Michael Jordan reigned supreme once more Friday in the world of sneaker craziness, as scuffles broke out and police were called to three malls in the Charlotte area when hundreds of sometimes-unruly shoppers showed up for a wildly popular Air Jordan shoe.

Similar scenes were reported across the country as shoppers were arrested near Atlanta, a shot was fired in a mall near San Francisco, a man was stabbed in New Jersey, and police in the Seattle area used pepper spray on a crowd outside a shoe store.

The cause of the ruckus: the release of Nike’s $180 Air Jordan XI Concord shoes, which were first a big deal when they were originally issued 15 years ago.

At the Bobcats’ team store at Time Warner Cable Arena, the crowd swelled to hundreds after a rumor spread that 500 pairs of shoes were for sale. Police lined up at barricades to keep the peace.

“This is way crazier than Black Friday!” one man yelled.

At SouthPark Mall, Numar Betris, 28, thought he would be the first person in line when he arrived at 5 a.m. Instead, he said he found a crowd that was “nuts.”

“There were people crying, screaming. People were running around, pushing. … Unbelievable. A lot of cursing,” Betris said. He scored a pair, however, and said Friday afternoon that the hassle was well worth it: “I have to admit, they look nice.”

While the shoe mania may be distasteful or bewildering to many, NPD Group consumer analyst Marshal Cohen said retailers welcome the purchasing frenzy.

“The timing of it couldn’t be any better” for retailers, Cohen said. “It becomes the ultimate Christmas gift to get it, and it becomes the ultimate post-Christmas gift to get for yourself.”

The timing of the shoe release – two days before Christmas and the beginning of the NBA season – isn’t accidental, Cohen said. “These guys are pretty clever,” he said. “They know when to strike.”

And, Cohen said, the new Air Jordan sneakers have become this holiday season’s first – and so far, only – item in fanatical demand.

“There was nothing that really came out this holiday that had this passionate, ‘I must have or I’m going to die,’” quality, Cohen said. “It’s all about getting what everybody else couldn’t get.”

Stores were allowed to start selling the shoes at 5 a.m. Friday. Within hours, police were called to Northlake, Carolina Place and SouthPark malls.

Several shoppers at Carolina Place in Pineville, N.C., reported that they were bumped and jostled by fellow shoppers when the doors opened.

One young woman said the crowd quickly became unruly, with shoppers headed to three stores that were selling the shoes. One girl said she lost the shoes she was wearing in the midst of all the pushing and shoving.

Several shoppers said between 150 and 200 people, some with children, were standing in line. WBTV coverage showed two women pushing one another before police separated them.

SouthPark’s management said in a press release Friday morning that they were “working with police” to deal with problems outside one store.

Nan Gray, a spokeswoman for Northlake Mall, said there were no problems there, although some TV reports said pushing and shoving took place there, too. Gray said the mall’s three stores held lotteries for shoppers who were waiting.

“We asked the people who did not get the number they needed for the shoes to shop for other gifts,” Gray said.

Malls weren’t the only places swamped with shoe shoppers on Friday. Shoppers also described being pushed and shoved as they stood in line at a shoe store on Freedom Drive.

A man who had purchased a pair of the shoes there was already trying to sell them for $400. By early afternoon, there were Craigslist ads online listing the new Air Jordans for sale in Charlotte for up to $375.

Two Matthews, N.C.-area stores reported that they sold out their stock of the shoes quickly Friday morning, but there were no reports of problems in that area.

Police at other stores, such as Trax on Wilkinson Boulevard, dealt with large groups of shoppers. By late morning, a rumor had spread that there were 500 pairs of shoes at Time Warner Cable Arena’s Bobcats store, which would go on sale at noon.

The crowd at the arena grew. Many of those waiting said they had been to three or four stores already, trying to get the coveted shoes. Some said they had been waiting at different stores since 8 p.m. Thursday, only to be turned away at the malls.

A woman said her 12-year-old grandson had been waiting at the arena since midnight. She was trying to get him out of the crowd before things got rowdy, but she couldn’t find him.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a Bobcats representative with a megaphone addressed the crowd.

“No one ever got 500 pairs of shoes, anywhere. ...You guys are making it unsafe,” he said. “We have people pushing and small kids.”

The store was sold out of shoes; season ticket holders had been allowed to shop first and had snatched up all the pairs. But the Bobcats did offer a pair of tickets to next Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic and a T-shirt to anyone waiting in line.

Some yelled that they wanted shoes – not tickets – and stayed put.

CMPD Major John Diggs addressed the crowd a half-dozen more times with a megaphone. “Just so you’re clear, there are no more available at this location. ...The store is not opening. ... There are no shoes left for purchasing,” he said.

After about half an hour, the crowd began to dwindle – with many talking about heading to other stores that might have the shoes.