Shocking video shows the moment a trainer fan was 'knocked out cold' as tempers flared outside a Manchester city centre shop about to release the latest Nike Jordans.
Violence erupted outside Size?Manchester on Market Street on Saturday morning ahead of opening time when the trainer retailer had announced it would be selling Nike's latest Air Jordan trainers, named after Chicago Bulls basketball legend Michael Jordan, on a 'first come first served' basis.
The sought-after 'Air Jordan 4 SE Craft Photon Dust' went on sale for the first time on Saturday, with a pair costing from £285.
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Fans of the new trainers, said to have responded to an announcement from the shop, turned up at the Market Street venue in darkness long before opening time.
The first would-be customers were handed tickets by shop staff confirming their place in the queue but trouble broke out when more people arrived, according to one source.
Video given to the Manchester Evening News shows a group of young men crowding around the front door of the venue.
Moments later raised voices can be heard and a scuffle breaks out in the centre of the gathering of young men.
One man, wearing a blue top, emerges from the group pursued by others. He is seen to fall to the ground and one of the men is seen to kick the man in the head.
The injured man is then seen laying motionless on the ground.
One source familiar with the incident told the M.E.N. the man was 'knocked out cold'.
He added: "The shoe release hadn’t happened yet. People were queuing for the release which was publicly posted on the Size?Manchester page. A group of people came at 8pm the night before and they made a non-official list to who is first in the queue, and they agreed to come back at 6am.
"Between those times, people joined the queue and when the people on the list came an argument ensued because they thought it was unfair which resulted in what happened in the video. I want it to be clear, no one got 'robbed', this was not a racist attack either."
On its website, Size?Manchester says it provides 'niche product and brands' at 'bespoke' stores boasting 'sought-after product that wasn’t readily available in your run-of-the-mill high street store'.
It styles itself as a 'go-to retailer for coveted, exclusive sneaker launches'.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said it did not appear that anyone had reported any assault to the police. The M.E.N. has approached Size?Manchester for a comment.
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