Air Jordans Ignite Footwear Frenzy

The hotly awaited release of the latest Air Jordans boiled over at malls across Montgomery County overnight as over-eager hordes massed in the hundreds in hopes of owning a pair of the coveted kicks.

Montgomery County Police have reported four arrests so far as officers tried to quell the crowds. 

At Lakeforest mall in Gaithersburg, the line of footwear fashionistas had swelled to some 250 people by the time police were called shortly after 3 a.m. More than a dozen units dispatched for crowd control, according to a police spokeswoman, ending with three people arrested for disorderly conduct, one of whom was also charged with assaulting a police officer.

A similar scene at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda led to one arrest for disorderly conduct, according to police.

Today marked the release of the latest entry in Michael Jordan’s trend-setting line of sneakers. The Air Jordan XI Concords are a retro remake of the shoes Jordan wore during the 1995-1996 season, when the basketball icon made his storybook return to the NBA and claimed his fourth of six world titles for the Chicago Bulls and his fifth Most Valuable Player award. 

Wheaton Patch has a peek at the furor as fans teemed to shopping malls all across the country to plunk down $180, and skyrocketed the shoes' re-sale asking price upwards of $500.