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Decision made on man who threw snowballs at NYPD cops amid threat of assault charge
A decision has been made on a man accused of hurling snowballs at the NYPD during the now-infamous Washington Square Park chaos.
The case centers on Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, who was originally charged following the wild snowball fight that took place during a record-breaking blizzard.
What began as a social media-organized gathering quickly spiraled into controversy after videos showed cops being struck in the head and back as they walked through a crowd.
Assault charge dropped during arraignment
Coulibaly was initially charged with assault on a police officer, obstruction of governmental administration, and disorderly conduct.
However, on Thursday (February 26), prosecutors had shifted course during the 27-year-old's arraignment, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office opted not to move forward with the assault on a police officer charge, The New York Post reported.
Instead, the remaining charges were downgraded to harassment and obstruction of governmental administration as a second-degree violation and misdemeanor, respectively, per a criminal complaint.
Police Union Blasts Downgraded Charges
Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, slammed the downgraded charges, saying the purported “playful snowball fight” was “an attack on the uniform these police officers wear every day.”
“This was a grown adult that was here. Our police officers went to this location, on the rooftop, for a disorderly group, came down, and they were surrounded by hundreds of individuals who then attacked all police officers,” he said.
Hendry further claimed that Coulibaly and three suspects still at large, according to the NYP, had packed snowballs with ice and rocks before throwing them.
“So why wasn’t assault charged? Why was harassment charged? Why do they feel that that didn’t cause an injury to a police officer, which he clearly, clearly, has an injury below his eye?” Hendry asked.
In court, one officer identified only as “PO Johnson” was said to have experienced redness, tenderness, and pain on the left side of his face near his eye. Hendry noted that Johnson is currently out on sick leave and “on the mend.”
Still, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Victoria Notaro told the court it was difficult to prove “that the injury was obtained directly from the defendant."
Political Fallout After The Mayor's Comments
The snowball incident sparked political friction at City Hall. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch labeled the snowball-throwing disgraceful; meanwhile, Mayor Zohran Mamdani initially characterized the footage differently.
It “looked like kids having a snowball fight,” he said at first, per NBC News. When pressed again, he elaborated: “What I saw yesterday in these videos was a snowball fight that got out of hand."
“I believe that our officers, just like any city workers, deserve respect,” he continued. “I’m not going to be banning snowball fights or organized snowball fights,” Mamdani added later.
“And I continue to believe that what we are seeing in this response to this winter blizzard from the city workers as a whole, and that includes the hard-working men and women of the NYPD, is part of why the city’s getting back on its feet," he also wrote.
Coulibaly did not address the court during his arraignment, but his private attorney, George Vomvolakis, accused the NYPD of taking their anger for Mamdani out on his client.
Vomvolakis echoed the mayor’s earlier framing of the event as “kids doing snowballs” and repeatedly claimed that Coulibaly is 22 years old, even though he is 27.
The lawyer also described it as a “glorified summons,” and argued that Coulibaly “had no idea what the intent was” when he allegedly lobbed the snowball.
Judge Michelle Weber was not persuaded and stated that Coulibaly’s alleged involvement “showed a complete lack of judgment".
Coulibaly was granted supervised release. He will be back in court on April 9 for the snowball-related charges and separately on March 15 for an alleged straphanger shakedown.