30 Insane Black Friday Incidents

30 Insane Black Friday Incidents

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the craziest and most unbelievable stories involving Black Friday madness.

Mall Fight (2011)
Unknown
YouTube is filled with crazy videos of Black Friday brawlers. And this is one of the most chaotic. On October 31, 2011, YouTube The Ahmed Life uploaded a video titled “Epic Black Friday Fight Breaks Out At Mall.” The video isn’t of the greatest quality, and it’s filmed at a dizzying angle, but it clearly shows a massive brawl occurring in the middle of a mall. Unfortunately, not much is known about the fight, as The Ahmed Life doesn’t give any details. Regardless, the raw video depicts the violent bedlam that can occur on any random Black Friday and in any random mall.

Kohl’s Fight (2014)
Tustin, California
Imagine going out to snag some Black Friday deals and returning home with a criminal record. Well, that’s pretty much what happened on the morning of November 28, 2014. It was just after 1:00 when five people got into a tussle in a Tustin Kohl’s. The store’s security team told police that three women were responsible for starting the fight and all three were arrested. Two victims were left with facial lacerations, with one being taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. It’s unclear what the women were fighting over, but surely it was not worth this!

Vehicular Assault (2012)
Covington, Washington
Car accidents probably happen all the time on Black Friday, especially little fender benders in overcrowded parking lots. But some accidents are a little more extreme than others. During the 2012 Black Friday event, a 71-year-old man from Covington, Washington drove to a nearby Walmart to hit up the deals. He was allegedly driving drunk and hit two people in the parking lot, pinning one underneath his SUV. Both were rushed to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, with the woman who got pinned in serious condition. Meanwhile, the driver was confronted by the police and arrested for vehicular assault.

Boynton Beach, Florida
There’s coming prepared for Black Friday madness, and then there’s arming yourself like Rambo. One Florida man went a little too far in the latter direction. In 2010, 49-year-old Christopher Scott was arrested at a Florida Walmart for carrying a small army’s worth of hardware. Police were patrolling the crowded store when they found Scott carrying a .40-caliber Glock, a 30-round magazine, two concealed knives, and a pepper grenade. Scott was arrested and charged with numerous crimes, including carrying a concealed firearm.

The Xbox Brawl (2008)
Unknown
We return to YouTube for this video uploaded by user TruthForFREE. The footage, uploaded in November 2008, has been seen over 44,000 times and shows a pile of bodies squirming for an Xbox 360. A handful of people, including what looks to be a young teenager, writhe and yell as they fight to get their hands on the last game console. It reminds you of a crazy pileup in a football game after someone fumbles the ball. It’s just an every-man-for-himself flurry of limbs, each fighting over the coveted item at the bottom of the pile. And darn it, the kid walks away empty handed.

A Rush to the Deals (2007)
Altamonte Springs, Florida
That Florida heat can make people do crazy things. Like line up at 1:00 in the morning outside of a Macy’s. The Altamonte Mall in Florida opened its doors in the wee hours to a flurry of eager shoppers, all of whom were a little too keen on getting inside. In a chaotic scene taken from a horror movie, shoppers were squashed like pancakes against locked doors while employees yelled at people to back away. According to one woman, the crowd got so riled up that they began pushing children and pregnant women. None of this was captured on video, but we can only imagine the scene.

Shot Over a New TV (2009)
Queens, New York
Some people don’t go shopping on Black Friday - they let other people do the shopping and then violently procure whatever it is they bought. Back in 2009, 64-year-old Bentley White bought a brand new 47-inch television and took it to his home in Queens. Three criminals broke in and shot White in the stomach before fleeing with his new TV. But the bandits couldn’t fit the TV into their getaway car, so they simply dumped the TV on the road and left without it. Luckily, White received life-saving surgery and recovered from the shooting.

An Attempted Walmart Theft (2021)
Kennewick, Washington
Black Friday thefts are not rare. And neither are failed Black Friday thefts. Around 12:30 pm on November 26, 2021, a suspect entered the Kennewick Walmart with no plans of paying for their merchandise. They grabbed some stuff from the store and simply walked out the doors, prompting a confrontation with the loss prevention officer. The suspect pulled a gun and was in turn shot by the officer. While the injured suspect initially fled the scene, they were later found and arrested. Luckily, the loss prevention officer was not injured in the scuffle.

