WASHINGTON – Extra cops had to be called out Friday morning for crowd control at area malls, but not because of holiday shoppers making the mad rush to stores. Crowd control has been needed because of the release of the new Air Jordan XI Concord shoes.
The shoes are identical to the ones first introduced in 1996.
Starting at 2:02 a.m., police started dispatching officers for crowd control.
Police were called out to Montgomery Mall at 2:02 a.m., to Lake Forest Mall at 3:15 a.m. and to Wheaton Mall at 3:45 a.m. Police tell WTOP dozens of units were sent to each location.
In Annapolis, a 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault after attempting to jump a barricade outside a store in the Westfield Annapolis Mall.
A 19-year-old woman was also arrested in the Westfield Annapolis Mall for trespassing.
At Potomac Mills Mall, Prince William County Police police are on the scene. One WTOP listener counted 20 police cars and emergency vehicles there.
AfricanTalkDoe posted this video of what happened at Potomac Mills Mall to Twitter:
Police in Arlington County say they haven’t been any problems at Pentagon City Mall. Police were dispatched there at 4:10 a.m. but have cleared the scene.
The shoes, popular with sneaker fanatics and collectors, are selling for $180 a pair.
In New York, at least two people were taken into police custody as they rushed to score a pair in Staten Island.
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