One death as New Air Jordans Cause Shopping Frenzy In US. Scuffles broke out and police were brought in to quell unrest that nearly turned into riots across the nation Friday following the release of Nike's new Air Jordan basketball shoes - a retro model of one of the most popular Air Jordans ever made.The mayhem stretched from Washington state to Georgia and was reminiscent of the violence that broke out 20 years ago in many cities as the shoes became popular targets for thieves. It also had a decidedly Black Friday feel as huge crowds of shoppers overwhelmed stores for a must-have item.

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. Shoppers also broke two doors, and an 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.

The US$180 shoes went on sale Friday in a limited release at stores, and the lines began forming several hours before businesses opened.

As the crowds kept growing through the night, they became more unruly and ended in vandalism, violence and arrests.

A man was stabbed when a brawl broke out between several people waiting in line at a Jersey City, New Jersey mall to buy the new shoes, authorities said. The 20-year-old man was expected to recover from his injuries.he release of Nike’s newest basketball shoe sparked violence in Savannah Friday morning.

A crowd waiting to get in Oglethorpe Mall to buy Air Jordans was pepper sprayed by mall security, according to Savannah-Chatham police, and two men were robbed of their new Air Jordans at Savannah Mall.

The Air Jordan 11 Retro “Concord” was released to the public overnight, selling for $180. The release brought crushing crowds across the country and multiple arrests.