A Parking Space Shooting (2016)
Reno, Nevada
Parking on Black Friday is no joke. In fact, some are willing to resort to violence. On Thanksgiving night 2016, one man was shot in the parking lot outside of a Reno Walmart. Unfortunately, the victim did not make it and the suspect fled the scene. Investigators claim that the shooting was over a parking spot, but they also uncovered more to the story. According to later information, the victim possibly attacked the suspect’s car with a weapon, prompting the suspect to shoot him in self defense. Either way, a fight over a parking space resulted in loss of life, and that is not something you ever want to hear.

Target Petition (2012)
Corona, California
Much like Christmas, Black Friday has been experiencing some major creep. What was once a one-day affair is now an entire shopping event, and Black Friday has slowly crawled back into Thanksgiving Day. This greatly upset Casey St. Clair, a Target employee who was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving Day between 9 pm and 5:15am the next morning. This is because many retailers, including Target, were starting Black Friday at 8 pm the night before. St. Clair started an online petition to stop these companies from opening on Thanksgiving night, which earned over 374,000 signatures. While this made the news, it didn’t convince retailers to change their tune.



Urban Outfitters Riot (2011)
Thousand Oaks
Before Urban Outfitters was even open for Black Friday in 2011, the Thousand Oaks Mall in California was packed with shoppers. The mass of people remained surprisingly calm, at least until the first employee walked by the gate. The initial shouting had a note of celebration, but the mob’s screams became deafening as they rushed through the entrance. With the crowd pouring in like a zombie horde at Brains R Us, you can see anti-theft sensors bend and break under the weight of the swarm. With all the damage done, it's a miracle no one was injured at the Thousand Oaks Mall.

Towel Turbulence (2011)
Various
Also in 2011, a horde of shoppers at an Atlanta, Texas Walmart lost their minds digging through . . . towels, glorious towels, of all things. The eager beavers tore through the crates like it was the end of days and absorbent fabric was the only way to stave off a presumably soggy apocalypse. Some shoppers even ended up in the bins themselves, while one woman dramatically tore free of the cloth-mad crowd with her sweet, sweet prizes held aloft. While we all love a good sale, you’d think these towels were gold-plated, diamond-encrusted Ferraris in disguise. Towels continue to be a top-seller on Black Friday, with similar outbursts a regular occurrence.


Tesco Turmoil (2014)
England, UK
2014 was such a hectic Black Friday for the city of Manchester, that police were called out to seven Tesco locations around the city. Three people were arrested for violence and hundreds of others refused to leave a store even though all stock was gone. Useful fact: you can’t buy things from an empty store. Another Tesco closed within an hour of opening due to fights and injuries from a falling television set. There were chaotic scenes at Tescos in the rest of the UK too, with one customer in Cardiff reporting that people were even biting each other, in scuffles that could give even American Black Friday blowouts a run for their money.

Waffle Riot (2011)
Little Rock, Arkansas
We love waffles, but there’s gotta be a line somewhere. In 2011, two dollar waffle-irons transformed Walmart shoppers in Arkansas into a seething sea of waffle-loving monsters. The Little Rock store saw people ripping into the bins like it was feeding time at the zoo, with some emerging from the shrieking, heaving mass holding as many as six irons at a time. It’s like the mosh-pit at a metal concert but no one is having a good time and everyone hates each other. Oh, and everyone is there to see . . . waffles.

Gift Certificate Drop (2006)
Torrance, California
As part of their 2006 holiday sales promotions, the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, California dropped 500 gift certificates from the ceiling in balloons. Two thousand people showed up however, which turned the friendly event into a vicious free-for-all. The resulting stampede left nine people injured and one elderly woman hospitalized. The mall's staff was completely unprepared for this reaction, and called in the fire department. One teen was seen vaulting over picket fences and holiday displays to escape the out-of-control crowd. Not really worth it for a $25 sushi voucher.


El Paso Showdown (2015)
El Paso, Texas
How badly do you really need that 50-inch TV? Enough to trample an old lady? To take a swing at a cop. Shoppers at this El Paso Walmart in 2015 thought so, overwhelming police. People battled it out around the television palettes, shoving and punching, and one 23-year-old man even trampled an elderly woman before an officer pulled him off. The crazed shopper fought back before the cops were able to overpower him. Similar melees were filmed on the floor, with the elderly going at it just as hard as the young’uns.


