One man with a violent criminal record was arrested after assaulting a New York Police Department officer during Tuesday’s snowball fight in Washington Square, a scene Mayor Zohran Mamdani described as “kids throwing snowballs.”
The NYPD said Thursday that 27-year-old Gusmane Coulibaly was arrested for assaulting the officer in Washington Park and that Coulibaly had a prior violent crime record, including an arrest for armed robbery three weeks ago.
The NYPD is still searching for several individuals who pelted officers with snowballs on Tuesday.
Mamdani addressed the situation after his initial response drew fierce criticism from police advocacy groups and current and former state leaders.
The democratic socialist mayor had said he was aware of the snowball fight involving an officer and that he doesn’t believe the people throwing snowballs should face criminal charges. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said previously that the department was investigating the matter, calling it “criminal” and “disgraceful.”
The incident left several officers hospitalized with lacerations to the face, as the snowballs thrown also consisted of ice.
The Police Benevolent Association of New York City previously denounced the behavior and ordered city officials to address the matter. However, the PBA was not pleased with Mamdani’s response after Coulibaly was arrested.
“A 27-year-old is not a ‘kid,’ @NYCMayor. This individual is an adult with a recent attempted robbery arrest, and your message was that it’s OK for him to assault police officers for doing their job,” the organization said on X. “This arrest sends a different message. We’re grateful to all who have worked so hard on this case. There is more work to be done.”
Mamdani’s record of criticizing the NYPD became a focal point for state and municipal leaders after videos of the fight circulated online.
“This is disgraceful. But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police ‘racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,’ he set the tone,” former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on X.
MAMDANI SAYS ‘KIDS’ IN A ‘SNOWBALL FIGHT’ WITH NYPD OFFICERS SHOULDN’T FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES
Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) also suggested that Mamdani’s anti-police rhetoric was a factor that led to the attack.
Mamdani still has posts on his social media pages calling the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” Additionally, the NYC mayor had several anti-police activists on his transition team.