Trending: How to predict a riot... put new Nikes on sale

On the eve of last night's NBA All-Star game, the hottest competition in basketball wasn't on the court, but for the latest shoes.

Attention was diverted away from the annual match-up in Orlando, Florida, to a shopping mall in the city where 100 police officers in riot gear were called as hundreds of people mobbed a Footlocker store, hoping to get hold of a pair of Nike Air Foamposite One Galaxy shoes.

These glow-in-the-dark basketball trainers don't promise to give you the ability to dunk or play like a pro, but they hold huge appeal among trainer aficionados as they are part of a very limited edition.

Such scenes are not uncommon. Last year's launch of the Air Jordan 11 Retro Concords saw police called to a number of malls across the US, as crowds swelled, doors were smashed and pepper spray was used to control the crowds.

In California one man queuing for the shoes was arrested for discharging a firearm, while officers in Atlanta had to smash the windows of a car after a woman left her two toddlers in the vehicle while she queued outside a shop.

According to a sneaker fan website (yes, there is such a thing), the "hype" around the Galaxies "has been one of the highest recorded buzz for a sneaker in the past decade".

Kicksonfire.com added that there was a difference between "sneakerheads" and those who just bought the shoes to sell on at a large profit.

But what a profit it can be: last night bidding for a pair of the £138.50 shoes had – at the time of writing – topped £7,000 on the auction website eBay. It might be time to get down to the shopping centre.