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Police arrested Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, in New York City after police said he was among those who pelted officers with snow and ice during a large snowball fight at Washington Square Park earlier this week, officials said.
Coulibaly was charged with obstructing governmental administration, a misdemeanor, and harassment, a non-criminal violation, according to court proceedings described by police and prosecutors. He appeared in handcuffs and wearing an olive-green sweat suit at his arraignment Thursday evening in Manhattan criminal court, where he was not asked to enter a plea.
George Vomvolakis, Coulibaly’s attorney, told the judge that the “circumstances surrounding his arrest have been politicized,” and suggested Coulibaly was caught in a dispute between the police department and City Hall. Vomvolakis also said he believed the police department was using the case “because of their dislike or disdain for the mayor,” adding, “I think they’re taking it out on Mr. Coulibaly. They want to pick a fight with the mayor.”
In comments earlier this week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani played down the incident, describing it as a “snowball fight that got out of hand” and saying he did not think criminal charges were warranted. The snowball fight, which city officials said appeared to be organized by social media content producers, drew a large crowd to the park during a winter storm, with participants throwing snowballs at each other and police.
Prosecutors told the court that officers arrived after a 911 call about a disorderly group, including people climbing on a roof. Video of the incident showed people following officers and showering them with snowballs as officers retreated to vehicles outside the park, and the video also showed officers shoving at least two people to the ground while they were hit from multiple directions.
Patrick Hendry, a police union president, said after the proceeding that the incident was not a playful game, adding that “The notion that this was a playful snowball fight obviously is not true.” Hendry described it as “an attack on the uniform that these police officers wear so proudly every day,” and said he was disappointed prosecutors did not charge Coulibaly with assaulting an officer, which he said had been proposed.
Assistant District Attorney Victoria Notaro said in court that video showed Coulibaly throwing a snowball that struck Officer Nicholas Johnson in the face, but prosecutors did not find evidence showing the injuries were caused directly by Coulibaly’s conduct. Notaro said the officer sustained injuries including redness, tenderness and pain to his eye, head and neck, and said, “We will continue to investigate.”
Vomvolakis disputed the prosecution’s characterization, saying there was no evidence that rocks or ice were packed into the snowballs. He also said he had not seen the episode as an attack and acknowledged it may have gone “a little past, you know, jokes and fun” and possibly involved disrespect toward police, while arguing Coulibaly’s arrest stemmed from his online activities.
Vomvolakis said Coulibaly is a content creator who posts “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. He said that earlier incident led to Coulibaly’s arrest for attempted robbery, a charge Vomvolakis said he was confident would be dismissed.
Police have also released images of three other people they are seeking in connection with the snowball fight. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the treatment of officers at the fight “disgraceful” and “criminal,” and Coulibaly was released pending his next court date on April 9.