Ten minutes before the Porter Ranch Walmart opened in Los Angeles, California, a mother of two used a can of pepper spray to attack other shoppers waiting in line for the early, Black Friday door-buster sales according to the Los Angeles Times. The woman was specifically looking to get the $100 discounted price on a Xbox 360 as well as a few Xbox 360 games. With both children in tow, she began spraying other customers as soon as the store employees started pulling packing plastic off the discounted items. Once the doors opened, the woman also used the pepper spray to gain a favorable position over other customers competing for items. A witness at the attack posted on Twitter that customers were screaming about stinging eyes.
Los Angeles firefighters and the LAPD responded to the attack quickly and treated 20 injured customers that suffered from extreme swelling, coughing and redness of the face and eyes. One customer required further treatment at the local hospital. The woman fled the store soon after it opened and the LAPD are accessing Wal-Mart security footage to get a clear picture of the woman as well as video evidence of the attacks. Los Angeles Police Lt. Abel Parga called the attack “customer-versus-customer shopping rage” and mentioned that the LAPD plans to release the photo of the woman to the press shortly. The police are also looking into her method of payment to quickly track down the woman through a credit card or check payment.
Other Walmart locations around the nation also suffered from more violence according to CNN. In San Leandro, California, a man was shot during a robbery attempt while waiting in line for Black Friday deals. A similar robbery attempt happened Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where two customers suffered injuries during an armed robbery attempt. In Kinston, North Carolina, an off-duty officer working security during the Black Friday opening used pepper spray to halt a disturbance. In Southington, Connecticut, police had to use a stun gun on a shopper that was in an argument with other customers, likely over discounted merchandise.