Sneaker Madness (2016)
Vancouver, British Columbia
When an Adidas store in Vancouver, British Columbia was offering a rare NMD Bape shoe on Black Friday 2016, things got a little crazy. The masses got so rowdy ahead of the store opening that chants and fights started to break out. With the streets already crowded from nearby bars and clubs, police were called to the location. Eventually a man took his shirt off and started whipping people around him with his belt. After another civilian choked him, the man was eventually arrested. The incident was so out of hand that Adidas called off the sale and raffled off the shoes instead.

Marine Injured at Best Buy (2010)
Augusta, Georgia
Cpl. Phillip Duggan – a U.S. Marine Corp. Reservist – was volunteering at a Toys for Tots stand outside a Georgia Best Buy when things went from festive to violent. Unbeknownst to him, Tracey Attaway had been found inside the store attempting to steal a Dell laptop. After giving up the computer, Attaway bolted, defending his exit by brandishing a knife and knocking over at least one employee. When the man ran out of the store, Cpl. Duggan clotheslined him, but in the resulting skirmish Attaway sliced the man’s back. Although the wound was not life threatening, Duggan was hospitalized, receiving three stitches, while Attaway was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and armed robbery. Owing to his 30 priors, Attaway eventually earned a life sentence.


Walmart Brawl Sends Cop to Hospital (2013)
Rialto, California
When a Walmart in California decided to open an hour earlier than planned on Thanksgiving night, mayhem followed. With as many as 5,000 people on the scene, customers got competitive and no fewer than three fistfights broke out. While two occurred inside the store over products, another kicked off outside, allegedly because someone cut in line. When one man got out of his car to throw down, police attempted to break up the brawl… which didn’t go so well for at least one cop. Raymond Rice, who was on parole, put up more of a fight than expected, resulting in a broken wrist for the would-be arresting officer. Police did manage to arrest Rice, while the officer required medical care.


Police Tackle (Allegedly) Shoplifting Grandpa (2011)
Buckeye, Arizona
Jerald Newman and his grandson Nicholas Nava were videogame shopping at an Arizona Walmart when they were pulled into a bout of Black Friday madness. According to Nicholas, customers were fighting over the games when Newman tucked one into his waistband for safekeeping, only to be questioned by police for the maneuver. Reports conflict about what happened next – police said the man resisted arrest; an on-scene CNN Reporter said he was fully co-operating – but all agree that Newman was then taken to the ground by a police-issued leg sweep. Out cold for 10 minutes, Newman required four stitches to the face before being jailed for shoplifting and resisting arrest, while shoppers accused the police of using unnecessary force.

LA Walmart Pepper Spray Incident (2011)
Porter Ranch, California
If you’re going to bargain hunt, come prepared. One 32-year-old woman did just that when she hit up the Porter Ranch Walmart in Los Angeles in 2011. Armed with pepper spray, the shopper let loose on her fellow customers when a crate of videogames was being unwrapped. As many as 20 people were sprayed, and other minor injuries occurred due to the ensuing panic and confusion. Stranger still, amid a crowd fighting for half-off games, Wiis and Xboxes, the woman managed to pay for her purchases and slip out of the store unnoticed, eventually turning herself in a day later. While police didn’t necessarily accept her self-defense claim, they also didn’t have enough evidence to charge her and so she was free to walk and spray again.


Late Night Mugging (2011)
San Leandro, California
The shopping high for cousins Christopher, Rafael, and Javier Murillo didn’t last long. After the cousins left a California Walmart, robbers in a Buick rolled up and demanded they give up their haul. When one of the alleged muggers, Tony Phillips, tried to steal Rafael’s gold necklace, a fight broke out. Phillips’ accomplice, Detwone Watson, then fired a gun at Christopher, shooting him in the neck, just missing his carotid artery and leaving him in critical condition. Watson then fled in the Buick, leaving Phillips behind and subdued by the cousins. Phillips was arrested onsite, but Watson became the subject of a manhunt and was arrested two weeks later. Fortunately, Christopher survived the ordeal, while Phillips and Watson faced charges of armed robbery and attempted homicide.




