in a crowd in Maryland waiting for the shoe's release. The disturbances follow a series of outbursts across the country in December as impatient shoppers lined up for another new basketball shoe from Nike Inc.
The Orlando Sentinel (http://thesent.nl/zA9X4T ) reported the crowd was asked to wait across the street when the mall closed. But one person ran toward Foot Locker and others followed. Authorities formed a line and used shields to push back the crowd.
"I saw hundreds of people running toward me. I thought I was going to get trampled," Amanda Charles, 20, told the newspaper. Charles who was among a group of a half-dozen friends who drove more than two hours from Jacksonville to try to buy the glow-in-the-dark Nikes.
At a mall in Hyattsville, Md., police said Friday they arrested one person for disorderly conduct as a crowd of more than 100 awaited the shoe's release.
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Information from: Orlando Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com
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