December 23, 2011
On December 23, 2011, at approximately 5 a.m., security personnel at the St. Charles Town Center requested police assistance in reference to a large crowd. Deputies from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene to discover hundreds of people waiting outside the mall entrances for the sale of the new Air Jordan XI Retro Concord tennis shoes.With a limited number of shoes available, people began lining up overnight for an early morning opening. Police were reportedly out in force. The crowd became disorderly shortly after 5 a.m. and forced their way inside the mall near the food court entrance and once inside ran toward each of the six shoe stores inside the mall.
A few scuffles broke out as people jockeyed to get in line again. Forty officers were on scene. Six arrests were made. Of the six arrests, four were juveniles and two adults. One officer suffered a minor injury to his hand.
Deputies had shut the mall down for about 45 minutes while the crowd was disbanded. Police remain on scene and continue to monitor the situation. Other area malls had a much worse situation. According to a press release from Anne Arundel County Police, Westfield Annapolis Management consulted with the stores selling the shoes and the pre-sale was cancelled.
The St. Charles Town Center has been reopened for business. More information to follow as it becomes available.
