fwi
Well-Known Member
Worst Black Friday Violence
Black Friday crowds hunting bargains still give the police headaches. In 2013, police shot a Chicago Kohl’s shoplifter as he fled in his car -- dragging an office who was halfway into the vehicle.
The most violence seems to occur at Walmart, leading to the Twitter hashtag each year #Walmart fights. In 2012, two people were shot outside of a Walmart in Tallahassee Florida. They were fighting over a parking space.
Walmart's consumer electronics department seems to be the most dangerous place. In 2011, a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd at a Walmart in Los Angeles. She was trying to get a Wii for 60% off. The year before, crowds at a Sacramento Walmart forced the store to evacuate when they started pushing and shoving to get deals on consumer electronics at 5:30 am.
On Black Friday 2009, another California Walmart, this time in Rancho Cucamonga, needed police protection from unruly crowds -- again, in the early-morning hours in the consumer electronics department. The store was briefly closed a few hours after another store in nearby Upland was closed.
The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008, when a man was trampled to death. Despite being 6'5" and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into another Wal-Mart (this time in New York). At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other people were also injured, including a pregnant woman. It seems the police have a right to call Black Friday by a negative name. Article updated November 16, 2014
Black Friday crowds hunting bargains still give the police headaches. In 2013, police shot a Chicago Kohl’s shoplifter as he fled in his car -- dragging an office who was halfway into the vehicle.
The most violence seems to occur at Walmart, leading to the Twitter hashtag each year #Walmart fights. In 2012, two people were shot outside of a Walmart in Tallahassee Florida. They were fighting over a parking space.
Walmart's consumer electronics department seems to be the most dangerous place. In 2011, a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd at a Walmart in Los Angeles. She was trying to get a Wii for 60% off. The year before, crowds at a Sacramento Walmart forced the store to evacuate when they started pushing and shoving to get deals on consumer electronics at 5:30 am.
On Black Friday 2009, another California Walmart, this time in Rancho Cucamonga, needed police protection from unruly crowds -- again, in the early-morning hours in the consumer electronics department. The store was briefly closed a few hours after another store in nearby Upland was closed.
The worst Black Friday occurred in 2008, when a man was trampled to death. Despite being 6'5" and 270 pounds, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation when crowds stampeded into another Wal-Mart (this time in New York). At least 2,000 people broke down the doors, trapping Damour in a vestibule where he suffocated. Eleven other people were also injured, including a pregnant woman. It seems the police have a right to call Black Friday by a negative name. Article updated November 16, 2014