New York City police have taken a 27-year-old man into custody in connection with an incident where a police officer was injured during a large snowball fight on Monday. The arrested individual, Guzman Coulibaly, was picked up early Thursday. Interestingly, just weeks prior, he had been arrested for an attempted robbery involving the transit system.
According to police reports, officers were responding to a call about a large crowd gathered on a roof around 4 p.m. in Washington Square Park when they were suddenly bombarded with snowballs, leading to multiple officers being hospitalized with facial injuries.
In a statement, police mentioned that the situation escalated beyond just harmless snowballs. They noted that while two uniformed officers were in the park, several individuals purposefully struck them with snow and ice repeatedly, resulting in head, neck, and facial injuries. Authorities are seeking information related to the incident through NYPDTips.
Among the reactions, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed her outrage over the video showing the attacks, labeling them as disgraceful. Law enforcement officials and politicians voiced their anger as well. The New York City Police Benevolent Association condemned the actions, calling them unacceptable and emphasizing the need for accountability for those involved.
Notably, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized current Mayor Zoran Mamdani, suggesting that previous anti-police remarks from city leadership have fostered an environment that disrespects law enforcement. Cuomo mentioned that words have consequences, alluding to the increase in disrespect towards the police force. Adams echoed similar sentiments, stressing that all New Yorkers should feel appalled to see officers exposed to the harsh weather while on duty.
In response to the situation, Mamdani acknowledged the incident but seemed to downplay its seriousness, describing what he witnessed as an ordinary snowball fight that had gotten out of hand. His comments raised eyebrows among police officials, with some suggesting that his stance could undermine relations with law enforcement.
A witness recounted that the snowball fight began innocently but grew chaotic when some people used the roof of a restroom as a vantage point, which led to the police intervention.
