Police dealing with crowds lining up at malls for Air Jordan shoes

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By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The latest version of the popular Air Jordan sneakers is apparently in such high demand that police were called to shopping malls in metro Atlanta and around the country to deal with large crowds lining up for the shoes.

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In DeKalb County, a large crowd damaged a door trying to get into a mall early Friday.

Atlanta officers were dispatched to Lenox Square around 4 a.m. to handle a large crowd that had gathered outside the mall. Atlanta police Sgt. Curtis Davenport told the AJC that one man was ticketed for disorderly conduct, but was not taken to jail.

Officers also responded to The Mall at Stonecrest, where DeKalb police told Channel 2 Action News that one person was arrested and three others who were detained may face charges after questioning.

DeKalb police arrested a woman who left two children, ages 2 and 5, in a car while she went inside to buy a pair of the $180 Nike Air Jordan “Concords.”

The crowd control problems weren’t confined to Atlanta-area malls.

In Charlotte, WSOC-TV reported that police were called to at least three malls, including one where door glass was smashed and officers were ordering people out of the mall.

The Louisville Courier-Journal said police were called to Jefferson Mall to break up a fight that broke out among a large crowd waiting to buy the shoes.

The Fox television station in Seattle reported that police sent to Southcenter Mall used pepper spray on some combative shoppers.

Police also had problems with crowds at malls in the Washington D.C. area, San Antonio and in Spokane, Wash.

The shoes are a remake of Air Jordans released in 1996, the year the Chicago Bulls went 72-10 during the regular season and won their fourth NBA championship with Michael Jordan. Jordan also wore the shoes in the movie "Space Jam," which hit theaters the same year.