Tukwila made national news on Dec. 23 when an early morning crowd swelled to over 2,000 people all hoping to get their hands on a new pair of Nike Air Jordan XIs, and then things got out of hand.

Details from Tukwila Police:
Starting at about 2:00 AM today, a large crowd gathered to buy Air Jordan shoes that were to go on sale at four stores in Southcenter Mall this morning. As the crowd increased, fights broke out as people tried to cut in line. The crowd swelled to over 1,000 people (one report estimated the crowd at 2,000 people). The situation continued to degrade. Tukwila Police called for mutual aid; officers from Kent, Renton, Des Moines, King County, and Seattle responded to assist.

Two mall doors were broken by unruly people trying to gain entry to the mall. Officers used pepper spray to disrupt fights in the crowd. One officer was punched by an 18 year-old man; that man was arrested and taken to jail. The officer was uninjured. Once additional police were on scene, the crowd waited without further violence. Empty alcohol bottles were found and officers smelled marijuana on some people as they passed.

By about 6:00 the shoes were sold out and the mall returned to normal.