Hours before it was scheduled to open, the Adidas/AriZona pop-up shop in downtown Manhattan was shut down by the NYPD.
The store — which was set to give away pairs of limited-edition AriZona-inspired kicks for 99 cents on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. — garnered a crowd of hundreds on its opening day, with some sneaker fans waiting in line for over 12 hours.
People became upset when a store employee said all of the tickets and wristbands to get into the shop had been given away, according to one eyewitness. The police were called at around 9 a.m. as the crowd became restless, with some storming to the front of the store to demand wristbands.
“Thanks to our loyal fans that came out to support our partnership with Adidas,” AriZona said in a Tweet moments before the store was slated to open. “Due to overwhelming demand and safety concerns, the NYPD shutdown our pop-up. We sincerely apologize to all our fans that waited in line. We are actively working to remedy the situation.”
Two teenagers were assaulted at the event and taken to the hospital. One of the victims was a teenage girl who was hit over the head with a bottle.
“People started pushing people, literally two hours before the event,” said Aiyishatu Nuhu, who had been waiting on line since 4 a.m., commuting from the Bronx after sleeping for three hours. “That is when crowd control should have been in place.”
No word yet on if the event will be rescheduled. While the sneakers are only currently available at the New York location and online giveaways, pairs are already listed for over $200 on the auction site StockX.
“This is too much,” said one eyewitness. “I can’t be out here, risking my life for a pair of 99-cent sneakers.”
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