Snowball Fight Gets Serious

A second suspect’s been arrested after a snowball fight in Washington Square Park left two NYPD officers in the hospital. Eric Wilson Jr., 18, turned himself in and was charged with misdemeanor obstructing government administration and harassment.

What Happened

The snowball fight, which was organized on social media, got out of hand when NYPD officers showed up to contain the crowd. They were pelted with snowballs that allegedly had rocks in them. Two officers ended up in the hospital with head and facial injuries.

The first suspect, Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was arrested a few days later and initially charged with felony assault on a police officer. But prosecutors dropped the felony charge, saying there was no proof the officers’ injuries were directly caused by Coulibaly. His charges were reduced to misdemeanor obstruction of government administration and harassment.

Politicians Weigh In

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani thinks the individuals involved shouldn’t face charges, saying it was just a snowball fight that got out of hand. But Governor Kathy Hochul disagrees, saying our police officers put themselves in harm’s way every day and there’s no circumstance where it’s OK to throw anything at them.