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Police hurt as crowd queues for shop sale

04 April 2010 01:30 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Ten police officers were injured when scuffles broke out after 2,000 people descended on a clothing sale, APA reports quoting â€œSky Newsâ€.
Three people were arrested after the trouble at the American Apparel "rummage" event in Brick Lane, east London, on Friday.
The company was forced to stop the sale, which was advertised on social networking websites such as Facebook, because of the "dangerous behaviour" of people queueing to get in.
Film footage apparently taken at the event and posted on YouTube shows police officers wrestling on the ground with people, with lots of shouts and screams among bystanders.
Scotland Yard said the 10 officers received only minor injuries, with none requiring hospital treatment.
The three people arrested were held on public order offences, it added.
In a message on Facebook, organisers described the response to the sale as "overwhelming and humbling", adding they had "never witnessed anything like it and are disappointed and sorry that it happened".
"Dangerous behaviour in the queue prompted the police to close the event down until they could ensure security for everyone involved.
"We know that today was a disappointment and scary for many of you. For that, we are deeply sorry."
American Apparel added that extra security has been arranged to allow the sale to take place over the Easter weekend.
The company said it had hired more than 22,000 sq ft of space for the sale.
Thousands of people have also turned up at similar events in cities like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, San Diego, Miami, Berlin and Austin.
The Metropolitan Police said: "We were called to some disorder in Brick Lane.
"There was a crowd of 2,000 people. The organisers could not ensure the safety of the public and decided to close the event.
"Police had not been notified in advance of the numbers expected to attend.
"The organisers were spoken to by police."