Shocking footage showed multiple fights and chaos erupting in Washington Square Park in the aftermath of New York City’s Pride Parade on Sunday, with police struggling to control rowdy crowds.
Video of the incredible scene showed several troublemakers turning the crowded park into their own personal boxing ring, exchanging punches and pulling each other’s hair, as a huge crowd looked on in delight, pulling out their cellphones to record the confrontation in Lower Manhattan.
At one point, the video shows two young men punching each other so hard that one of them falls to the ground, and seconds later, two women briefly exchange blows as several passersby try to break up the altercation.
In another violent incident, footage showed a woman with a bloodied face and what appeared to be dried blood on her white shirt getting into a head-on confrontation with a male companion as the crowd cheered loudly.
In other brutal altercations, one woman pushed another over the edge of the park’s iconic fountain, and another brawler grabbed a woman wearing a pink shirt by her hair and pulled her to the ground. The young woman in the pink shirt was then dragged by other brawlers until others rushed to her aid.
Even when there wasn’t any violence, there was plenty of R-rated antics, including multiple women twerking on top of a white car and one person rubbing himself against a utility pole and climbing to the top, according to the video.
Another video showed rioters charging toward the park, as officers set up barricades around the perimeter and tried to control the out-of-control crowd.
In the evening, the NYPD announced over a loudspeaker that Washington Square Park was closed and played a recording ordering people to leave, which led to altercations between officers and park users.
It was not immediately clear whether any arrests had been made as a result of the fighting.
Before the incident, New York City was celebrating its 54th annual Pride Parade, with thousands of participants taking part in the event celebrating LGBTQ rights in Greenwich Village.
During the celebrations, anti-Israel protesters briefly blocked the march, but were taken away by police near the historic Stonewall Inn, considered the birthplace of the gay rights movement.
Police arrested 22 people during the protests, 16 of whom were given summonses and released, while the remaining six remained in custody on Sunday night.
Additional reporting by Larry Cerona.
