In an incident in which many shoppers were afraid would escalate into a full-blown brawl, an off-duty police officer arrested a woman in an Indianapolis Wal-Mart for cutting in line.
A native Indianapolis woman tried to cut in front of other customers who were already waiting patiently for their turns on-line. This angered those waiting, but the woman continued to argue with them. After the officer insisted that the woman leave the store, she continued to argue with others in the store on her way to the exit.
Requita Sullivan, the quick-thinking off-duty officer decided not to wait until it was too late and arrested the argumentative woman before any real harm could take place. The early morning incident occurred at 12:45am on what consumers and marketers call “Black Friday.” Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and about one month before Christmas. The pressure to shop intensively by marketers and the media have created a great deal of pressure on consumers to make their holiday purchases early in order to get the best possible deals, therefore causing a bit of hysteria among shoppers. The police have formed a preliminary charge of trespassing, which is a misdemeanor. As Christmas approaches we can expect more such incidents to increase in number and intensify in spirit.
