Manhattan DA Drops Assault Charge in Washington Square Park Snowball Fight
Gusmane Coulibaly faces misdemeanor charges after a viral snowball fight injured two officers, with prosecutors citing lack of conclusive evidence for assault.
- On Thursday, Manhattan prosecutors declined to pursue an assault charge, instead charging misdemeanor obstructing government administration and harassment against Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, who was arraigned and released on supervised release in Manhattan Criminal Court.
- Sunday's blizzard prompted social media organizers to promote a snowball fight at Washington Square Park, where multiple participants threw snowballs at officers during the incident.
- Assistant District Attorney Vicki Notaro said police body-worn camera footage shows a snowball hitting Officer Johnson near his left eye, but prosecutors could not prove injury caused by the defendant.
- Police union leaders reacted angrily to the reduced charges as roughly two dozen uniformed officers filled the gallery and two officers treated for minor injuries including a bruised eye.
- The Manhattan District Attorney's office did not immediately comment, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the incident `looked like kids at a snowball fight`, deepening tensions with NYPD brass in the developing case.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Greene: Mamdani on wrong side of ‘snowball fight’ with police
If this city was like it used to be, like it’s supposed to be, then the fracas that erupted in Washington Square Park last week would have been nothing more than the simple snowball fight that Mayor Mamdani said it was. But it wasn’t. Because if what happened in Washington Square Park had been a simple snowball fight like Mamdani said it was, then the police officers who were being pelted with snow and ice would have been tossing snowballs back,…
Jessica Tisch Fires Back After Snowball Incident: “Don’t Mess With My Cops.”
(New York, New York) – NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch is making it clear: attacks on police officers will not be brushed aside as harmless fun. Following controversy surrounding the Washington Square Park snowball incident — where officers responding to a 911 call were pelted with snowballs — Tisch delivered a forceful defense of the NYPD and the men and women who wear the uniform. “Don’t mess with my cops. I will not tolerate any attacks on my…
'Fiercely protective of you': NYPD commissioner defends officers in snowball fight saga
The NYPD's top cop fiercely defended her department in her first public comments days after police officers were pelted by snowballs in a Manhattan park, leading to charges and an arrest.
Suspect in Washington Square Park snowball fight on cops released after assault charge was reduced to misdemeanor
The cops and union leaders who packed a courtroom on Thursday evening were livid but not surprised by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office decision to
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