20 Most Insane Black Friday Incidents

The most insane Black Friday Catastrophes

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be breaking down the most insane Black Friday Catastrophes.

For this list, we're looking at violent outbreaks, fights and accidents that have turned a shopping holiday into utter madness. From riots and stampedes to parking spot disputes gone wrong, nothing good ever seems to come from Black Friday.


Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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.

The Year of Pepper Spray (2011)

Various
To handle the chaos for their event, a Walmart in Kinston, North Carolina, hired off-duty police to assist their security. But staff were still setting up products after shoppers entered the store and started tearing into boxes. When one man tripped into a cell phone display, the off-duty police officer shot pepper spray into the air to suppress the mob, and the deterrent allegedly rained down into shoppers’ faces. Meanwhile, in California on the same Black Friday, a woman used pepper spray on rival shoppers. Now that’s a dirty way to get ahead of the competition.

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.

Pregnant Woman Trampled in Stampede (2005)

Grand Rapids, Michigan
If you’re pregnant, let’s just come right out and say it: Black Friday has just become too dangerous for you. Need proof? 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.

Stampede Kills Walmart Employee (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.