Woman Trampled in Stampede (2005)
Grand Rapids, Michigan
If you’re pregnant, let’s just come right out and say it: a Black Friday sale is the last place you want to be. In 2005, an especially rowdy crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan charged into Walmart when it opened at 5am and knocked a pregnant woman down. As seems to be a running theme on this list, customers continued to push through as she lay on the ground. Aside from the 13-year-old girl who was trampled and hospitalized for her troubles, it seems that no one else came to the woman’s aid. Nor did they help the poor lady who was also trampled and lost her wig in the melee.


Sleep Deprived Father Crashes Car(2012)
Palo Alto, California
Black Friday 2012 was nothing short of tragic for the Tandel family. Driving home from shopping and operating on three hours of sleep, Arvind Tandel nodded off just before 7AM, crashing his Lexus SUV and rolling it multiple times. Tandel survived with injuries, as did his wife and two of his daughters; however, daughters Nisha and Sheetal were thrown from the vehicle and killed. Neither had been wearing a seatbelt and all four daughters had been crammed into seating for three as the SUV was packed with their purchases. Meanwhile, a police officer was roadside helping some folks change a tire when the Lexus struck his car, injuring the officer and causing the cruiser to hit one of the motorists, bringing the total to 2 dead, 6 injured and earning Tandel two charges of vehicular manslaughter.

Parking Spot Dispute (2012)
Tallahassee, Florida
Tensions were so high outside a Tallahassee Walmart in 2012 that customers were fighting over parking spaces rather than discounts. After two couples got in a heated argument outside the store, one man pulled out a gun and shot a man and woman, who were rushed to hospital. Another customer reported dozens of shoppers running inside during the shooting, in an attempt to avoid gunfire. Things must have escalated fast considering the assault happened at midday rather than the usual midnight rush. Luckily the victims weren't critically injured and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the time.

Toys “R” Us Spat (2008)
Palm Desert, California
You never expect a trip to Toys “R” Us to end in a shootout. Things in Palm Desert, California began around 11:30am when two female customers got into a verbal spat that soon became a physical conflict. When one of the women was hurt, the men they were with drew handguns with one man firing into the air and then at the other man. The two chased each other through the store, with a reported five or six shots fired in the process. When the pair reached the checkout, the showdown ended with both men killing the other. Although the store was packed, no one really knows what set the two couples off, but it was reportedly not the result of competitive shopping.

A Fatal Mistake (2016)
San Antonio, Texas
After dropping his wife off at a San Antonio Walmart, Isidro Zarate went to break up a fight in the parking lot. As he watched a man hold a woman's hair and beat her, Zarate drove up and said 'Take your hands off her.' The 21-year-old assailant immediately pulled out a gun and fatally shot Isidro. Zarate's passenger was injured with shrapnel, and an additional pedestrian was hit by a stray bullet. The shooter was caught ten miles away and later sentenced to life in prison. The merciless shopper killing is even more tragic considering Isidro left behind four children, and all for simply trying to help.

Deadly Walmart Stampede (2008)
Valley Steam, New York
Shortly before a Long Island, NY Walmart was set to open for Black Friday ‘08, customers – lined up in the hopes of scoring deeply discounted flat screen TVs – began hitting, shoulder checking, and pushing at the store’s glass doors. Employees tried to contain the situation but the crowd burst in, taking down seasonal worker Jdimytai “Jimmy” Damour in the process. Hundreds trampled Damour and even pushed through the police and paramedics tending to him. Within an hour, Damour had died, but shoppers were not deterred. Additionally, four other people – including a heavily pregnant woman – were also injured, with police calling the whole situation “utter chaos.” As a result of the tragedy, Walmart promised better crowd control in the future but, as we’ve seen from today’s list, that hasn’t always panned out.


Target Shoppers Let a Man Die (2011)
South Charleston, West Virginia
By all accounts, West Virginian Walter Vance was a well-loved, compassionate man, but that compassion was not returned in Vance’s final moments. A 61-year-old pharmacist with a history of heart problems, Vance ventured out into the excitement of Black Friday 2011 shortly after Target’s midnight opening to buy more Christmas decorations for his store. Sometime soon after, however, Vance collapsed while the herded masses of shoppers not only passed by but stepped over him as he lay dying. An off-duty paramedic was an exception, as was a nurse who attempted to give him CPR, but for everyone else Vance was little more than an obstacle standing in the way of cheap merchandise.

Have you been embroiled in any Black Friday scuffles? Let us know in the comments below!