Incident in Washington Square Park Involves Snowball Attack on NYPD
A 27-year-old man has been identified as one of the individuals who allegedly threw snowballs at New York Police Department officers during a chaotic incident in Washington Square Park. This man, Guzman Coulibaly, had been arrested just a few weeks prior for attempted robbery, according to police reports.
Coulibaly was detained as part of the investigation into a disturbance that occurred on Monday afternoon. Two uniformed officers were taken to the hospital following the event, although specific charges related to the snowball incident have not been disclosed yet.
This isn’t Coulibaly’s first encounter with law enforcement. Authorities mentioned that he had been apprehended for attempted robbery on the subway less than three weeks ago. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch labeled the snowball incident as both “criminal” and “disgraceful.”
Coulibaly is among four suspects that the New York Police Department has identified through surveillance footage released shortly after videos of the snowball fight became popular on social media. The other three suspects remain at large.
The president of the NYPD Police Benevolent Association expressed support for Coulibaly’s arrest and criticized Mayor Zoran Mamdani for previously downplaying the situation, describing it as mere play among children.
The union responded on social media, emphasizing that a 27-year-old is not a child, pointing out Coulibaly’s recent criminal history—it raises serious concerns about safety during police duties. They appreciated the efforts in making this arrest but acknowledged that there’s still “a lot of work to be done.”
In his remarks about the incident, Mayor Mamdani noted he had watched the video, referring to the situation as simply “kids throwing snowballs.” This statement, however, has drawn criticism because the video appears to show adults participating.
During a press conference, Mamdani reiterated his stance, claiming, “From the video I saw, it looked like kids having a snowball fight,” further igniting debate over the nature of the incident.
