Police investigating after video shows officers losing cool amid unruly crowd

Art Basel shoe-release party turned chaotic over weekend

MIAMI – Miami police Chief Jorge Colina said the department is investigating after a video showed officers pushing and shoving people at a shoe-release event that turned rowdy over the weekend.

"An open internal affairs investigation into the conduct of the officers involved is under way," Colina said in a statement.

The video shows several officers being restrained by their colleagues after pushing and exchanging words with several people in the crowd.

The event was supposed to unveil the limited-edition SoleFly Air Jordan 1, but it was canceled after a large crowd gathered outside the venue, pushing to get in. A police officer was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital after experiencing chest pains, but no one was hurt and no arrests were made.

The event was held in conjunction with Art Basel. Cellphone videos show the crowd pushing their way past several security gates. Security personnel are seen on video pushing back the crowd.

The shoe blog Sole Collector reported that the event at E11even nightclub was not publicized, but people were tipped off to the release, bringing in a large crowd.

A spokesperson for SoleFly said the event would be rescheduled.

"As safety is our number one priority, we’ve had to cancel our release. We will reschedule our launch for a future date," the spokesperson said.