In a scene similar to some of the bloodthirsty throngs at post-Thanksgiving doorbuster sales, shoppers at a Texas mall grew impatient with waiting for Nike’s new Air Jordan 11 Retro sneakers to go on sale. And thanks to some rotten apples, many in the crowd ended up with mace in the face.

The coveted kicks were to go on sale at 6 a.m. Thursday morning and some customers had been in line since the night before.

According to some in line for the shoes, the situation went south when folks at the back of the line decided they wanted to improve their position… by less-than-civil means.

“At 4:30 the people at the back of line decided to bum rush and run to the doors,” one shopper tells a local news station. “As much as we tried to tell people to move, they wouldn’t. So [police] started macing.”

Says her sister, who had also been waiting patiently for the early morning opening, “I got pushed in a corner and we all got maced. And if it wasn’t for my sister covering my face, I think my face would have ended up worse… our noses are burning.”

The two say the situation could probably had been avoided if the store had handed out numbers instead of just letting people form a line, “So that this doesn’t happen. And this store, they just let everyone bum rush and act like crazy animals. And then everybody has to pay.”

Even with the melee, the $175 sneakers still managed to sell out in around 30 minutes.

Given the high price tag and the measures to which people are willing to go to acquire Air Jordans, it’s no wonder that the sneaks made this year’s list of most counterfeited gifts.

Towne East Mall Shoppers Maced at Chaotic Air Jordan Sneaker Sale [MyFoxDFW.com]

Thanks to Howard for the tip!

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