Shooting and crash linked to Assault Jordan shoes

DonGlock26 · Dec 22, 2012

Shooting and crash linked to Air Jordan shoes

A man was shot and then crashed a car Friday after two people demanded his newly purchased Nike Air Jordan shoes, Harris County officials said.

The man was discovered shot about 10:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of Plumwood near Hallfield, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He was taken to Houston Northwest Medical Center. His condition was not released, but deputies said he had a life-threatening gunshot wound.

Deputies said the man and another man had just returned to one of their homes from Willowbrook Mall, where they had bought Air Jordan XI "Bred" tennis shoes. As the driver pulled up to the front of his home, two men in a green, four-door vehicle pulled in front of them. An armed man got out of the car, deputies said, approached the men and demanded their new shoes.

The driver ran, and the gunman opened fire on him. The driver was not hurt.

As the passenger tried to drive away, a second armed man opened fire on him, wounding him.

The car cashed into a gas meter at a nearby house, rupturing the gas line.

The gunmen sped away in their car. Whether the attackers took a pair of shoes was unclear. One pair remained at the crime scene stuffed in a white plastic bag on the lawn.

CenterPoint Energy workers later turned off the gas to the home where the gas line was damaged.

A neighbor, Sharon Richardson, said she was in her bedroom when she heard several shots in the street. She grabbed her own handgun and went outside. She said she saw the man who had run when the attackers tried to rob him. She said he told her that the men had demanded the sneakers. She called 911.

"It's sad," Richardson said. "It's heart-wrenching."

The latest style of the popular court shoe, Air Jordan XI "Bred," was released in stores Friday morning. Some people stood in line for hours to buy them.

The shoes retail for about $185.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...-crash-may-be-tied-to-Air-Jordans-4138291.php
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Rush For Shoes At Texas Mall Ends With Pepper Spray

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) A Fort Worth shoe store may think better of its first-come-first-serve policy after a small riot occurred surrounding the release of the new Retro Air Jordan shoes.

The Shoe Palace at Hulen Mall decided to let people line up to buy the shoes. A line formed around 5:00 a.m. and at one point the pushing and shoving in the crowd knocked over a couple police officers working as security.

At that point the mall security officer sprayed a short burst of mace (pepper spray) into the crowd, Fort Worth police Sergeant Pedro Criado explained. The Fort Worth officer that got knocked down to the ground, he sprayed a short burst of mace into the crowd as well.

Most stores across North Texas used a voucher system to sell the shoes and there were reportedly no problems at those locations. Sergeant Criado thinks the approach is safer. Its like a lottery system you get a voucher and your name gets drawn, then you get the opportunity to pick up your shoes within 24 hours, he said. Yes, I think thats a better system. Itll avoid any crowds from gathering and any riots from occurring.

The pepper spray dispersed the crowd and didnt end with anyone hurt. There were no reported injuries, Criado said. The officer did not get transported to the hospital, basically just scrapes and bruising from getting knocked down.

Fort Worth police made no arrests in regard to the incident.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/12/21/rush-for-shoes-at-texas-mall-ends-with-pepper-spray/
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Frenzied Crowd Rushes Hulen Mall for New Air Jordans

Some hit with pepper spray as officials try to restrain crowd

In the chilly pre-dawn hours Friday, a frenzy of hundreds of people rushed toward the doors of Hulen Mall to try get their hands on the latest pair of Air Jordans.

Fort Worth police estimate 300-400 people crammed on top of each other and pushed their way to the entrance to try to secure a spot in line for Nike's newest shoe -- the Air Jordan Retro 11. The shoes cost around $200 for adults but can go for more than twice that on the secondary market.

Dozens of police officers were called to the scene to manage the crowd, which overran mall security.

"There was like a big riot over here, people got, like, pepper sprayed ... it was really crazy. It was, like, chaos. Horrible. You couldn't go through anywhere. If you go through there, it'd be like pretty much squishing, pushed down on the floor, stepped on. It was really crazy. Over some shoes. It was like a black Friday for shoes," said Julio Lomeli.

Fort Worth police said one mall security officer, surrounded by the raucous crowd and worried that he would be assaulted, used pepper spray to attempt to disperse the oncoming throng.

"There was really no assaults going on, they were just crowding each other. And the officer was getting surrounded and he was potentially worried that he was going to get assaulted, so that's when the pepper spray came out," said Lt. Deven Pitt, with the Fort Worth Police Department.

As the crowd surged, a Fort Worth police officer was knocked down. The officer also dispersed pepper spray in an attempt to create enough room to stand up.

"I know people die for them, so I was expecting the worst. But, getting pepper sprayed in the eye is like the worst feeling ever. Like three times too. It sucks, because I stayed up the whole night trying to get these," said Aaron Garcia, who, along with his mother Teri, tried unsuccessfully to get a pair of the new shoes.

Once the crowd outside of the mall was brought under control, police and mall officials allowed shoppers to go into the mall a few at a time to purchase the shoes.

Fort Worth police said the chaos may have been avoided if one shoe store had followed the lead of others and implemented a voucher system for selling the shoes.

"Usually they hand out vouchers and they allow people to come get them at different times, which most of the stores in there did. There is only one store in there in the mall that decided not to go that route, and this was the result," said Pitt, with the Fort Worth Police Department.

After a similar crowding incident last year, police officials said they will work with the mall to develop a better plan for the future to mitigate the risk of injury to shoppers.

Fort Worth police said no arrests were made and that there were no injuries other than those suffered by people directly hit by pepper spray.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Frenzy-Rushes-Hulen-Mall-for-New-Air-Jordans-184433261.html
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We see this Assault Jordan madness at every shoe release. Isn't it time to ban these shoes in this season of banning? If it saves even one life, wouldn't a ban be worth it?
What is worth more than just one human life?

Lee S · Dec 22, 2012

And the sad part is that these shoes aren't even regulated any more than any other less lethal shoe. What is the point of government if it isn't to keep us safe from murder inducing footwear?

Brewskier · Dec 22, 2012

Asian grad students really do love their shoes. That's who we're talking about, right?

Naruto · Dec 22, 2012

High capacity jumping should be outlawed since it gives a unfair advantage to regular jumpers on the court. I see no specific reason why anyone needs to wear air jordans to jump higher?

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Shooting and crash linked to Assault Jordan shoes

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Shooting and crash linked to Assault Jordan shoes

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