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. "It's 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 that's a better system. It'll avoid any crowds from gathering and any riots from occurring."
The pepper spray dispersed the crowd and didn't 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.
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