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Black Friday shoppers got into a huge brawl at a shopping mall as wild footage shows women wrestling on the floor and being handcuffed by police.

Women were seen punching and kicking each other, while one allegedly threw a shoe that hit a baby.

There were scenes of chaos as the women brawled and police and staff struggled to break them apart.

Stunned witnesses laughed and recorded video on their mobile phones as police ordered them to leave the store.

The mall in the US state of Alabama had to be shut down early after multiple fights were reported, while a shooting left one person critically injured at a mall in Missouri as Black Friday shoppers showed up looking for deals.

A number of women were arrested during the brawl inside a shop at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, Alabama.

Footage shows women wrestling with each other on the floor as police and security try to pull them apart in front of a crowd including children.

Nearby, a group of women fight as a police officer pulls one of them away and tries to handcuff her.

A police officer yells at witnesses "Get out of here, go" as they're threatened with jail if they don't comply.

The fight broke out late Thursday night - Thanksgiving Day in the US - as malls opened early for Black Friday sales.

A Fox 6 news producer wrote on Facebook that a witness reported seeing a shoe hit a baby after it was thrown over a railing at the clothing shop Buckle.

One shopper wrote: "My cousin and her family was there in lockdown at Build-a-bear. Soooo scary!"

Another added: "Who takes a baby to Black Friday!!!!"

About 12 to 15 police officers were called in to break up fights, it was reported.

Social media users reported gunfire at the mall, but police said the reports were not confirmed and no one was shot, AL.com reported.

Local officials said one person was treated at the scene for minor injuries suffered during a fight.

Police said the fights were "of a personal nature" and not over sales.

The mall had opened at 6pm but was forced to shut just after 11pm due to fights.

(Image: ABC)

In Columbia, Missouri, a shooting during Black Friday sales left a 19-year-old in life-threatening condition.

The victim suffered a gunshot wound in a car outside the Columbia Mall late Thursday night, ABC 17 reported.

Police were investigating whether the shooting was accidental or deliberate.

Black Friday has become a US phenomenon which has spread around the world to countries including the UK, with stores offering discounts weeks before Christmas.

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In the US, shoppers queue hours or even days before sales begin - skipping their turkey dinner - to get their hands on TVs, microwaves, children's toys, clothing and other items at deep discounts.

However the massive retail event is usually marred by violence, with reports of fights and even gunfire at stores and malls every year.

Black Friday is a much more tame affair in Britain, where it hasn't been widely accepted.

Footage posted online by a BBC journalist shows just one person entering a Currys PC World shop in Oxford Street, London, when the store opened its doors on Friday morning, and a second person lingering outside.

The scene was ridiculed on social media.

This year, total sales of around £15bn ($20bn) are expected in the US, with British shoppers likely to spend £10.1bn ($13.4bn) during the Black Friday period defined as November 20-27.

In the US, online spending is expected to surpass $100bn for the first time this holiday season.

By 5pm on Thanksgiving Day, Americans had already spent $1.52 billion online on Thanksgiving Day - up 17 per cent from last year - with nearly half of those sales from smartphones, the Washington Post reported.