Shoppers trampled by early-bird rush

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The shopping frenzy of Black Friday overtook one crowd in Buffalo and ended with several shoppers trampled by rushing early birds.

The pile up happened at the North Buffalo Target, and when the workers finally got the crowd under control at least one man was taken to the hospital. Seconds after the doors opened, something went dangerously wrong. Crazed Black Friday shoppers began piling up on each other.

A shopper said, "It went from controlled to a mob in less than five minutes and it just got nasty."

When officials heard the screams they ran over right away to help.

Shopper Rich Mathewson said, "It was a lot of angry people just jumping in after we waited patiently for a long time. It actually started way before that people started getting angry at everybody."

After it happened, one man bent over in pain, but he took off into the North Buffalo Target store seconds later along with everyone else. One man was taken to Kenmore Mercy hospital where he was treated and released.

Target officials say they had no idea anyone was injured until News 4 called them.

Target released this response following the incident:
The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority. We take this incident very seriously. Target plans well in advance of Black Friday and employs numerous crowd management tactics to prevent incidents. We continually analyze and improve those plans, and will do so in this case, to help ensure a safe and enjoyable shopping experience.