Police shut down an Adidas pop-up selling 99-cent Arizona Iced Tea sneakers due to massive crowds

  • Police shut down a pop-up selling Arizona Iced Tea-branded Adidas sneakers for 99 cents in New York City on Thursday due to safety concerns.

  • The event drew massive crowds, with fans of Adidas and Arizona Iced Tea waiting in line overnight in hopes of getting the sneakers.

  • Two teenagers were assaulted at the event, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider, with one eyewitness saying a teenage girl was hit over the head with a bottle.

  • "I can't be out here, risking my life for a pair of 99-cent sneakers," the eyewitness told Business Insider.

  • "Due to overwhelming demand and safety concerns, the NYPD shutdown our pop-up," Arizona Iced Tea said in a statement posted on social media.

  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

adidas pop up
adidas pop up

Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider

Police shut down a pop-up selling Arizona Iced Tea-branded Adidas sneakers that drew massive crowds in New York City on Thursday morning.

Fans had lined up down the block, hoping to buy the Arizona Iced Tea-branded sneakers for 99 cents. People started showing up on Wednesday night, with some waiting in line for more than 12 hours in the hopes of getting a pair of the exclusive sneakers.

However, the pop-up — which was set to open at 11 a.m. in Soho on Thursday — never had the chance to sell a single pair of 99 cent sneakers before the New York Police Department shut down the event. Police arrived on the scene at 9 a.m. for crowd-control purposes.

An NYPD spokesperson told Business Insider that two people were assaulted at the event and taken to the hospital. A 15-year-old male and a 17-year-old female were the victims. Police have not made any arrests in connection with the assaults.

According to eyewitnesses, a woman was assaulted while waiting in line for the sneakers.

nypd arizona
nypd arizona

Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider

One eyewitness told Business Insider she saw that people became upset when someone working at the pop-up said all of the tickets and wristbands to get into the shop had been given away. At this point, the eyewitness said, she saw a woman waiting in line get hit in the head with a bottle.

The girl began bleeding and an ambulance was called. At this point, the eyewitness said she decided it was time to abandon the event.

"This is too much. I can't be out here, risking my life for a pair of 99 cent sneakers," she said.

adidas pop up
adidas pop up

Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider

Aiyishatu Nuhu told Business Insider she arrived at 4 a.m., commuting from the Bronx after sleeping for three hours. When she arrived, the line was already around the block.

"People started pushing people, literally two hours before the event," she said. "That is when crowd control should have been in place."

arizona adidas
arizona adidas

Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider

Michael Ompod, who described himself as a massive Arizona fan, showed up to the event at 6 a.m. decked out in an Arizona backpack, which he said he bought at a thrift shop. He said he was disappointed not to get anything.

"I'm kind of actually glad I didn't get hurt today. I do feel bad for the people that got hurt today," Ompod said.

"Thanks to our loyal fans that came out to support our partnership with adidas. Due to overwhelming demand and safety concerns, the NYPD shutdown our pop-up," Arizona Iced Tea said in a statement posted on social media. "We sincerely apologize to all our fans that waited in line. We are actively working to remedy the situation."

Adidas did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

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