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NEW YORK (AP) — A social media influencer was taken into custody on Thursday after New York City authorities alleged he was among those who threw snow and ice at police officers during an extensive snowball fight held in Washington Square Park earlier this week.
Gusmane Coulibaly, aged 27, faces charges of obstructing governmental administration, classified as a misdemeanor, alongside a harassment charge, which is a non-criminal violation.
During his Thursday evening arraignment at the Manhattan criminal court, Coulibaly appeared in handcuffs, dressed in an olive-green sweat suit. He was not required to enter a plea and was subsequently released, with his next court appearance scheduled for April 9.
Throughout the brief proceedings, Coulibaly remained silent, while the courtroom was notable for the presence of over a dozen uniformed police officers and representatives from police unions.
George Vomvolakis, Coulibaly’s lawyer, addressed the court, asserting that the “circumstances surrounding his arrest have been politicized.” He implied that Coulibaly might have become entangled in ongoing tensions between the police department and City Hall.
“I don’t want to minimize what happened to the officers, but I think the police department is using this because of their dislike or disdain for the mayor,” Vomvolakis said. “I think they’re taking it out on Mr. Coulibaly. They want to pick a fight with the mayor.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat, played down the fracas earlier this week as a “snowball fight that got out of hand” and suggested he did not think criminal charges were warranted.
Monday’s snowball fight, which appeared to be organized by social media content producers, caused a chaotic scene as a large crowd amassed at the popular park to wing snowballs at each other during a winter storm.
Prosecutors said in court that officers arrived at the park after a 911 call about a disorderly group, including people climbing on a roof.
Video from the incident shows a large group of people following police officers, showering them with snowballs and jeering, as they retreat to their vehicles outside the park. Videos also showed officers shoving at least two people to the ground while getting hit from all directions by snowballs.
“The notion that this was a playful snowball fight obviously is not true,” Patrick Hendry, a police union president, told reporters after the proceeding. “This was an attack on the uniform that these police officers wear so proudly every day. They came after these police officers, pelting them with ice, rocks.”
Hendry said he was disappointed prosecutors didn’t charge Coulibaly with assaulting an officer — the felony offense police originally proposed.
“It sends a horrible message to these police officers right here that the mayor is not going to have our backs,” he said, standing alongside other officers. “You’re putting a target on these police officers’ backs.”
Vomvolakis maintained there was no evidence that rocks or ice were packed into the snowballs.
“What I saw in the video didn’t look like an attack,” Vomvolakis said. “Did it go a little past, you know, jokes and fun? Was it possibly a little disrespectful to the police? Yes.”
Assistant District Attorney Victoria Notaro said video showed Coulibaly throwing a snowball that struck Officer Nicholas Johnson in the face, but prosecutors did not find evidence showing that the officer’s injuries were caused “directly by this defendant’s conduct.”
The officer sustained injuries including redness, tenderness and pain to his eye, head and neck, Notaro said.
“We will continue to investigate,” she added.
Vomvolakis said Coulibaly is a content creator who makes “elaborate videos” including a recent one in which he approached a stranger in a Bronx subway, acted as if he knew him and said he was owed money.
That interaction got Coulibaly arrested for attempted robbery — a charge that Vomvolakis said he was confident would be dismissed.
Coulibaly has hundreds of thousands of followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other social media platforms, where he posts under the moniker Diaper Man.
The city’s police department has released images of three other people it is seeking in connection with the snowball fight. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has called the treatment of officers at the fight “disgraceful” and “criminal.”
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